Murray Grey Cattle Breed – Everything You Need to Know

The Murray Grey cattle was developed basically by chance in Australia and they were first thought to be an embarrassment among a herd of Angus cattle.
These large well behaved and gentle cattle are highly efficient in both the commercial and private farming/homestead sectors. They are also very economical in that they do not require as much feed as other breed and can give back quite high returns on investment in them.

MURRAY GREY BREED OF CATTLE QUICK PROFILE OVERVIEW
Murray Grey cattle are a very efficient, low maintenance and well-behaved cattle breed suitable to most markets and farming environments.
Country of Origin:	Australia
Other Names:	None
Main Purpose:	Meat
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Can be used for	Breed, Meat
Ideal Climate:	Heat, Cold, Most Climates
Conservation Status:	Not listed by the *ALC Status/Rarity: Not at risk
Health Issues?	No known health issues
Good Starter Cattle?	Novice to intermediate Cattle farmer/keeper level
Cattle Associations:	American Murray Grey Association, Murray Grey International Associations, Murray Grey Beef Cattle Society and Murray Grey Stud Breeders Association
Cattle Clubs:	Please refer to American Murray Grey Association, Murray Grey International Associations, Murray Grey Beef Cattle Society and Murray Grey Stud Breeders Association for more information on the Murray Grey cattle breed
Where to buy them?	Please refer to American Murray Grey Association, Murray Grey International Associations, Murray Grey Beef Cattle Society and Murray Grey Stud Breeders Association for more information on the Murray Grey cattle breed
Child Friendly?	Livestock should not be left unattended around unsupervised children
General Information:	Murray grey cattle breed back easily and quickly as they are very fertile cattle with easy calving abilities and calves that grow quickly. They are an asset to any farm type as they are easy to handle, easy to care for and very economical to maintain. They are highly adaptable and can thrive in most environments and climates. The steers require half the food over most other breeds and tend to finish in half the time of other breeds as well. The mature Murray Grey cattle are known to require one-third less food than other cattle breeds. The dark pigmentation of their skin makes them especially perfect for hot climates as they are less susceptible to problems such as skin cancers and heat stroke than other lighter skin breed. They also do not suffer from sunburnt udders. Their meat is known all over the world for its high yield, excellent marbling with 12% more rib are proportion and less back fat than a lot of other beef breeds. This makes them a top choice for most world markets including that of Korea and Japan.
Note: *ALC stands for American Livestock Conservancy

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

Murray Grey cattle are of a moderate size, possess sound structure and have good walking ability. They are a true medium-framed animal that can maintain body condition easily, without consuming large amounts of forage.

Size:

Medium to large

CATTLE ⇒	COW	BULL
Breed Color:	Silver or light grey	Silver or light grey
Breed Weight:	500 to 700 kgs	817 to 1135 kgs
Breed Height:	Unclear	Unclear
Horns:	Polled	Polled
Temperament:	Calm, docile and easy to handle	Calm, docile and easy to handle
Matures at age:	6 to 8 months or 9 + months	6 to 8 months or 9 + months
Puberty Age:	6 to 15 months	9 to 1o months
Breeding Age:	13 to 15 months	1 year
Breeding Traits:	See Cow breeding & Milking Info	Cover 25 to 30 Cows in 1 season

COW BREEDING & MILKING INFORMATION
Most Cattle produce milk but not all of them are used in the dairy Cattle capacity for their milk. Cows only calve once a year and should have 12 to 14-month inter-calving cycle. They are good mothers that look after their young and have great maternal instincts. Murray Grey cows have little to no need for birthing assistance and are easy birthers. They are not specifically bred for their milk and have average milk yields.
Breeding Period/cycle:	Usually lasts 6 to 24 hours Most ave. 12 to 16 hours Cows usually come on heat every 21 days.
Estrous cycle:	Ave. 17 days to 24 days Heifer – usually ave. 20 days Cows – usually ave. 21 days
Gestation Period:	Usually, around 279 to 287 days but most gestation is 283 days. Cows that are carrying bull calf’s their gestation period is usually a little longer than cows that are carrying heifer calves.
No. Calves/Litter:	1 calf at a time. Cows rarely have twins or triplets, but it can happen
Lactation Period:	Cows lactation period can last for up to about 10 months (305) days.
Milking From:	1 to 6 weeks after Calving
Drying off Period:	The cow should have a 12 to 14-month inter-calving cycle. Drying off period for around 60 days before she can calve again.
Milk Quality:	Good
Milk Ideal for:	Calves
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CATTLE MEAT PRODUCTION INFORMATION

They have an excellent consistent quality of beef throughout their cuts. Murray Grey cattle have a good carcass yield, lean and tender meat due to its even marbling

Meat Production?

Yes, Quality: High quality lean beef

CATTLE ⇒	VEAL	BEEF
Ave. Maturity Age:	6 to 8 months	9 months up to 4 years

CATTLE SKIN PRODUCTION INFORMATION

Most meat Cattle will have a skin by-product, and these are usually used in some form or just as a hide. They have a good quality hide that is part of their meat production by-product that can be used in the production of quality leather good

Skin Production?

Yes, Quality: Good

Skin is used to Produce:

Calf/cow skin leather products such as shoes, car seats, fine leather coats, gloves, handbags, belts, furniture, rugs, etc.

CATTLE ⇒	CALF	ADULT
Age they Produce from:	6 to 8 months for Calf skin	1 to 2 years old for Normal leather

HISTORY

The Murray Grey cattle breed originated on the border of New South Wales/Victoria in the upper Murray Valley or Australia.

In 1905 some cattle appeared in a herd of Black Angus in the upper Murray Valley. They were bred quite by chance and were seen as an embarrassment. But after some time, it became noticeable that these cattle grew quickly, they were very efficient at converting feed and possessed an excellent quality carcass.

Soon cattlemen become very interested in the breeds size, their ease of adaptability, calving, and ease of management. Thus, began the development of the breed we know today as the Murray Grey cattle breed.

Successful breeding of the breed was well under way by the early 1960s and the Murray Grey’s were being used commercially. This success leads to the founding of the Murray Grey Beef Cattle Society in 1964 which was an indication of the breed success and unparallel growth in Australia through the 20th century.

In the late 1960’s the cattle breed drew the attention of American cattlemen who were desperate to find more efficient and larger animals than the Angus, Hereford and Shorthorn cattle breed.
Thus, the importation of the Murray Grey amongst some other European breeds to America during this time. The first Murray Grey semen to be imported to the States was done so in 1969 with the first live importation of the breed in 1970 by 1971 the American Murray Grey Association was founded.

By 2002 American Murray Grey breeders have produced black cattle which opens up a huge proportion on the commercial market where black haired animals are in demand.