One of the great things about Galloway cattle is their calving abilities. They calve easily, and they have strong mothering instincts. The calving-to-weaning ratio for Galloway cattle is second to none. Meaning more Galloway cows carry their calves to birth and successfully raise healthy calves than any other breed. Read that again. Yes, they are 'top guns' when it comes to successfully having calves and successfully raising calves.
So, if this is one of the reasons you are considering a Galloway, remember this - don't mess with Mother Nature! The best place for a Galloway calf is on his/her mother. Let these cows do what they do best. Intervene as little as possible. They know what they are doing. They have been doing it for thousands of years without humans. They have been doing it for 800 years with humans watching on and keeping records.
Bottle-Fed Calves
We don't have, and we don't sell 'bottle fed' calves. So, please don't ask. To anyone out there asking for calves to 'bottle-feed ', please factor in the following information before you continue your search. Cattle are mammals; they are part of the Mammalia group. All mammals, regardless of birth method, possess mammary glands that produce milk to nourish their young. If the mother is alive, her strongest instinct is to feed her 'baby'. Do not deny her this and do not deny the calf the best start in life, the one designed by Mother Nature herself. By asking for 'bottle-fed' calves, you are encouraging some inhumane, unkind and unsafe cattle industry practice.
Breeders, if you have a healthy calf and no mother, please do not deny them this strong start in life. Find them a surrogate/substitute mother as soon as possible. Alternatively, bottle-feed that calf with the best-quality milk you can find (at least until you can find a substitute mother). Galloway cows will accept the calf of another when they realise the situation requires them to step up.
If you do have no choice but to bottle feed a calf, please only separate the calf from the herd to feed it. Being part of the herd is part of them feeling safe and secure. Being part of the herd is vital for their socialisation. Calves raised separated from the herd are the human equivalent of clueless children. Those clueless children become clueless teenagers and clueless adults (only in bovine form). They become dependent on humans for their food, and they don't know how to behave in a way appropriate for a calf, weaner and then a cow or a bull.
Later, when it comes time to either sell the calf or integrate it back into the herd, you’ve got a problem. A big problem.
Weaning Calves.
Because Galloway cows are such amazing mothers, we leave their heifer calves on them until the cow weans them herself. Even if she chooses to leave it until a month or so before calving again. If the cow is not losing condition and the pregnancy is developing well, we leave them to decide. To date, they have all eased they heifer off them in time for the new calf to arrive.
Steers are a whole other thing. We wean them around the six-to-seven-month mark to give them a good start and to give their new guardians the opportunity to bond with them when they are still young. Yes, it is a trade-off working around a strong, healthy calf, kindness and more practical considerations (saleability and value for money).
Over the years we tried all sorts of different ways to wean steer calves. To date, the one we find works best for all concerned is the weaning ring. These things look cruel, but they are effective. They have spikes on them, which is why I say looks cruel. The spikes are a deterrent. Generally, the calf doesn’t end up spiking their mother because they can’t work out how to manoeuvre it. If they do spike the cow, they usually only get to do it once. Their mother will move away before it happens too often.
The positives of the weaning ring mean that the cow and calf get to stay together during the weaning process. They can reassure and soothe one another during what might be a stressful time. Usually going back to the cow at six or seven month is more of a habit than a necessity for the calf. The cow is still producing milk because the calf feeding stimulates her to do so. Once the calf is not feeding, the cow will drop the level of her milk production. The level of milk production will have dropped already by this time because the calf will have transitioned to eating more and more pasture.
The calf will also be more independent of its mother in other ways too. It will be spending time with the other calves of a similar age. It will also have paired up with a chosen friend. Both male and female calves do this pairing up. Yes, given the opportunity, cattle have chosen friends.