Murray Grey Totally Explained

Everything about Murray Grey totally explained

Murray Grey is a breed of Australian beef cattle. The breed was discovered by chance with the crossing of roan Shorthorn cows and Black Angus bulls in 1905. The resulting thirteen grey calves were kept as curiosities and then bred on the Thologolong property along the Murray River in New South Wales by Peter and Ena Sutherland. The first larger-scale commercial herds were established in the 1940s. These unusually coloured cattle grew quickly, were good converters of feed and produced quality carcasses. Local cattlemen soon became interested in the greys and began breeding them. In the 1960's several grey cattle breeders were selling them as a commercial enterprise and the Murray Grey Beef Cattle Society was formed to register the cattle and to administer the breed. There are Murray Grey registries in Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
The Murray Grey is known world-wide for the economically important traits of calving ease, feed efficiency, and carcase quality. Traditional butchers prefer Murray Grey beef as its consistent quality and tenderness can be relied upon. Murray Greys are the third largest breed in Australia and, because of their superior carcass traits, are in strong demand for export to Pacific Rim countries.

Breed Characteristics

Size

Murrray Grey cattle are of a moderate size, possess sound structure and have good walking ability. Murray Grey bulls will usually weigh 817-1135 kg (1800-2500 lbs); cows normally weigh 500-700 kg. They are a true medium-framed animal that can maintain body condition easily, without consuming large amounts of forage.

Calving Ease

Murray Grey calves are small and quick to their feet. They grow quickly and are adaptable to all climates.

Polled

Murray Greys are naturally polled, which is a dominant characteristic .

Temperament

Murray Greys are calm to work with.

Colour

Hair colour ranges from very light silver to chocolate or dun grey; some animals are even black but the majority are silver to a silvery-dun color. This colouring is very dominant, so when crossed with another breed, the colour is grey. Their skin has a dark pigmentation, which helps prevent Cancer eye (ocular squamous cell carcinoma), photosensitization and sunburned udders. They have performed well in snow country and in a trial which was undertaken at a commercial feedlot between December 2002 and June 2003 to determine the effect of high heat load on performance and carcase characteristics when fed a high energy diet for 165-183 days. In this heat stress trial they out performed the other trialled breeds by producing the highest average daily weight gains over this period. Their superior performance in this trial was attributed to their lighter coloured coats.

Carcase qualities

In 1967 three carcases were shipped from Australia to the Smithfield Show in the UK where they finished first second and third in the Commonwealth carcase competition. In Australia Murray Greys have dominated hoof and carcase competitions for many years.

Distribution

Murray Grey cattle, embryos and semen have been exported to Canada, New Zealand, South America, the United Kingdom and USA.

Further Information

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