Quick Facts About Murray Greys

They are easy calving cattle. Most are born between 60 and 80 pounds. They have short labors, and it’s common for the calves to be on their feet and nursing within thirty minutes of birth. They are perfect for breeding to heifers or mature cows.
Cattle have great longevity, it is common for cows to raise a good calf every year for up to 15 years or more.
They have excellent maternal ability with good udder attachments and milk supply. There are no bottle teats or broken down bags. Their milk tends to have more quality instead of just quantity.
They have a very mild, gentle disposition making them easy to handle for the cow/calf producer and feedlots alike.
They are naturally polled. More than 90% of their calves are polled when crossed with a horned cow.
They are known all over the world for their excellent marbling and high yield. They grade choice or prime, have a 12% larger rib eye and less back fat than most other breeds, and they are one of the two breeds most desired in Japan and Korea.
They are highly efficient cattle with rapid growth and excellent food conversion. Steers finish in half the time and on half the food over most other breeds. Mature animals will eat up to 1/3 less food over many other breeds while still maintaining good condition.
They are hardy, adapt quickly, and thrive in most climates.
Ease of calving combined with a fast rate of gain and gentle disposition makes them a top choice to crossbreed in a commercial herd.
Mature bulls weigh about 2000 pounds. Mature cows weigh from 1100 to 1350 pounds.
A typical steer when ready for slaughter will weigh about 1150 to 1300 pounds. They will be ready several weeks earlier than most other breeds on less feed per day. This means less cost and more profit.
The dark pigmentation of the skin illiminates problems such as cancer eye and sunburned, cracked udders. Their light colored hair is perfect for hot environments where heat stroke is a problem.
Their color may be a light ‘silver’, shades of grey and brown, or black. They are always solid colors.
Murray Greys are very fertile and breed back quickly and easily.

HISTORY OF THE MURRAY GREYS

Murray Grey cattle originated in Australia in 1905 when one particular Shorthorn cow was crossed with different Aberdeen Angus bulls to produce 12 grey offspring. Helen Sutherland started a systematic breeding of the eight cows and four bulls, and soon the number of these “grey” cattle increased. Local cattlemen were attracted to the Greys because of their size, appearance, superior feed conversion, and carcass merit. By 1962 there were more than fifty breeders in Australia. Their semen was first brought to the United States in 1969. In 1972, the first live animals arrived. Most expansion of the breed in the United States has been through importing semen and embryos. Today Murray Greys are the second largest beef breed in Australia and the fastest growing beef breed in the United States.