BREEDS OF GEESE  




 

African

Buff African

Brown African

AFRICANS Origin: SE China, Asia. Meat breed. High quality lean meat. Considered a premier roasting goose. Descended from Wild China Swan Goose of China. Color brown (gray) or white or buff. Known for their graceful beauty. Dark brown stripe down back of neck. Front of neck very light ashy brown, gradually lightening until almost cream. Sides of body, wing bow & coverts ashy brown. Tail coverts white. Black knob over bill. Crescent-shaped dewlap hangs from lower jaw & upper neck. Heavy bodies; thick necks. Body nearly as wide as it is long. Rounded abdomen. Tail points up. Mature early. One of the heavy breeds but lean. Adult gander - 26lbs; goose 18lbs. Moderate layer 20-40 eggs a season. Eggs are large weighing 141-226g. Hatch in 30-32 days. Especially desirable for crossing with heavier breeds. Cope with hot weather better. Ideal for warm to hot climates.


Brown China

Chinese White

 

Chinese Grey
 

CHINESE Origin: China. Sometimes referred to as Swan Geese because of long graceful necks. Also descend from wild swan goose. Most popular & most well known. Very beautiful. 2 colors - brown/grey  (rich brown & fawn, accented by dark, russet-brown neck stripe, brown eyes, black bill & knob), white (pure white plumage, blue eyes & orange knob & bills). Light weight weighing between 10-12lbs. Smallest of the common domestic geese. Large, rounded erect knob on top of head. Relatively long & slender bill. Long, slim, well-arched neck. Short, compact body. Hold head high. Hardy. Best laying of all geese - 40-100 per year. Incubation 28-35 days.  Hatch well. Active. Also probably most aggressive. Most suitable "watchdog" being the most chattiest with high spirited honking. Also known as weeders - most active foragers. Most responsive.

EMBDEN Origin: Embden, Germany. Also known as ther Bremen. Grown commercially for meat. One of the most popular for the table. White plumage. Pure white feathers & down used to fill pillows & quilts. Dark blue eyes. Larger& taller than others. Proud stature. Reach 1m in height. Ganders weigh 20-34lbs; goose 16-28lbs. Less eggs than others, although large - about 10-30. Incubation 28-35 days.  Hardy with big appetite. Fast weight gains. Can be aggressive. Alert & very wary. Good guard goose. 

 

NORWEGIAN WHITE Ganders weigh around 22lbs; geese 18lbs. Hardy. Good mothers. Can lay up to 100 eggs per year.
 

 PILGRIMS  Origin: Missouri. Can be sexed by color: males are all creamy white with blue eyes; females pale olive grey with some white on head & dark brown eyes. Day old males are yellow or silvery with light bills; females greenish grey with dark beaks. Fairly docile, quiet disposition. Lay 34-35 eggs annually (size 6-7oz). Excellent parenting qualities. Fast growth. Geese weigh 13-14lbs; ganders 16lbs. Make good roasting birds.

POMERANIANS Origin: NE Germany. Grey & White color, but most popular & common form is the Saddleback variety. (Buff & Grey). Head, back and flanks of a saddleback are either buff or gray, edged in near-white. The rest of bird is white. Hardy. Good layers, producing 60-80 eggs per season. Incubation 28-34 days. Ganders weigh 17-18lbs; geese 15lbs.

 
Grey

Buff Saddleback

ROMAN/TUFTED ROMAN
Origin: Danube River Valley, Italy. Small (10-12lbs), fine-boned, chubby/plump. White, with blue eyes. Tufts appear fairly often. Short neck & shorter back/body line. Good meat/bone ratio. Prolific breeders. Moderate egg-laying (25-35 per year). Gentle temperament.

White


 

Grey

SEBASTOPOLS
Origin: SE Europe. 3 varieties - White (best known), gray and buff. Long, curling feathers on wings, body & tail, which prevent flight making them easier to confine. Fast growing.  Gander weighs 12-14lbs; goose 10-12lbs. Ganders can be mated with 1-4 geese. Produce 25-35 white eggs annually. Incubation time 28-35 days. Good quality meat for roasting.
Buff

SHETLAND Origin: Shetland Islands. Auto-sexing breed. Males are white; females have grey saddlebacks with more or less white on heads. Small (weigh between 12-14lbs), tough. Noted for foraging abilities. Lay about 30 eggs yearly. Good parents. Relatively short bill.

 

SCANIA Also known as South Sweden Goose. Probably descended from Pomeranian. Gray & White color. Blue-grey eyes, yellowish-orange bill. Fatten easily &make a good-sized roast. Females reach 15-20lbs; males 24-38lbs. Usually calm, but can be aggressive at times. Excellent parents.


NORMANDY
Origin: Normandy, France. Autosexable breed - males always white; females gray & white. Blue eyes. Males weigh 10-13lbs; females 9.5-12lbs.

 SMALEN aka Norwegian Spotted Geese. Most likely descended from Scania goose. Short, wide body. Calm. Poor layers, averaging only 40 per year.

 


 

STEINBACHER Origin: Germany. Fighting geese. Pale lavender Blue & Grey color. Beak bright orange color with black bean & black edging along beak serrations. Ganders weigh 13-15lbs; geese 11-13 lbs. Only lay 12-15 eggs/year. Incubation 28-34 days.

Grey
Blue

SWEDISH ISLAND Similar in looks to Scania; much smaller, weighing only 7-12lbs. Hardy. Good mothers.

   

WEST OF ENGLAND Origin: England. Males white, females grey & white in saddleback pattern.



 
Dewlap

TOULOUSE Origin: Toulouse, southern France. One of the most common & popular barnyard geese. Prolific. Males weigh 18-20lbs; females 12-13lbs. Moderate egg-laying (25-30/year ). Large, oval heads. Moderately long, heavy necks & thick, wide bodies. Primary color gray. Abdomen off-white. Ganders may be mated with 3-4 geese.   Dewlap weigh 20-30lbs. Lay 20-35 eggs/year. Despite large size, are very calm & gentle. Gain weight rapidly. Along with the White Embdens, are the most popular commercial geese sold in America. Produce excellent yields of goose down & all-dark meat.

 

American Buffs Origin: USA. Heavy breed with stance like an Embden. Orange-buff feathers, with markings similar to Toulouse. Underbelly & stern shades to white. Weigh 20-28lbs.

 


Buff backs. Origin: UK. Pied or 'spot' geese.  In Sweden, known as Skane gans; In UK, known as Grey Back & Buff Back. Similar in weight to Brecons. Cross between White goose & Buff gander.

Brecon Buffs
Origin: Wales. Adult birds weigh 14-20lbs. Same pattern as Toulouse. Plumage a shade of buff; main body feathers fringed with almost white. Distinguished from American Buffs by weight and its pink feet & beak.