Thoughts on Murray Grey Breed for Show Cattle

Looking to maybe cross some Murray Grey bloodlines.  Has anybody tried this.  I have seen Murray Grey show steers before up North but nothing really in the south.  I'm from Texas and I have never seen any Murray Grey or a Murray Grey cross steers in any Texas shows. Whats everybody's thoughts on this. 

I think the Murray Grey breed was brought to North America too early, and that they deserve another look. There was a good Murray Grey herd near here, that had some simply awesome cattle. I helped them haul their calves to the local auction mart one time, and I was very impressed with what I saw. The cows were not real tall but most of them weighed between 1600 and 1800 lbs with most being in the lower end of this. There were a few 1800 lbs but they were built like Kenworths on Volkswagon frames. The bull and steer calves weaned at over 800 lbs with no creep and they were fat. The heifer calves averaged 700 lbs.  The bull calves were thick, with lots of volume and large well formed testicles. The cows had great udders... nice teat size and tight udders. I think you have to sort through the Murray Grey breed, just like you have to in any other breed to find the right cattle. The ones I saw in this herd were amazing beasts. They were also very quiet cattle to work with. I have also seen some  MG that are just too small framed and puddy.

This breeder dispersed a few years later simply because he could not sell his breeding stock. I think these cattle would be very popular today, but in that era, the market was still demanding the race horse kind. When the Murray Grey herd was dispersed, his son started buying cattle. Today, he is one of the largest cattle buyers in this area, and I understand he rolls about $ 7-8 million a month through a local bank in an average month.

I would agree with the above mentioned. There is a rancher who had Murry influence in his cattle. We have picked up a few from time to time and added to our commercial herd. Crossed with an Angus, they make great cattle and that's not just coming from how they look. Carcass quality is right up there. The finish well, maintain a smaller frame (less bone), and eat great. They are hardy, efficent animals.

I have a Limmy/Maine cross bull that came out of Headliner. I was thinking if I could find some Murray Grey cows that fit the club calf mold breeding them to my bull and seeing what comes about from it.

Just use a Charolais on anything black, and, those "classifiers" at the Majors down there, wouldn't know the difference. They think a Shorthorn can't be solid red (unless it's orange-ish), and roan ones have to be orangey-splotchy- with brindle stripes on its' lower legs. I saw a couple of them dorks roll a good, dark-roan heilfer to AOB, because the "red" in her coat was , to quote the dill-weed :"too deep of a red, looks like a Salers-cross"

Good Luck,

GB

I already have some charolais/maine cross cows already. I really think the Murray Grey's could work if you can find some to fit the club calf mold.

I had a grey/sunseeker born today, first time I have tried them with a club bred cow. We have been breeding greys for 15 years, and I love their ability and the meat is amazing.

Diamond said:

I had a grey/sunseeker born today, first time I have tried them with a club bred cow. We have been breeding greys for 15 years, and I love their ability and the meat is amazing.

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Do you guys know Gerald Fry?


GB

[/quote]Do you guys know Gerald Fry?


GB
[/quote]

I've seen Gerald speak.  I always had a problem with the lack of support he had when questioned.  It was like you were just supposed to believe what he said because he said it.  Most of the rest in the room seemed to do just that.

Do you guys know Gerald Fry?


GB
[/quote]

I've seen Gerald speak.  I always had a problem with the lack of support he had when questioned.  It was like you were just supposed to believe what he said because he said it.  Most of the rest in the room seemed to do just that.
[/quote]He has a lot of global and domestic contacts, in regards to Murray Greys. That's all I was implying. How many Greys do you have?


GB

The Ohio State University Agricultural Technical Institute always had a good herd of them.  I (don't laugh) have shown a few in my younger days.  Hardy little boogers.  

we have about 14 greys

rocknmranch said:

I would agree with the above mentioned. There is a rancher who had Murry influence in his cattle. We have picked up a few from time to time and added to our commercial herd. Crossed with an Angus, they make great cattle and that's not just coming from how they look. Carcass quality is right up there. The finish well, maintain a smaller frame (less bone), and eat great. They are hardy, efficent animals.

Click to expand...

If you know the history of the Murray Grey breed, this is an interesting post.  Murray Greys are basically grey colored Angus from Australia.  This is like saying Red Angus cross really well with Black Angus.  I'm not saying your wrong, just pointing out the history of the breed.

