THE
BLUEGREY
Cattle breeders in the mid 19th Century
found that the Shorthorn, particularly the white strain,
when crossed with the Galloway produced an animal of
attractive blue-grey colour which quickly became popular
for both breeding and feeding.
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| Blue Grey
Bulling Heifer |
The Bluegrey was
found to be a faster maturing animal than other breeds,
and the steers were valued highly by farmers for fattening.
The true Blue-grey is bred by crossing
a Galloway cow with the Whitebred Shorthorn Bull.
The
Blue Grey cow is more than able to suckle their calves
on moderately poor grazing, while able to produce calves
which will satisfy the requirements of the market for
quality meat.
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| Blue Greys
at Terrona, Langholm |
The Blue Grey female excels as a hill suckler cow with
her good milking potential. She is hardy and easy to
maintain. Calving into their ‘teens of years is
by no means uncommon and the Blue Grey cow can carry
her age particularly well – a factor often associated
with not only the Blue Grey but also the Whitebred Shorthorn.
A herd of Blue Grey cows mated to any Continental or
Traditional terminal sire provides a low cost hill suckler
unit which is easily managed, and able to withstand harsh
winters and utilise poor grazing efficiently. The Blue
Grey is becoming increasingly popular in conservation
grazing projects.
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