Based on some of the posts I've seen on here regarding this subject I'm probably going to regret this, but here goes; Why is the Murray Grey breed regarded as a 'joke' on these boards? Excuse me, I should have said why is the Murray Grey breed regarded as a 'joke' by some people on these boards. I should have proof-read a little better. Sorry.
Murray Greys
- Thread starter msscamp
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cherokeeruby
Well-known member
Wasn't aware that it was. It is an excellent breed. I believe it was developed in Australia from one shorthorn cow that always threw silver gray calves when bred to various Angus bulls. Nice blend of two English beef breeds.
msscamp
Well-known member
cherokeeruby":1lsgix2k said:
Thank you Ruby. I have always thought so, too. A little while back someone posted about which breed would gain in popularity the fastest and Springer Hill Murray Greys answered Murray Grey which prompted posts about Murray Greys being a 'joke'. That is why I'm asking.
I dont think they are a joke either. It seems that anything that isnt Angus or Hereford or a combination of the two is considered a joke by a lot of people who frequent these boards. I dont think its so much that they are a "joke" as it is that numbers are just insignificant at this point in time. And its hard to get a breed that isnt already popular to be popular. I think because of the lower numbers they dont get the respect they probably deserve. Having said all that i have two qualms with the breed. One- having descending from one base animal (?) you have a problem with a shallow gene pool. I guess if they allow upbreeding you could improve that or maybe they have other base cows other than that one particular cow, i dont really keep up with it. Two- and this goes for baldies as well in my opinion- I THINK (my opinion again) that a cross between british and continental cattle would be better for vigor than a cross between british and british. just my worthless little opinion.
I agree with Cherokee. I never thought as Murray Grey being regarded as joke breed.
When you stop and realize that it is a blend of 2 of the best beef breeds around, without have any draft animals in the blood lines it can't hardly be considered a JOKE
When you stop and realize that it is a blend of 2 of the best beef breeds around, without have any draft animals in the blood lines it can't hardly be considered a JOKE
msscamp
Well-known member
Beefy":1zvogxc9 said:
This goes for you too, La4Angus (I hope I got that right) 1) I don't consider any opinion worthless, unless it is condescending or abrasive, then I have to re-think. 2) I'm ashamed to admit this, but I have been around cattle for most of my life, but I'm female and my dad has a major aversion to his daughters ranching so I'm a little murky when you reference gene pools. I know there is a very wide variety of blood-lines available in the Murray Grey breed, but whether they descend from the same sire and dam or not I'm not sure. I pretty much know what to do in regards to cattle, I just don't know why I'm doing it, and there are not enough hours in the day to research it. 3) I'm also not sure what you are talking about in reference to british and continental cattle. As far as vigor goes, I can personally atest to the vigor of these little guys. I've had the 'be nice' kicked and/or knocked out of me by more than one calf that was less than 24 hours old. They do NOT lack vigor, let me tell you! Our Murray Greys were AI'd on a foundation of Black Angus cattle. Thanks guys, when one is unsure of oneself a little validation is a good thing.
Best of luck in your endeavors.
some hybrid vigor 101:
Bristish Breeds (English Breeds) are Angus, Hereford and Shorthorn
Continental (European, "Exotic" (back in the day)) breeds are those developed in Europe such as Charolais, Limouisin, Simmental to name the biggies. others like gelbvieh, blonde d'Aquitane, etc
All the above are of genus Bos and species taurus
Bos indicus (different species here) Breeds are Brahman, Gyr, etc (wont even pretend to know all those names)
Maximum Hybrid vigor is supposed to be obtained from mating genetically different species so you would get the most out of a mating of Bos taurus with Bos indicus. the offspring of a mating of for instance brahman and hereford would have 100% hybrid vigor. The next best is a three way cross bewtween Bos indicus, a continental, and a british. i think like 77% hybrid vigor is achieved here.
So it stands to reason that continental x british should be better than britishxbritish b/c they are less similar.
But anyway, if it works it works. who cares. i like all cattle.
some hybrid vigor 101:
Bristish Breeds (English Breeds) are Angus, Hereford and Shorthorn
Continental (European, "Exotic" (back in the day)) breeds are those developed in Europe such as Charolais, Limouisin, Simmental to name the biggies. others like gelbvieh, blonde d'Aquitane, etc
All the above are of genus Bos and species taurus
Bos indicus (different species here) Breeds are Brahman, Gyr, etc (wont even pretend to know all those names)
Maximum Hybrid vigor is supposed to be obtained from mating genetically different species so you would get the most out of a mating of Bos taurus with Bos indicus. the offspring of a mating of for instance brahman and hereford would have 100% hybrid vigor. The next best is a three way cross bewtween Bos indicus, a continental, and a british. i think like 77% hybrid vigor is achieved here.
So it stands to reason that continental x british should be better than britishxbritish b/c they are less similar.
But anyway, if it works it works. who cares. i like all cattle.
