Our Full Blood Miniature White Galloways

Our original full blood females were predominantly from the very successful, well known Castle Douglas bloodline. Wanting to inject some ‘new blood’ into our herd we searched Australia high and low for full blood bulls from a different bloodline. We did not have too much success, so our search eventually led us to complete an Artifical Insemination course in 2008 and to then source high quality straws from overseas.

We are now using straws from a magnificent, full blood, Miniature White Galloway bull called Ngutunui White Clem (in New Zealand) with our full blood females. The calves from this breeding line are helping us to build a new Miniature White Galloway bloodline in Australia.

We already have a cow and a heifer from the New Zealand bull Ngutunui White Clem. In October 2009 we had our first calf from one of these Ngutunui White Clem offspring and Glenayr Cannon Boy. Cannon Boy is a Prue Bred Miniature White Galloway bull from NSW, in Australia. We called the little Pure Bred heifer calf Echuca in honour of the area where the dam Cuddles was born.

Full Blood Miniature White Galloway - Cuddles at 18 months. Cuddles calved in October 2009*.

Early in 2009 we further investigated the actual Artificial Insemination procedure in the hope of finding a better way of delivering the semen with our small miniature cattle. We were successful and are now implementing a procedure that is specifically designed to be less stressful for the cows and far more 'user friendly' for our little heifers.

Building our herd of full blood Miniature White Galloways has been a very satisfying experience. We are very proud of what we have achieved to date and we are really looking forward to what the future may bring.

A Full Blood and a Pure Bred Miniature White Galloway heifer - six months. Black Points.

Origin and History

The Galloway is a very old Scottish breed. It is the oldest known British breed on record, and the oldest known polled beef breed in the world. The numbers of Miniature White Galloway were so low that they were listed as a rare breed.

Breed Characteristics

Miniature Galloways have the same breed characteristics as Galloways but must comply with strict height requirements.

Galloways are naturally polled. They are long-living, very resistant to disease, and easy to manage. They create strong hybrid vigour due to the purity of the breed.

The unique double coat of hair makes the Galloway an extremely versatile breed, able to withstand extremes of temperature and climate. Galloways, because of their extra hair, can actually gain weight when on the same ration as other cattle which are losing weight.

Galloways have an amazing ability to forage on sparse hill conditions, yet also perform outstandingly on high-grade pasture. Galloways are being sought after to improve marginal lands, as they graze non-selectively. Non-selective grazing encourages the better quality grasses, while at the same time does not allow the poorer quality species to take over.

One of the most notable characteristics of the Galloway female is her ability to rear calves naturally under all conditions. In Australia, the Galloway has proven itself not only in cold climates, but also in the hot inland, where Galloway cross cows have survived severe droughts while rearing a healthy calf.

Galloways are an extremely fertile breed, regularly producing vigorous live calves. The cow is noted for ease of calving, being a protective mother and having an abundant supply of milk. A sustained lactation period ensures a strong, well-nourished calf at weaning. The maternal attributes of the Galloway cow came out tops in a study at the famous Clay Animal Research Center, Nebraska, USA. Eleven breed groups were tested for their ability to give birth and rear their calves. Of the 11 breed groups included in the study, the Galloways recorded the highest weaning percentage (95.5%), the highest calf survival percentage (95.2%), and an outstandingly low incidence of calving difficulty (0.8%).

With the Galloway’s non-selective grazing habits, Galloway beef can be raised under extensive conditions. Research carried out shows that beef which is extensively produced can be of great benefit in a healthy diet. Galloway beef is rich in linoleic acid, which reduces the dangerous type of cholesterol (LDL), prevents thrombosis and therefore protects coronary vessels.

The carcass of the Galloway is of excellent quality, with high yields. By using Galloways and their crosses it is easy to obtain fat cover and heavy muscling to suit most trade requirements and new marketing techniques. Galloway steers have gained much success in both carcase competitions and grazing trials. The high yield of Galloway and Galloway cross steers makes them a very attractive item for the feedlots, as the higher the yield, the higher the profit per animal.    

NB:This information is based on NSW Dept of Primary Industries: Agriculture Agfact A2.3.36 

* Cuddles couldn't quite wait until November - Oct 29. Her perfect little heifer calf was up and suckling in minutes and Mum was back to eating grass! (Yes that is the wet umbilical cord you can see!)

Cuddles and Echuca in April 2010. Echuca is almost ready to be weaned.