Galloway Cattle Breed – Everything You Need to Know

Galloway Cattle are known to be one of the oldest of pure-bred cattle around today. They are very hardy and can live off basically any type of land thriving any type of farming system/environment.
They are long-lived cattle with very good quality lean beef that is very economical to produce given that the cow is basically low cost and low maintenance.

GALLOWAY BREED OF CATTLE QUICK PROFILE OVERVIEW
Galloway cows make excellent suckler cows producing excellent beef calves.
Country of Origin:	Scotland
Other Names:	Riggit Galloway
Main Purpose:	Meat
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Can be used for	Breed, Meat
Ideal Climate:	Heat, Cold, Most Climates
Conservation Status:	Listed by the *ALC Status/Rarity: Watch
Health Issues?	No known health issues
Good Starter Cattle?	Novice to intermediate Cattle farmer/keeper level
Cattle Associations:	American Galloway Breeders Association and The Galloway Cattle Society
Cattle Clubs:	Please refer to the American Galloway Breeders Association and The Galloway Cattle Society for more information on the Galloway Cattle breed.
Where to buy them?	>Please refer to the American Galloway Breeders Association and The Galloway Cattle Society for more information on the Galloway Cattle breed.
Child Friendly?	Livestock should not be left unattended around unsupervised children
General Information:	Galloway cattle have a thick double-layered coat that is both wavy and curly. This thick coat of hair insulates their bodies, so they do not need a hefty amount of fat build up. In the summer months, the coats shed out leaving them leaner and cooler in order to cope with the heat. They are a naturally polled breed, so the owners and the cattle do not have to go through the stress of dehorning their cattle for various reasons. They are adaptive to most climates, environments, and management systems. The breed is on various conservation watch lists as it is thought that there are only around 10000 Galloway cattle worldwide. In the United States, the breed is considered to be quite a rare breed. The original Galloway herd book only registered black Galloway cattle even though there were red, and several shades of dun colors associated with the breed. After much deliberation and outcry from British breeders, the red and dun colors were eventually recognized although the Black color is still the most dominant of colors.
Note: *ALC stands for American Livestock Conservancy

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

The Galloway cattle breed looks like a big teddy bear cow especially in the winter when it has its layered winter coat. They are of a quite large stature body wise with the male have a rounder bulkier figure than the squarer and more defined figure of the females. They have roundish cow type face and medium sized usually fuzzy ears. Their legs are medium length compared to their bodies and are quite chunky.

Size:

Medium to large

CATTLE ⇒	COW	BULL
Breed Color:	Black sometimes red	Black sometimes red
Breed Weight:	450 to 680 kgs	770 to 1050 kgs
Breed Height:	Unclear	Unclear
Horns:	Polled	Polled
Temperament:	Docile and east to handle	Docile and east to handle
Matures at age:	6 to 8 months or 9 + months	6 to 8 months or 9 + months
Puberty Age:	6 to 15 months	9 to 1o months
Breeding Age:	13 to 15 months	1 year
Breeding Traits:	See Cow breeding & Milking Info	Cover 25 to 30 Cows in 1 season

COW BREEDING & MILKING INFORMATION
Most Cattle produce milk but not all of them are used in the dairy Cattle capacity for their milk. Cows only calve once a year and should have 12 to 14-month inter-calving cycle. They are not used for their milk although they were used for cheese making in Cumberland. They are excellent mothers, have easy births with little not birthing problems and usually have strong calves. They have good maternal instincts and will protect their young at all costs
Breeding Period/cycle:	Usually lasts 6 to 24 hours Most ave. 12 to 16 hours Cows usually come on heat every 21 days.
Estrous cycle:	Ave. 17 days to 24 days Heifer – usually ave. 20 days Cows – usually ave. 21 days
Gestation Period:	Usually, around 279 to 287 days but most gestation is 283 days. Cows that are carrying bull calf’s their gestation period is usually a little longer than cows that are carrying heifer calves.
No. Calves/Litter:	1 calf at a time. Cows rarely have twins or triplets, but it can happen
Lactation Period:	Cows lactation period can last for up to about 10 months (305) days.
Milking From:	1 to 6 weeks after Calving
Drying off Period:	The cow should have a 12 to 14-month inter-calving cycle. Drying off period for around 60 days before she can calve again.
Milk Quality:	Good
Milk Ideal for:	Calves and sometimes used for making cheese
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CATTLE MEAT PRODUCTION INFORMATION

Galloway cattle carcasses are of moderate weight, but their percentage yield and percentage product exceed that of heavier cattle breeds. They have lower levels of fat that are usually deemed wastful internal fat. They have been known to produce beef that far exceeds consumer demands for lean tasty and tender meat.

Meat Production?

Yes, Quality: Good

CATTLE ⇒	VEAL	BEEF
Ave. Maturity Age:	6 to 8 months	9 months up to 4 years

CATTLE SKIN PRODUCTION INFORMATION

Most meat Cattle will have a skin by-product, and these are usually used in some form or just as a hide. They are not specifically bred for their hides but as a meat breed of cattle hides are a by-product and used in various leather products.

Skin Production?

No, Quality: Good

Skin is used to Produce:

Calf/cow skin leather products such as shoes, car seats, fine leather coats, gloves, handbags, belts, furniture, rugs, etc.

CATTLE ⇒	CALF	ADULT
Age they Produce from:	6 to 8 months for Calf skin	1 to 2 years old for Normal leather

HISTORY

The Galloway cattle breed comes for the native breeds of cattle that were found in the south-west regions of Scotland.
The Galloway cattle breed was first fully developed in the 17th century and are the longest established cattle breed in the world. They are named after the place from which they originated which was Galloway in Scotland.

They are found in many parts of the world today having been exported to Canada in 1853 and the United States of America in 1882 then to Australia in 1951.
The breed had great success right up until the foot and mouth crisis hit the world around the late 1950s early 1960s.
Today the breed is making a great come back throughout the world as consumer demands increase for lean beef and hardier cattle. Consumers want larger carcasses, that are value for money as well as being leaner. Thus farmers need breeds that are hardy and more economical to raise.

The first American Galloway herd book was established in 1882 and in 1911 there was 35 000 registered Galloway cattle.