Belted Galloway

Belted Galloways (or ‘Belties’ as they are affectionately known in the cattle world), have been part of the Baker farming enterprise for many years. The herd now numbers about 30 and you may see them grazing the fields alongside the road.

The first thing you notice about this hardy little breed of cattle is the striking white belt that encircles the body. All pedigree Belties must have complete belt with no breaks.

If it is wintertime, the next thing you may notice is the shaggy, hairy coat and powder puff ears.

Originating from the exposed uplands of the South West of Scotland, these cattle have a soft inner coat to keep them warm and the distinctive outer-coat of long hair sheds the rain and insulates them against the harsh weather. In summer, they shed the hairy outer-coat and take on a sleek glossy look. This breed is suited to living out all winter, and fare better in the fresh air than being housed inside.

There are two main colours in the Belted Galloway breed – black and white and dun and white. There are also the rarer colours of red and whites, and white. Being polled, there are none of the problems associated with horned cattle.

The cows are long lived. Amongst the Woolpit herd are cows of 12 years old that are still producing excellent calves. Belties rarely have problems giving birth – often the first sign of a calving is the sight of a calf lying contentedly in the field!

They are very thrifty and easily convert rough or poor grazing into lean meat. In fact, one of the problems at Christmas Hill is that we have too much grass and our Belties do become rather plump!

As a suckler cow, the Beltie mother looks after her calf well, and the calf matures slowly to produce excellent, lean meat.

Breeding Stock

Mosshayes Morgan is the stock bull at present and has a good record for throwing well marked and well proportioned calves. Occasionally, we have some breeding females for sale. Please call or email with enquiries.

Meat

Needless to say, with an old, slow growing breed such as this, the meat quality is very special and highly in demand from specialist restaurants.

A breed society was founded, in 1921, to promote and preserve the breed. They can be found at Belties.com and the secretary can be reached at myrna@beltedgalloway.co.uk.

Belted Galloway
Belted Galloway