Galloway breed of cows: description and characteristics, rules of keeping

Cows of the Galloway breed are bred in Scotland. The breeding of this type of livestock is carried out mainly for the sake of obtaining meat, since the mass of an adult bull reaches 850 kilograms, and cows - 550 kilograms. Galloway animals are hardy, unpretentious, able to grow quickly in harsh conditions, they are characterized by ease of calving and attachment to the herd. This makes the Galloway breed popular in many countries around the world.

Origin of the breed

The Galloway cattle breed belongs to the old types of cows that are raised for meat. Initially in Scotland, in the county of Galloway (hence the name of the breed), the cattle had a meat and dairy direction, later it was changed to purely meat as a result of selection.

Cattle were bred in mountainous areas, in conditions of high humidity, cool summers and winters with little snow. Breeding began around 1850, and the Galloway Cow Breeding Society was later formed. In 1878, the first part of a tribal publication about Galloway cattle was published, and 4 years later, an alliance of breeders was formed in Chicago. The largest amount of literature about the peculiarities of growing Galloway cows was also published there.

In Russia, not many farms are breeding Galloway cows, this type of livestock accounts for 0.6-0.8% of beef breeds. Finding a breeding stock - in the Altai experimental farm of the SB RAS.

Description and characteristics of Galloway cows

Galloway cattle are similar in appearance to Aberdeen Angus cattle, but have a longer and shallower body. The body of bulls and cows is covered with thick hair of dark (black or brown, mixed with gray) color.In rare cases, calves are born with a light stripe on the body, pure beige or white.

In winter, the thick and tough hair of Galloway animals reaches a length of 20-25 centimeters, so that the cows do not freeze in adverse climatic conditions. They can graze outdoors almost all year round. Galloway cattle are not afraid of rain, snow, wind.

In hot conditions, cows also do not experience discomfort, because wool perfectly performs thermoregulatory functions and does not allow the body to overheat.

Due to constant grazing, cattle have developed a powerful, muscular body with a strong constitution. The neck and chest are wide, the lumbar region is short, the back is even. The legs are short, the hooves are stable and dense. Whole head. In cows of the Galloway breed, calving occurs easily, maternal qualities are highly developed.Livestock tied to the herd.

A calf at birth weighs 25-30 kilograms, adults reach a large mass:

• cows - 450-550 kilograms;
• bulls - 750-850 kilograms.

A one and a half year old bull-calf under good conditions of keeping and feeding already weighs 400-450 kilograms. The slaughter yield of a fattened bull reaches 65%. Cows give up to 1500 liters of milk per month with a fat content of about 4%.

Main positives and negatives

Cows of the Galloway breed, or, as they are popularly called, Hollow cattle, have a lot of advantages:

1. Stamina and undemanding to special conditions.To keep meat and milk production at a high level, Galloway animals require only succulent feed for a long time. The herd does not need to make special paddocks when grazing on pastures - the cows do not move more than a meter apart from each other.
2. No time-consuming processes in content. It is important for cows to provide high-quality feed and drink, to build the simplest stall design to protect livestock from negative weather conditions.
3. Quick calving. The labor activity of a cow lasts, on average, 5-6 hours.
4. Good compatibility with other breeds for industrial crossbreeding.
5. High quality meat. The products are fragrant, tasty and soft, do not have excessive fat content, contain a large amount of polyunsaturated acids and useful substances.
6. Good profit from the sale of dairy and meat products from Galloway cattle.

Cows of the Galloway breed have practically no flaws, except that marble fibers slip through the meat located in the neck area. Other areas of the body are no different from other breeds of cattle.

How to keep and care for animals

Despite the fact that Galloway cattle are unpretentious in food and maintenance, it is important to provide them with good care to maintain the he alth of the livestock and improve the quality of the resulting products.

Summer playground

In summer, cows spend most of their time in the pasture. It is necessary to equip premises for them that will protect livestock from hot sunlight, rain and wind. There should be milking pens in the summer area, although the cows do not produce much milk.

Finishing the premises

Special accommodations are required for cows in extreme cold conditions, especially for newly calving cows.One head should have at least 3.5-3.75 square meters of a separate stall with a ceiling height of 2.5 meters. The floor is covered with a thick layer of sawdust or chopped straw. The barn should have drinkers and feeders (automatic or manually filled). Coarse and wet feed should be placed in separate feeders.

