What about a crash course for Murray Greys

[sizmic]

This is intended for curious mind to find out more about the Greys. Including myself.

Sizmic

[Santas and Duhram Reds]

i know nothing about family lines in Murray Grays. If anyone does, that would be great.

[backhoeboogie]

I'm listening - if anyone with any expertise can contribute to this subject

[MO_cows]

I hope some long time breeders do come on and share some knowledge. IMHO, they shot themself in the foot when they got to fussin and feudin and split up the association. A smaller data bank and genetic pool than their competition to start with, then they went and split it up.

[waihou]

I'm sure OK Jeanne will be able to elaborate on US Murray Greys more than I can, but ultimately they all descend from a chance mating on an Angus stud in the Albury region of Victoria Australia in 1905 to a white cow used as the Station house cow. There is some dispute as to whether she was actually a white or light roan Shorthorn or a Galloway?

Here in the Southern Hemisphere all Murray Greys are based on a breeding up programme of Angus only. Though very little grading up is done here in NZ nowadays anyway. Most of our market is to provide bulls with low birth weight EBV's (EPD's for you)xfor mating to dairy heifers. As you may or may not know the dairy cow population outnumbers the human population here. The cross bred MGx dairy beef animals are in demand for rearing for the local trade (supermarket) beef industry.
Easy calving, good growth, good marbling, fatten on grass only, polled, excellent temperament-what else can I say ?

[waihou]

I've remembered how to load photos!

Here is one of our home bred cows, on our typical summer pasture with her 5 month old bull calf in January last. Not housed summer or winter, only fed hay or silage in winter, calved as a 2yr old and this is her 7th calf-now rearing her 8th born in August.


Current herd sire,Torrisdale Cheyenne by an Australian sire, Gnoleda Zac.

Age 3 years, running with 27 cows since end of October, photo on 12 Dec. Got 100% calving, including 2 sets of twins this season
First arrivals, heifer twins 24th July


A bunch of his calves during our wet winter


15 month old heifers and a couple of steers-we mate all heifers to calve as 2 year olds.




Previous herd sire, father of the bull calf with the cow at top.

[smuff76]

Waihou where are you from in New Zealand? I've got some friends from Timaru & Gore/Queenstown.

[Suzie Q]

In Australia MG's are referred to as Steel Pigs.

They cross very well with other cattle we have found.

We had a Murray Grey and still have one of her offspring. She has been bred so far to a Charbray and a Bazadais and nice calves.

[jilleroo]

Congratulations on your cattle Waihou. They're just beautiful, and well cared for too.

[waihou]

Waihou where are you from in New Zealand? I've got some friends from Timaru & Gore/Queenstown.

I'm in the southern North Island, Timaru, Queenstown and Gore are all in the South Island. Our bull Torrisdale Cheyenne came from a stud near Gore. Took 24 hours to get here, including a 3 hour ferry trip.

[robert]

be nice nice looking MG's, so are you in the Wairarapa area? Really like the cow and bull calf, your herd sire looks pretty good too, now if only I could get them in black

[waihou]

be nice nice looking MG's, so are you in the Wairarapa area? Really like the cow and bull calf, your herd sire looks pretty good too, now if only I could get them in black

No, actually in the Horowhenua, up the West coast from Wellington! There is a 5,000 ft mountain range between us and the Wairarapa.

Oh, so you want them in black too-we can do that as well!







Yes, we can register black ones in the Murray Grey herd book here.

[waihou]

So here are some photos of some important Murray Greys from the '50s, '60s and 70's during the establishment of the breed and the first herd book. These are all Australian bred animals, but I have a couple of Canadian bred ones as well.

Thologolong Boadicea-a foundation female, dam of some important sires



Thologolong Michael


Cadella Park Minute Man


Willalooka Ambrose


Michaelong Chocolate Soldier



Maneroo Fulton 2nd

[waihou]

A couple of Canadian bred bulls used in NZ,

Willowdale Bandit, bred in Alberta 1988 and imported to NZ 1992
He had a daily gain on trial in Canada of 3.27lbs and was 1291lbs at the end Grandsire Orcadia Park Wescott, Gt grandsire Maneroo Gladiator


Cas Ulysis 31U born 1986,at the Calgary Stampede in 1988, semen exported to NZ He had Koogan Hill, Maneroo and Newhaven Park bloodlines (all Aust)

[sizmic]

Do you know anything about Cranbrook Virtue, or WeeGun tajandamarra?

Sizmic

Edit:
I would also like for you to send me the cow and bull calf in the first picture you posted!