# Jersey / Belted Galloway Cross as a Family Milk Cow?



## Abra (Jun 13, 2012)

Hello!
We are purchasing a bred, 2 year old Jersey / Belted Galloway cross bred heifer to be our family's milk cow. 
She will be joining our family in a couple of weeks, and she should calve for the first time in November.
I have never had a cow before, just dairy goats, so this whole cow thing is new to me.
I decided to go with a this particular cross because I did not want a cow that produced 5+ gallons a day. Our family simply will not use that much.
Also, because if we would like to get a beef calf, we could breed her to a galloway and get a nice meat baby. Same if we decided that we wanted a dairy baby.
I really think this gal will serve our family well, but I would very much like to hear your opinions on this cross...

(Attached is a pic of our little gal. She is bred to a pure Belted Galloway bull)


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## Justaffagirl (Jan 28, 2021)

Abra said:


> Hello!
> We are purchasing a bred, 2 year old Jersey / Belted Galloway cross bred heifer to be our family's milk cow.
> She will be joining our family in a couple of weeks, and she should calve for the first time in November.
> I have never had a cow before, just dairy goats, so this whole cow thing is new to me.
> ...


She’s a beautiful if that’s her sire behind her than he’s beautiful to has he tried to mount her (never mind I read the part you put I didn’t know she was exposed to her sire yet)


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## RJ2019 (Aug 27, 2019)

She's a cutie. Hope she has been handled by people daily or you'll have quite a rodeo on your hands later


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## Justaffagirl (Jan 28, 2021)

RJ2019 said:


> She's a cutie. Hope she has been handled by people daily or you'll have quite a rodeo on your hands later


Yeah I’ve had this kind of cross before and if they are not handled at a young age some of them can be a pain in the a**


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## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

Love on her every day. Brush, pet, rub. Get her used to being handled.

She is lovely.


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## G. Seddon (May 16, 2005)

You might also find this board helpful and interesting: Home | Keeping A Family Cow


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## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

Jerseys are a smaller breed and have tiny calves. A cross bred will have larger calves than a Jersey. As she gets closer to having her first calf, it becomes critical that you know what she was bred to. As a first time calving, a Galloway size calf will kill a Jersey or Jersey cross. Same concern for your future sire selections. Some Angus have low birth weight. If you use artificial insemination, there is predictable calving birth weight sires. Pulling pieces of a calf to save the life of your cow is costly and heartbreaking. With your desire for limited milk, I do not understand why you'd consider a crossbred. Seems you'd want the higher cream and smaller appetite of a Jersey. Also, breeding is are more than a dairy or beef. Breed her to a Jersey bull and you might get a nice heifer for a family milk cow. But you also may get a worthless 3/4 Jersey, 1/4 Galloway bull calf.


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## Justaffagirl (Jan 28, 2021)

haypoint said:


> Jerseys are a smaller breed and have tiny calves. A cross bred will have larger calves than a Jersey. As she gets closer to having her first calf, it becomes critical that you know what she was bred to. As a first time calving, a Galloway size calf will kill a Jersey or Jersey cross. Same concern for your future sire selections. Some Angus have low birth weight. If you use artificial insemination, there is predictable calving birth weight sires. Pulling pieces of a calf to save the life of your cow is costly and heartbreaking. With your desire for limited milk, I do not understand why you'd consider a crossbred. Seems you'd want the higher cream and smaller appetite of a Jersey. Also, breeding is are more than a dairy or beef. Breed her to a Jersey bull and you might get a nice heifer for a family milk cow. But you also may get a worthless 3/4 Jersey, 1/4 Galloway bull calf.


Yeah I agree here we have a 3/4 red angus 1/4 miniature angus cross and we got very lucky she didn’t have any problems becuase we would have had to pull her calf out their both doing great the baby was born on saint patty’s day it was a heifer !


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## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

Justaffagirl said:


> Yeah I agree here we have a 3/4 red angus 1/4 miniature angus cross and we got very lucky she didn’t have any problems becuase we would have had to pull her calf out their both doing great the baby was born on saint patty’s day it was a heifer !
> View attachment 96746
> View attachment 96747
> View attachment 96748
> ...


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## Justaffagirl (Jan 28, 2021)

What am I looking at here I see a cow giving birth to a calf


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## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

Justaffagirl said:


> What am I looking at here I see a cow giving birth to a calf


It is a calf unable to pass through the birth canal that had to be cut into pieces to get out of the cow to save her life. This was her first calf. She's Angus and was bred to an Angus bull, but he tends to sire bigger calves. It serves as a warning to those that mix cattle breeds of the danger, heart break and expense of a bad choice.


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## G. Seddon (May 16, 2005)

haypoint said:


> It is a calf unable to pass through the birth canal that had to be cut into pieces to get out of the cow to save her life. This was her first calf. She's Angus and was bred to an Angus bull, but he tends to sire bigger calves. It serves as a warning to those that mix cattle breeds of the danger, heart break and expense of a bad choice.


As a former Dexter breeder, I am astounded when I read of all the cross-breeding that is now going on with them -- a once valued heritage breed, the traditional "family cow," known for its ability to provide milk for a family as well as her calf. There are a number of breeders who monitor their bloodlines carefully, safeguard their preservation efforts, and produce wonderful Dexters. Sadly there are many others who want "a little more milk," and "a larger amount of beef," etc., so they cross their cows with whatever's available, risking the well-being of their animals in order to achieve those goals.