Containment conditions

In barns, it is important to provide good ventilation and protect animals from drafts. The temperature regime is not very important, but the humidity in the room should be within 70%. Cows need 16 hours of light with an 8 hour break to sleep in the dark.

Regular cleaning of stalls and equipment

Galloway breeds have good immunity, but sanitary and hygienic standards must be observed.The room is cleaned of manure twice a day, the flooring is recommended to be replaced as it gets dirty. It is important to ensure that there are no leftover feed in the feeders. The water in the drinkers must be constantly changed to fresh, if they are not automated and not connected to the central water supply.

When cleaning premises, the use of disinfectant detergents is required to prevent infectious diseases of cattle.

What to feed

Galloway cows are unpretentious in food, but to maintain he alth, strong immunity and high quality meat and dairy products, all feed must be fresh. Only proper nutrition will allow cattle to quickly gain muscle mass and give good milk yield (up to 30-50 liters of milk per day).

Summer

In the summer, Galloway cows are fed quality mixed fodder twice a day, but the main diet consists of succulent herbs that the cattle consume in the pasture.

It is important to inspect the area for the growth of poisonous herbs, such as henbane, swamp ledum and calla, speckled hemlock, warty euonymus.

In winter

In winter, when cows are on the farm, it is necessary to provide them with a quality diet consisting of the following products:

• dry hay;
• compound feed based on barley, wheat, oats;
• peas, beans, soybeans;
• feed yeast;
• fish oil;
• wood ash;
• bran;
• potatoes and beets;
• fish oil.

Intervals between meals in winter are 3-5 hours. When feeding in the morning, livestock must receive forage in the form of forbs to start metabolic processes and improve the digestion of roughage (legumes and cereals).

Speci alty foods should not be mixed with antibiotics and growth promoters. Due to the high amount of hormonal substances in such additives, irreversible pathological changes are formed in the body of livestock, the quality of meat and milk deteriorates.

Water

In summer, one cow drinks up to 60 liters of water per day, in winter - up to 35 liters. The amount of liquid needed depends on the type of feed received, whether the cow has a calf and other factors. It is better to install automatic drinkers for cattle, in their absence it is necessary to drink clean water three times a day, not colder than 15 ^oS.

Subtleties of breeding

Cows begin to calve at the age of 32-34 months. The hotel lasts about 5-6 hours.In animals of the Galloway breed, there are rarely cases of difficult calving and stillbirth of young animals. A newborn bull weighs about 20 kilograms, a heifer - 8-10 kilograms. Before calving, it is important to provide fresh bedding, clean water in sufficient quantities.

On the farm, calves up to 7-8 months old are grown on full suction according to the resource-saving "cow-calf" system. Upon reaching the age of 7-8 months, the calves are beaten off from their mothers, herds are formed taking into account the sex. After beating, the young are weighed and the milk yield of cows is calculated - one of the most important breeding indicators in beef cattle breeding.

Diseases and their treatment

Cows of the Galloway breed are long-lived due to their strong physique and endurance in almost all weather conditions. Like other breeds, Galloway cattle can carry the following diseases:

• blockage of the esophagus - occurs from the sticking of poorly chewed food in it, especially not chopped vegetables. In simple cases, 100-200 milliliters of vegetable oil is poured into the throat of a cow;
• tympania - overflow of the rumen with gases that do not have the ability to exit. To alleviate the condition, the animal's stomach is massaged, the tongue is pulled out rhythmically, and bridled with a rope soaked in tar. In a difficult case, the veterinarian punctures the scar and lets the gases out;
• atony - the absence of contractions of the proventriculus when overfeeding or supplying stale food. Treated with castor oil and Glauber's s alt;
• diarrhea - develops more often in calves in violation of the feeding regime or the supply of stale, sour milk. The calf is transferred to a dairy-free diet, in severe cases, detoxification measures are taken, dehydration is stopped;
• broncho-pulmonary diseases - young animals are prone to being in conditions of dampness and drafts. It is treated under the supervision of a veterinarian, antibiotics, anti-inflammatory drugs, vitamins and immunomodulators can be used.

With poor nutrition, livestock care, violation of hygiene standards, the herd can be infected with foot and mouth disease, tuberculosis, brucellosis. Animal checkups and routine vaccinations are important.

When keeping and caring for livestock, the meat and milk of Galloway cows will always hold a high market value. The breed has a lot of advantages, unpretentious in food, quickly gaining body weight, and meat products are characterized by excellent taste and quality.

Recommended