 A cow | |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Use | suckler cow |
| Traits | |
| Coat | blue roan |
| Horn status | polled |
| |
TheBlue Grey is a cattlehybrid traditional in south-western Scotland and north-western England. It isblue roan in colour, and results frombreeding a blackGalloway cow to a whiteShorthorn bull. It is reared principally as a suckler cow, and is particularly well suited to upland grazing.
In south-western Scotland and north-western England,Shorthorn bulls were used from the early nineteenth century on blackGalloway cows to produce vigoroushybrid calves. If the bull was white, the calf wasblue roan in colour; these were easily recognisable and were much in demand. In the later nineteenth century, selection of theWhitebred Shorthorn was begun specifically to supply white sires for production of these calves.[1]: 133 [2]: 34
The Blue Grey isblue roan in colour, and ispolled (without horns). Cows have high amounts of body fat compared to other hybrids in similar overall condition, and are able to produce adequate quantities of milk even on poor grazing.[1]: 133
The Blue Grey is used principally as a suckler cow on uplands where grazing is sparse, where cows are nevertheless able to produce adequate quantities of milk for their calves.[1]: 133 [3] It has been used forconservation grazing in theYorkshire Dales, where it grazes more lightly than sheep and is able to survive the winter on the coarse grasses of thelimestone hills.[4]