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## Ronney (Nov 26, 2004)

Jersey cows are among the easiest calvers in the bovine world. I think your cross is probably not such a bad one. While the Jersey tends to be a tad lighter, The BG isn't too much heavier so I don't envisage problems with calving. Both the Jersey and the BG are good foragers, and while I've never owned BG's, I know for a fact that my Jersey's will eat what my Friesians wouldn't even look at and the BG's have the same reputation. 

Abra, you will probably find that your cow, in her first lactation, might not produce as much as you had hoped - do you envisage sharemilking with the calf? After you've had each other for a couple of years, she may well give you more milk than you know what to do with so hope you have dogs, chooks, pigs to feed it to.  Wish you well with your venture, milking my cows was the most therapeutic part of my day.

And just as a matter of interest, I have a Jersey cow which will be 25 in August. She no longer calves, not because of her age but because she severed both tendons in her back left leg. She calved once since the accident and her foot gave nothing but problems - foot rot and white line disease. She is now a baby sitter for other cows with calves Having said that, her daughter is a R20 - Jersey/Belgian Blue cross. Her granddaughter is R18 - Jersey/BB/Angus cross and her great-grandaughter is now Jersey/BB and half Angus. All of them are still calving and one of them I still milk - her daughter. 

Cheers,
Ronnie


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## Abra (Jun 13, 2012)

Hi everyone! I wanted to give you guys an update.
Especially to those who were worried about Penny's size as a mix, and her ability to deliver a calf safely.

Yesterday afternoon, she gave birth to a healthy, beautiful little heifer, which we affectionately named Maple.
From start to finish, the entire birth took about 12-15 minutes. After she started contractions, from the moment we saw the hooves in the sack coming out, until the calf was fully delivered (out) and on the ground, took about 2 minutes. She literally pushed 4-5 times, and baby was out. SUPER easy delivery.
Baby is 75% Belted Galloway, and 25% Jersey.
She is nursing, and mama is absolutely amazing with her.

There was a reason that I really wanted to get a Jersey/Belted Galloway mix.
I have wanted a cow my whole life, and, because she will stay with us her entire life, I wanted to make sure that I got EXACTLY what I was looking for.
I have researched many, many breeds, and, even though I wanted the Jersey milk quality, I did not want to go with a pure Jersey. Unlike many, I was NOT looking for a mix-breed in order to 'increase' production and get MORE milk. Quite the opposite actually, as our family, having 2 dairy goats already (and preferring goats milk to drink, verses cow), does not need 4-5 gallons of milk a day. I decided on a Jersey/Belted Galloway a long time ago. That said, actually FINDING a Jersey/Beltie mix was like looking for a needle in a haystack. It took me 3 years of searching. They're not very common, and I honestly thought I would have to either breed my own, or, find someone who would breed one for me. It was a wonderful surprise to find our sweet Penelope! She is not even 2 yet, this is her first calf, and she will be with us for as long as she is alive. She was exactly what I was looking and hoping for, and I have no regrets. 
Here is a link to a video that talks a bit about the Belted Galloway breed, and some of the reasons why I REALLY wanted a Beltie gene in our milk cow: 



Belties are, in fact, meatier than jerseys as adults, but height-wise, they are about the same.
Beltie cows have a wider birth canal, and their calves tend to be smaller, with smaller heads and shoulders, therefore, easier to deliver. Hence why it didn't take Penny long. They do not give up if the birth is hard.
Belties are a double-coated breed, and use their fur coat to keep warm during cold months, instead of fat like most other meat breeds, and, when harvested for meat, they not only have significantly less fat, but the meat is a lot more tender.
They are survivors, excellent foragers, and are incredibly, and naturally disease resistant.
They have good, tough feet that are not prone to hoof rot.
They are a LOT less picky food-wise, thrive on forage and hay verses grain, and they consume about 30% less than other breeds their size.
They are naturally polled, so I never have to worry about horns.
They have a gentle, docile nature, and, they are great, loving, and protective mothers.

Here is a picture of Penny (our Jersey/Beltie cow) and Maple (the little heifer).









====>>>>> Additionally. I have been working with Penny, and she is now eating out of our hands, allows us to pet and love on her, and she is getting pretty good at being led using a lead rope and halter.
In a week or 2 we are going to start teaching her how to stand tied to be milked. She is docile, and smart, so I'm sure she will pick it up in no time.


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

Cute calf.

A lot of people just buy the first animal they see or what they think is "cute". They don't put the effort of researching breed so they can get what fits their intended program.

I'm glad it worked out for you.


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## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

You did a fantastic research job, selecting what you wanted, and making your dream come true!

Congratulations


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## altair (Jul 23, 2011)

Very cute and what an easy calving. Maybe someday when things are more favorable, you can lean into pure Galloway and help conserve the breed.


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## Pony (Jan 6, 2003)

Congratulations on your growing herd! Dam and calf look great.


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## Ronney (Nov 26, 2004)

You've done well! The cow is looking magnificent as is the calf. Hope you have her for many a long year and get as much pleasure from her as I do from mine. 

Cheers,
Ronnie


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## DianeWV (Feb 1, 2007)

Glad everything went well with the calving. Good Luck with your cow and calf.


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