Do a search on the Internet or a cattle breeds book on "Speckle Park". Note that chances are you will not find information on Speckle Parks on many cattle breeds sites nor in many books on breeds of cattle. The best information on this breed that you can get are from breed association websites such as the Canadian Speckle Park Association website, or ranch websites such as the Legacy Speckle Park Ranch.
Study the characteristics of the breed. Note the following: Colouration: Speckle Parks are actually a very pretty breed to look at. They are a breed that is predominantly black and white, with colour patterns varying from white with black points (black eyes, ears, nose, teats/scrotum and feet), leopard colouration, black with white topline, underline and hips, and black with a roan face, speckled hips and legs, and white on the topline, underline, brisket and dewlap. The colour pattern is typically speckled in some form or other. Speckle Park cattle may also be white (with black eyes, ears, noses and feet) or solid black. There is always a white belly, a white to partial white dewlap, and partial white stockings or "socks" on all four feet. Some whiter cows may have dark speckles on their legs. Body type and characteristics: SP's are beef cattle, plain and simple. They are smaller framed than the bigger modern type beef cattle, with mature weights of cows topping off at 1000 lbs and around 1900 to 2000 lbs for bulls. They have the same body type as Angus and Shorthorns do, with not too much muscling, but enough muscling to make them highly sought-after in the feedlot and meat market. Head characteristics:Speckle Parks are polled. They have a head type that is kind of mixed between Angus, Shorthorn and White Park, with that characteristic black markings on their faces and ears. Other characteristics: Speckle Parks were actually originally founded in 1959 by pure accident. A red roan heifer thought to be a descendant of a Teeswater Shorthorn that carried a White Park gene was purchased by Mary Lindsay in because of its unusual colours. What's more, no matter what herd bull she was bred to, she produced calves that had a characteristic colour pattern. Some of these speckled cattle were purchased by Eileen and Bill Lamont (who were then Angus breeders) and put on their ranch in Saskatchewan, Canada and bred to Black Angus bulls. The resulting colour patterns ranged from leopard to white with black points, to black white white hips and even with roan faces. Interest grew and the Lamont's then decided to develop a new breed. This breed, however, didn't officially get recognized as a pure breed until 2006. Speckle Parks are one highly efficient, very docile, heavy milking, very easy keeping and highly fertile grass-eating machine. This breed is also known to have highly vigorous calves which are up and suckling in a matter of minutes after birth; the cows have very few calving problems. Great temperaments make them a dream to work with, with breeders saying that cows have no problems with humans handling their calves, and even bulls are very good natured. They also have great conformation, excellent finishing ability and carcass characteristics off grain and/or grass, and are very hardy and tough, with little to no problems with sunburned udders or cancer eye, thanks to their dark pigmented skin. SP's have over 70 breeders and 3,000 registered cattle all over Canada. Australia, New Zealand, Denmark and Ireland also have breeders raising Speckle Park cattle, with a second breed association established in Australia.
Memorize the details and characteristics of this breed.
Go on a field trip or road trip and see if you can find farms and ranches with Speckle Park cattle. Take pictures of what you thought were Speckle Park cattle, and compare them with pictures of Speckle Parks on the CSPA breed website or on the Cattle Site.
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