We got a bellted galloway

creeklady2000 · #1 11/17/06, 05:55 AM

Hubby and I went to the livestock yard 2 weeks ago and here in this pen are 5 of the most adorable little calves they are black with white belly bands some more than others with white and they are kinda of furry like a highland or dexter and they have short stocky little legs and I said to Tim I want one he rolles his eyes at me lol well when they went though they called them miniture cattle well guess what we bought the little heifer she looks like a oreo cookie we call her panda bear and we are taming her down but I did get info on her former owner and talked to them and she is a bellted galloway out of reg parents she was born this april I want to use her as a milk cow and I did some reserch on the breed and that is what they used to be used for along time ago was amulti purpose breed I am soooo excited about her

topside1 · #2 11/17/06, 05:59 AM

Congrats on your excellent purchase...how about a photo of the little sweet cookie???

dagwood · #3 11/17/06, 06:17 AM

They not only give good milk with a reasonable amout of butterfat but they taste good on the grill too.

Jennifer L. · #4 11/17/06, 08:24 AM

Oooh! Lucky you! I've always wanted a belted cow. We had some when I was a kid. Good luck with her!

Jennifer

Bret · #5 11/17/06, 08:49 AM

Have fun with them.

We have Angus, but I have always enjoyed reading about Belted Galloways. The soceity has a nice web site and an email forum that you can subscribe too. I read their forum. A nice community.

NWMO · #6 11/17/06, 06:06 PM

I have two belted cows and calf....have really enjoyed them and look forward to building up a small herd. I bought these from a lady just before they were to go to auction.....I am sure if I had shown up at the auction barn, I could have purchased them pretty cheaply......the calf is going to be steered, as he has a small tip of white on his tail, so could not be registered.....but am counting on some great beef for the freezer.

Ours are not tame enough to milk, but make sure you work with yours, as i have heard they should be an excellent dual purpose breed. I can't say that our momma cow has a tremendous amount of milk production based upon udder size, however, the calf is growing quite well. And this breed is anything but picky when it comes to grass.......they will eat the poorest quality hay and buy pass the good stuff......go figure!

lyceum · #7 11/17/06, 08:08 PM

Congrats on your new calf!!! We have a herd of 30 Belted Galloway Cows and 2 Bulls. They are the best!! They are smaller than angus, and much easier to handle. Most of our cows will let you pet them in the pasture. The beef from them is very lean and the best we have ever had. Have fun with her!

Lyceum

creeklady2000 · #8 11/18/06, 05:22 AM

yes we love her she is sooo cute you just want to pick her up and cuddle her (not going to happen anytime soon lol) she loves her chop now and knows who brings it to her I can only turn her out in a small area in the barn right now so I can clean her stall she is very good at getting her halter off but very good fianally about getting it back on I am thinking about bringing in my little jersey calf to keep her company as he could use a little handling as well I would like to breed his to her before we butcher him I think that would be avery good homesteading cross could be interesting on what I might get also at what age can you breed a heifer and what age are bulls ready to breed???? I am new to the cattle thing as far as breeding goes I am used to horses

georgiarebel · #9 11/18/06, 06:12 AM

Those are some neat looking cows. Post some pictures when you get a chance.

heritagefarmer · #10 11/18/06, 06:53 PM

We bought our first cow/calf pair last summer, and now they are both bred to calve in spring so we're hoping for one of each. One for beef, and nice heifer to expand the herd! (Haven't told DH that yet tho!)
We bred them both AI as we want to stay purebred, there are not many of them left, so you should breed Beltie if you can, straws cost about $50 compared to others costing $25-30, so it's not too much dearer.
You still get the option of eating the boys. (and the girls too if you want)
You should breed her at about 15 months, so she calves on her 2nd birthday, or thereabouts.
With only one tho, it will VERY hard to tell when she is in heat, and with AI timing is everything!
May you should run her with a neighbors bull the first time, until you get some experience.
Good luck with her!
I'm sure she'll turn out to be a pet.
check ours out on our web site.

lyceum · #11 11/19/06, 07:51 AM

I agree with HeritageFarmer, breed for the heifer to calve at 2. They should have plenty of growth by then and should have no problem having a calf. When she calves, just make sure she has enough milk for the calf. We have had some first time cows (Belted Galloways) that did not produces enough milk for their calves. Check out the Belted Galloway Society's website at www.beltie.org

Lyceum