# Speckle Parks



## Karin L (Oct 5, 2006)

Has anyone heard of this breed? I've been thinking of trying this "new" Canadian-made breed out when I get a chance to, along with some Herefords. From what I've been reading from some folks who raise SPs and the Canadian Speckle Park Association website, this breed pretty well matches all the criteria that I would want in my future herd, not counting the colour.


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## genebo (Sep 12, 2004)

It takes a long time and a lot of work to develop a new breed of cattle. Selective breeding and intense culling over many generations.

On the other hand, it's very easy to cross two cattle from existing breeds and get a distinctive result. Dexter/Jersey crosses are like this and are very popular. They're not a breed, though. They're hybrids and don't reproduce themselves.

British White Park is an ancient breed of cattle, white with black noses and markings. They've been crossed with many other breeds to make interesting looking hybrids.

It's fairly easy to create a registry to self serve such crosses. You should be very careful when considering investing in unusual cattle. Try to discover how many cattle there are of this type and how long they've been around. Ask to see pictures of 4 or 5 generations back to see if they'll breed true. Ask to see a membership list of the registration holders. Contact some of them.

"Designer cattle" are rife. People sell crossbred cattle as a new breed for ridiculously high prices, providing a registry of sorts. They're as much pyramid scheme as anything. You can be parted from your money and get very little in return.

Be careful.

Genebo
Paradise Farm


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## Jackie (Jun 20, 2008)

Speckle Parks are sure pretty! Someone not far from me had a large herd of them and we were going to go into shares with him but then for some reason we didn't. I think he has since sold out because I just don't see them anymore. They were Hwy 4 Speckle Parks and if you do a search on them there is quite a few Hwy. 4 cattle out there. (their registered names start with Hwy. 4)

I really don't know much about them other than they caught my interest because the originated around here.


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## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

genebo, I wouldn't call Speckled Parks a designer breed, they've been around since the 50's although it's only been about 20 years since they have had a registry and they actually sell quite well internationally. 

Karin L, I probably don't have much more experience with them than you do other than the fact that when I met my ex, he was working at Western Breeders and they were collecting semen on a SP bull and I talked to his owners a few times and the herdsmen all liked working with him.

I would advise you the same way I would advise anyone getting into cattle. There's nothing wrong with having a purebred herd but when starting out, make sure you have commercial cattle as well. It isn't easy building a reputation in the purebred business so you'll need the commercial cattle to pay the bills. It's very helpful if you can utilize some part of your purebred operation into the commercial aspect and one way to do that is to breed your commercial cattle to your papered bull. 

Calgary Stampede is coming up and unless things have changed considerably in the livestock division, the SP people do show one day. Perhaps you could make the trip down, eat some mini donuts and spend some time with the cattle and their breeders.


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## shiandpete.1 (Aug 13, 2008)

I saw them at the National Western Stock Show this year. A breeder had 2 bulls in the sire alley. They are pretty.


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## genebo (Sep 12, 2004)

I'm sorry I didn't recognize Speckled Parks as a breed of cattle. I couldn't find them on the list of cattle at the Rare Breeds Canada web site:

http://www.rarebreedscanada.ca/cattle_breeds.htm

They don't appear on the list of rare cattle on the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy either:

http://albc-usa.org/cpl/wtchlist.html#cattle

Oklahoma State University has a very comprehensive list of cattle breeds. They don't list Speckled Parks as a breed, either:

http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/cattle/

All three sites do list White Park Cattle, but they're not speckled.

Genebo
Paradise Farm


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## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

If my memory is correct, the breed descends from a commercial shorthorn heifer bred to a fairly high powered black angus bull that carried some red gentics, hence the pronounced speckling. I wouldn't consider them a heritage breed since they've only been around since the '50's but I do know they do have a registry. 

Apparently, my memory isn't as good as it used to be. According to the association website, the breed did start in the '50's, their association was established in the mid 80's and they acheived Canadian registry status in 2006. They actually come from Saskatchewan so if they can survive Saskatchewan weather, they should thrive in the real world.