HerefordGuy said:

rocknmranch said:

I would agree with the above mentioned. There is a rancher who had Murry influence in his cattle. We have picked up a few from time to time and added to our commercial herd. Crossed with an Angus, they make great cattle and that's not just coming from how they look. Carcass quality is right up there. The finish well, maintain a smaller frame (less bone), and eat great. They are hardy, efficent animals.

Click to expand...

If you know the history of the Murray Grey breed, this is an interesting post.  Murray Greys are basically grey colored Angus from Australia.  This is like saying Red Angus cross really well with Black Angus.  I'm not saying your wrong, just pointing out the history of the breed.

Click to expand...

Actually, the Murray Grey breed IS NOT 100% Angus, they are also Shorthorn influenced.  To be technical, Murray Grey cattle are more or less Lowline Angus (early 1900 Australian Angus) crossed with (early 1900) Australian Shorthorn.      

HerefordGuy said:

rocknmranch said:

I would agree with the above mentioned. There is a rancher who had Murry influence in his cattle. We have picked up a few from time to time and added to our commercial herd. Crossed with an Angus, they make great cattle and that's not just coming from how they look. Carcass quality is right up there. The finish well, maintain a smaller frame (less bone), and eat great. They are hardy, efficent animals.

Click to expand...

If you know the history of the Murray Grey breed, this is an interesting post.  Murray Greys are basically grey colored Angus from Australia.  This is like saying Red Angus cross really well with Black Angus.  I'm not saying your wrong, just pointing out the history of the breed.

Click to expand...

This is incorrect- Murray Greys aren't "basically grey coloured Angus".

The first grey cattle resulted from the mating of an Angus bull and a roan Shorthorn cow, 13 such calves of the same colour being kept originally by Helen Sutherland. Mrs Sutherland's husband, embarassed by the grey cattle in his Angus herd around 1905, actually took the smokey coloured calves to the saleyards - Mrs Sutherland proceeded to the saleyards herself and brought them home.
It was found that two or three crosses of the greys produced a very high percentage of grey cattle, combining features of the Beef Shorthorn and Angus breeds. They were kept separate from the other herd and a distinct breed was gradually established.

The name came from where they originated - the Murray River - and, obviously, their colour. Mrs Sutherland's children still breed Murray Grey's on the family property by the Murray River, under the Michaelong and Thologolong prefixes.

Thanks for clarifying that Thunderdownunder..........man...........did God create Angus on the first or seventh day....if the Angus people would wake up they'd realize he created them the day after Shorthorns........... (lol)
Despite any claims to origin of the breed, there are some excellent Murray Grey cattle.

After doing a little web searching, I have a question: who is the association for Murray Grey cattle in the US?

TJ said:

HerefordGuy said:

rocknmranch said:

I would agree with the above mentioned. There is a rancher who had Murry influence in his cattle. We have picked up a few from time to time and added to our commercial herd. Crossed with an Angus, they make great cattle and that's not just coming from how they look. Carcass quality is right up there. The finish well, maintain a smaller frame (less bone), and eat great. They are hardy, efficent animals.

Click to expand...

If you know the history of the Murray Grey breed, this is an interesting post.  Murray Greys are basically grey colored Angus from Australia.  This is like saying Red Angus cross really well with Black Angus.  I'm not saying your wrong, just pointing out the history of the breed.

Click to expand...

Actually, the Murray Grey breed IS NOT 100% Angus, they are also Shorthorn influenced.  To be technical, Murray Grey cattle are more or less Lowline Angus (early 1900 Australian Angus) crossed with (early 1900) Australian Shorthorn.      

Click to expand...

After the initial cross of Shorthorn and Angus to produce the grey calves, to build up numbers Mervyn Gadd breed up from Angus cows.  When we look at the DNA of 48 breeds of cattle, Murray Greys are nested within the Angus breed.  So, because of the initial contribution of Angus and the high level of back crossing to Angus, they are basically Angus.  Look in "Resolving the evolution of extant and extinct ruminants with high-throughput phylogenomics" Figure 2.  http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2009/10/21/0904691106.short?rss=1

By the way, I never said they were 100% Angus.

this sounds like trying to win a drag race with a ford taurus--why not get a corvette?

buy yourself some angus cows, breed them to simmy or maine bulls, keep the offspring--breed them clubby

its cliche because it works

dont even compare them to a ford taurus  :