Murboden Cattle are bred primarily inCarinthia,Styria andLower Austria inAustria, and in the borderingSlovenia. They are a mountain breed used asbeef andmilk producers, as well as being draught animals. Hair colour varies from yellowish to light red or grey, with deeper red areas around the horns, eyes, and along the nose.[1] In Slovenia the breed is calledPomurska, and some small purebred herds have survived.
The breed is a mix of older local mountain breeds, includingMurztal Cattle, living in theMur Valley,Ennstal Mountain Pieds andCarinthian Blondvieh. Breeding for a uniform type began in the early 19th century and a herdbook was established in 1869.
Cows stand 130 to 140 cm and weigh from 700 to 800 kg; bulls are 140 and 150 cm and weigh 1,200 kg.
AfterWorld War II the population decreased greatly and there was crossing with other breeds. Only at the beginning of the 1980s were Murboden cattle increasingly bred again, with the Austrian government running a conservation program.[2]