You did mention if they breed true but the registry and breed standards do seem to indicate you can occasionally get a solid colored calf, but they still qualify for registry. I figure that's fair since Paint and Appaloosa horses have been around as long or longer than SP cattle and you can get the occasional solid colored foal. 

Karin L, their association website indicates the breed will be represented in Calgary at the Steer Classic and the Carcass Competition.


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## Karin L (Oct 5, 2006)

Thanks everyone.

I don't aim on going for purebred right off the bat, but I understand that there's nothing wrong with starting with a few purebred stock, but not opting to register them, and thus having commercial stock instead.

The SP's have been officially made a breed in, I believe, 2006, and since then they've prohibited any more infusing of other breeds. 

WR, according to the CSPA Breed History, it was a red roan cow that was believed to be descended from a Teeswater Shorthorn and a White Park bull that was the foundation dam of this breed. Crossing the offspring of this cow to Angus bulls created the black-and-white speckled patterns now typical of SP's.

I first seen SP bulls when I was at the Lakeland College bull test station with a bunch of colleagues from university. They were surprisingly smaller than the other breeds they had there (Angus, Red Angus, Gelbvieh, Charolais, Simmental), but yes, quite attractive. I think I seen a couple SP steers being fattened up for a steer show around Spruce Grove a while back as well, and they sure looked nice.

But my interest in them only began when I started doing some researching on cow size, feed/forage efficiency, calving ease, mothering ability and what-not for raising beef cattle. I found that, according to my experience raising steers, talking with different cattle folk and reading a bunch of good articles on the web (both research journals and college-extension-type) and in a cattle magazine I always get in the mail, that the smaller cows or moderate-framed cows were more versatile and easier to keep and handle than them big monster 1800+ lb cows. I, personally, never really like to deal with cows that I can't see over. Seems like conventional cattle producers have made their cows too big, all just to deal with the demands of the market for larger calves to sell and larger carcasses to cut up so that more meat can be fed to an increasing population. 

Upon reading an article about SP's in the Canadian Cattlemen Magazine, and reading up on them on the Canadian Speckle Park Association website, among other breeder's sites, I realized that this breed matches everything I would want in my ideal cowherd: good mothering ability, very docile, great calving ease, moderate-framed cows (the largest being only ~1200 lbs), great forage convertability (thanks to the British breeds infused) which makes it suitable for a grass/hay-only operation, good fertility and ability to keep normal-to-good BCS, minimal to no problems with sun-burnt udders, pink-eye and cancer-eye (common in Herefords who haven't been selected against these negatives), and an awesome ability to finish well for the beef market, be it natural or conventional.

So genebo, I am not even close to considering going the route of developing a new breed. I'm just a beginner cow-calf cattlewoman who just wants to try out raising cows as a "hobby." I'll leave the new-breed-developing to the more experienced folks.


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## genebo (Sep 12, 2004)

Karin L,

I see you've done your homework. That was my aim from the beginning.

I had never heard of the breed and don't think there are very many to be seen in the US. However, it seems that the SP people have done it right. Keeping records, selecting against poor qualities over many generations, seeking uniformity, and finally, becoming recognized by the Canadian agricultural authority. I applaud them.

They are so new, having only been recognized as a breed since 2006, that most legitimate sources haven't picked up on them yet. Maybe this discussion will help them get wider recognition.

I'll still warn others thinking about getting into a strange breed to check them out as thoroughly as you have done with the Speckled Parks. There are a great many hucksters out there hyping their "one-of-a-kind" breeds for outrageous prices. Some of the shysters go to great lengths.

So congratulations on picking a legitimate breed to love. I like your philosophy of keeping frame size down. You should read Kit Pharo's website. He's a staunch advocate of that theory.

Genebo
Paradise Farm


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## Karin L (Oct 5, 2006)

Leachman's Cattle Co. is another one of those advocates, I found a while ago. And Kit Pharo too.

Thanks again.


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## Madsaw (Feb 26, 2008)

Karin,
Since we are on the parks subject, here are my girls. These are just a few pics of them.
Bob
Parkie, My first cross jersey heifer to a white parks bull








3 of her daughters, nearest one is Pearl, Frost, then Paige. From the oldest to the youngest.








Pearl's twins, Sky and Lark








Pearls heifer, Pink. This one stayed a true light red and white. Hence the name pink.








I do not have a picture of pearl's last hefier but she looks like a pure parks and is about 4 months old. I do have this to say Pearl has been good for having heifers in the park pattern all her life. I had a couple of bulls from her but mostly heifers. The 2 sisters tend to have jery holstein cross looking calves.


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## DJ in WA (Jan 28, 2005)

I like your cows, Madsaw.

I have been interested in the White Parks for awhile. Not only are they attractive (or "cute!" as my daughters say about them), but I would think they'd be more comfortable.

I hate seeing hot black cows in summer covered with flies. White hair would keep them cooler, while the dark skin pigment would prevent sunburn.

At least I would think so.

As Genebo said, hopefully their other traits are good, including good udders, especially if crossed with Jersey for a dual-purpose cow.

I saw a White Park/Jersey cross cow on craigslist the other day. They said she gave 5 gallons a day, which is still too much for me. Maybe 1/4 Jersey would be good.


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## deineria (Aug 22, 2009)

Speckled Parks are gorgeous cattle!


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## Karin L (Oct 5, 2006)

Madsaw, I've also heard that those American White Parks are wonderful cows to work with. It must be the White park in the SP's that make them so docile. I was talking to a White Park owner a month or so ago and she said that when she crossed an Angus bull with one of her WP cows, the calves came out just as docile as her cows did; the Angus bull was a crazy SOB. And they say that temperaments come mainly from the sire's side!


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## Madsaw (Feb 26, 2008)

There is 7 flavors of the White parks. 6 are from great britain and only one is based in the US. The american white parks are rare. The differnces in the british whites are hair coat and polled or not polled. Mine are from a british white polled short wired hair. Their hair coat is really strange. In the winter they do still get long then normal hair but can handle cold better. Their hair seems to have the feel of deer hair in the winter.
Bob


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## Karin L (Oct 5, 2006)

That is odd indeed. 

According to OkState Breeds index there are two types of WP's: the traditional Ancient White Parks with the horns, and the American White Parks. Physically, they look the same, but genetically they are quite different. Same with British White. The breed page didn't really have anything of whether the AWP's were rare or not, but since (now) I know of only two people who raise WP's, yourself and the other WP producer from Texas, this breed would have to be considered rare.


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## Madsaw (Feb 26, 2008)

There is or was a herd of true american white parks in iowa sometime back. Mine came from a british white parks bull. Mainly the differnce involves long hair verus short hair and polled and wire haired. These differnces related to different regions they came from in england.
I am not sure as to the back ground on the american white parks. There is alot of BWP around these parts in beef herds. They are a good dual purpose critter. They are next inline to jeseys for calving ease.
Bob


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## bruce2288 (Jul 10, 2009)

Karin, I don't know how you market your cattle, but if you are selling commercially to a feedlot or through the sale barn I would check with buyers to make sure your cattle will not be discounted. I agree if your cows weigh 1800 lbs they 
waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay to big.


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## Karin L (Oct 5, 2006)

Bruce, I'm still debating about selling to the feedlot versus direct selling. Seems like I'd be wasting more money sending calves to the conventional feedlot than if I was to go the route of selling direct somehow. Besides, the more I read about direct sales, the more I like the sounds of it.


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## Karin L (Oct 5, 2006)

Bob, calving ease is a very important factor for me, as I'd most likely be working off-farm for most of the day, and hate to have to come home to a bunch of cows or first-calf heifers that need assistance!! I would prefer to have a calving pull rate of 0% to 2% than one from 10% to 40%.  Lively calves that are up within minutes and mothers that rarely reject their calves, be it experienced or first-timers, are also traits that I need to have in a good cow-calf herd. SP's seem to meet these requirements, as far as I've been researching.


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