Vicky the vet
Well-known member
Back to the original question, I don't consider Murray Greys a joke. Part of the problem with the breed has nothing at all to do with the cattle, but the original breeders. There were no high promotion, lots of dollars to spend on "promotion to everyone" outfits. Thus, the breed is like the gem hidden in the closet. Now, unless things have changed lately, there are multiple associations in North America, no big shows in North America (I'm talking over 60 head) and no major exposure for the breed. Frankly I really like the cattle. It's some of the people I don't like...
And yes, I own some.
V
And yes, I own some.
V
dcara
Well-known member
MSScamp and Vicky, what drew you to the Murry Greys? I really don't have much of an opinion on them other than they just don't seem that popular. I've been curious what would draw someone towards the MGs given that they didn't seem to have a lot of popular support.
Marian
Member
msscamp":1z0v67se said:
Check this site out: http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/cattle/
My son had done an extensive study on cattle breeds used across the world, and we came to the conclusion, all breeds of cattle are or were used for a purpose..... Need a little chuckle? Check out the Belgain Blues! I did see a cross bred steer using Belgain Blue in a state fair, it took first place..
I have been raising MG cattle for the past several years. I have both registered and crossbreds in my herd. The things that drew me to the breed was their excellent calving ease, good disposition, and ability to finish on grass.
I work full time away from my farm, so am gone a good deal of the time...and am happy to say that I have yet to lose a single MG calf. (Hope I didn't just jinx myself!!) There's nothing better than coming home from work and finding a new calf that was born unassisted and has already nursed!
The only negative thing I've found with the breed is their limited numbers. There aren't a whole lot of them in my neck of the woods...but that seems to be changing-I've had incredible demand for breeding stock!
Many people who are interested in rotational grazing and grass finished beef find MG cattle to work very well for them.
I work full time away from my farm, so am gone a good deal of the time...and am happy to say that I have yet to lose a single MG calf. (Hope I didn't just jinx myself!!) There's nothing better than coming home from work and finding a new calf that was born unassisted and has already nursed!
The only negative thing I've found with the breed is their limited numbers. There aren't a whole lot of them in my neck of the woods...but that seems to be changing-I've had incredible demand for breeding stock!
Many people who are interested in rotational grazing and grass finished beef find MG cattle to work very well for them.
Beefy - I would like to thank you for the hybrid vigor 101.
mgman - I would like to thank you for the insight on why you chose MG.
I would also like to thank everyone who contributes information like this.
I am in the same boat as msscamp. My father also had an aversion to his daughter farming/ranching. I do what they did simply because that's all I know. I also find there is not enough time to research it all. Some of it can be pretty darn hard to decifer too. I try to pick up info here to improve what I am doing. Thanks to all for the help.
mgman - I would like to thank you for the insight on why you chose MG.
I would also like to thank everyone who contributes information like this.
I am in the same boat as msscamp. My father also had an aversion to his daughter farming/ranching. I do what they did simply because that's all I know. I also find there is not enough time to research it all. Some of it can be pretty darn hard to decifer too. I try to pick up info here to improve what I am doing. Thanks to all for the help.
msscamp
Well-known member
dcara":2os2vjaq said:
Dcara,
We started AI'ing Black Angus with Murray Grey semen back in the mid to late 60's. Dad got started on them because of the gentleness of the breed (he had 3 women helping him), the low birth weight, but strong growth when they hit the ground, the marbling of the meat, and the fact that they didn't require a bunch of fancy feed to finish them. We have been raising them ever since. They are also good mothers with, generally speaking, high milk production.
msscamp
Well-known member
Beefy":mau4fnmv said:
Thank you very much! I also thank everyone else who answered my post. I have tried to look things up, but, a lot of times I'm having the same deciphering problem Farmhand is having. I don't have enough basics to understand a lot of what I'm reading.
SPRINGER FARMS MURRAY GRE
Well-known member
The Murray Grey is one of the fastest growing breeds in the country. The Murray Grey International Association now has members/breeders in almost every state as well as Canada and South America, as well as Australia, and New Zealand. We get new members every month. Also, you can get on the net and do a little research to find the results of the Calgary Stampede carcass trials for the past two years. When I went into the business, I did a lot of research, looking at several factors, among them calving ease, and disposition among others, before deciding on this breed. I can assure you, the breed is no joke, the problem as I see it, and I agree with Vickie the V is that most of the breeders are small outfits and do not have the capital to promote the breed as others have been. The breed has always been up there with angus as the most popular breed for import into Japan. All breeds have "knotheads", or underdeveloped offspring, and should not be used for breeding purposes. You have to cull them as ruthlessly as any other breed. Again, one of the main problems is that there are 5 - 6 breed associations in the world for this one breed,and we do not pull together for the benefit of the breed like the angus association for example. Like Vickie said, the problem is not with the breed,but rather with some of the people. I will get off my soapbox now, I do appreciate the post, and I agree,there have been several derogatory remarks about the breed in some posts on this board that were unwarranted.Nuff' said! ;-) :cboy: :cboy:
