COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICE UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE, FOOD AND ENVIRONMENT, LEXINGTON, KY, 40546 ASC-196 Selecting Geese Jacquie Jacob and Tony Pescatore, Animal and Food Sciences omestic geese were raised broken by weight, weight should and utility strains. For example, an in Europe long before the not be the only criteria for choos- authentic Toulouse goose should settlersD brought them to America ing a breed. For example, if you have a dewlap, a long, deep keel to provide both food and feath- want to get as many hatching and a smooth, low paunch under ers. Since then very little selective eggs as possible while using the the abdomen. Some utility strains breeding has been done to develop minimum number of male geese of geese sold as Toulouse are the specialized types of geese. Size, be- (ganders), consider a lightweight same coloring, size and marking havior and egg production vary ac- breed. (Large breed males mate but do not have the required char- cording to breed (Table 1), and the with only two or three females, but acteristics. These non-conforming right breed of goose for your flock males of the lightweight breeds can geese are called farm goose, com- will depend on what you intend to mate up to six females.) If you are mon gray goose, utility goose, busi- use them for. not concerned with eggs, Egyptian ness goose or simply gray goose. Exhibition and Canada geese lay only a few Meat and Eggs per season. Each breed has merits The American Poultry Associa- and shortcomings. Proper breed All the geese in the heavy and tion (APA) Standard of Perfection selection can help you save on flock medium weight classes are good recognizes 11 standard breeds of upkeep and cost. utility birds. The most common geese, divided into three classes When purchasing stock for geese raised for meat are the based on weight: heavy, medium exhibition purposes, be sure to Embden, Toulouse and Pilgrim. and light. Although classes are distinguish between exhibition Dressed yields based on live weight vary according to breed (Table 2). Table 1. Comparison of goose breeds Weight (lb) Eggs/ Breed Female Male Season Primary uses Behavior African 8-10 10-12 10-40 Meat; crossing with Very aggressive Toulouse goose American Buff 9-12 10-12 15-25 Meat Calm and docile Chinese 3.5-4.5 4.5-5.5 40-80 Eggs; meat; guard Active forager; animal, “weeder” Not as aggressive as some of the other breeds Embden 10-13 12-15 10-30 Meat Can be aggressive; good forager Pilgrim 5-7 6-8 20-40 Meat Calm; good forager Pomeranian 7-9 8-11 3570 Breast meat; eggs; Mostly docile guard animal Sebastopol 4.5-6.0 5.5-7.0 30-50 Exhibition Not aggressive Toulouse 10-13 12-15 20-40 Meat; crossing with Not a good Toulouse goose forager Figure 1. Toulouse goose. Tufted Roman 4.5-5.5 5-6 40-60 Meat Generally calm Jacquie Jacob Agriculture and Natural Resources • Family and Consumer Sciences • 4-H Youth Development • Community and Economic Development EXTENSION Table 2. Typical dressed yields based • Pilgrim geese are a sex-linked on live weight goose breed developed in the Live weight Dressed Percent U.S. Unlike most goose breeds, (lb) weight (lb) the plumage of the male and fe- 20 16 80 male Pilgrim geese is different. 18 14-14.5 78-81 As adults the ganders are white 10 7 70 with a little gray feathering on 8 5.5 69 the wings, back and tail, and they have gray-blue eyes. The fe- Figure 2. Sebastopol goose. • Embden is the most popular males are completely gray with Jacquie Jacob of the heavy breeds. Purebred brown eyes. At hatch the male Embden geese have blue eyes. • American Buff goslings have yellow-gray down breed was de- Commercial hybrids are avail- and an orange bill; females have veloped in the U.S. They are able that look like Embdens but olive-gray down and a dark typically calm and docile and do not have blue eyes. A com- brown bill. Pilgrim geese make make good parents. They are mon cross for these commercial a medium-sized roasting bird. moderately good for meat pro- hybrids is an Embden gander They are also good foragers and duction but not very good for mated with a Toulouse goose. can be tame if hand reared. egg production. The Embdens do not lay as • African • Saddleback Pomeranian geese many eggs as the Toulouse, but geese are the largest of the domestic geese. They pro- were originally bred for their they tend to be better mothers. high breast meat yield. They Embden goslings can be sexed at duce a high quality lean meat, making them excellent for have been used in the produc- hatch on the basis of the down tion of smoked goose breast. color. Both have gray down, but roasting. They can withstand considerable cold weather but They can be very noisy and will the color is darker in females. react to anything out of the Embden geese mature early and need shelter. They have a large knob on their head that is sus- ordinary, making them good dress out nicely because of their guard animals. They are usually white plumage but have a ten- ceptible to frost bite. African geese are often crossed with docile, but some are quick to dency to produce a fatty carcass. pick up on body language and Embden can be an aggressive Toulouse geese to develop an- other commercial hybrid for will sometimes respond aggres- breed so it is best to not keep sively. them with more docile breeds meat production. • Sebastopol • Chinese geese have been kept because they will bully them. geese (Figure 2) are for eggs and meat and as guard They are good foragers. unique in that their feathers are curly rather than straight. animals. They are relatively • Toulouse geese (Figure 1) come Considered a novelty by many, good egg layers. They actively in two types: production and forage and produce the least exhibition. The production they do dress out well and are relatively good egg layers. The greasy meat of all but Pilgrim strains have been bred for their geese. They have been used in ability to gain weight rapidly. In flight feathers are also curved, making it impossible for these hybrid crosses with Embden the past goose fat was a primary geese, resulting in a goose that source of cooking fat and lubri- geese to fly. Sebastopol can be successfully raised in cold is more economical to raise cants. Toulouse geese put on a than other pure breeds. lot of fat when plenty of feed is climates but they need more • Tufted Roman geese, despite available and they have no room protection during wet, cold their smaller size, produce a for exercise. One result is an and windy weather. Their loose plump roaster bird. Roman oversized liver. Toulouse geese feathering does not provide as geese do not have a keel, re- have been used in the produc- much warmth nor do they shed sulting in a high meat-to-bone tion of foie gras. The exhibition water as well as other breeds. ratio. strains are decorative show birds with an exaggerated dew- lap and keel. Toulouse geese are not good foragers. 2 • Canada geese have been raised cold out. Down is very resilient; it Weed Control for meat production. It is im- can be scrunched up or flattened Geese can be raised for bio- portant to note, however, that out, and after a good shake it fluffs logical control of weeds, although it is illegal to remove Canada up and bounces back to the form geese are not efficient feeders. They geese or their eggs from the that keeps you cozy and warm. are able to survive on a pasture- wild or to keep any wild bird as The best down usually comes based diet because they are fero- a pet. Canada geese, like all na- from larger, more mature birds. cious feeders who spend seven to tive birds, are protected by the When age and maturity are equal, eight hours a day eating. 1918 Migratory Bird Treaty Act goose down is better than duck The Chinese breed is most in the U.S. and Canada. Captive down. However, down from an old- suited to this management sys- bred geese that have been prop- er duck is better than down from a tem. They are good foragers and erly marked may be kept with younger goose. Larger down has an eat mainly grasses and herbaceous the proper permits. Other local extraordinarily high warmth-to- plants. If properly managed, Chi- and state regulations may also weight ratio. Down from younger nese geese make good “weeders” apply to the keeping of Canada birds not only tends to have poor for crops. The number of geese geese. Check with your local filling power, it will also tend to needed to weed a crop depends on Fish and Game department be- collapse in a relatively short time the crop and the quantity of weeds; fore trying to acquire any. because its fibers are too fragile. usually two to three geese are suf- Climate does not affect the ficient for each acre. Feathers and Down quality of the down, but it will Feathers are the principal affect the quantity produced. A Summary covering of birds. A feather has bird in cold weather will grow Many options are available for a hard quill shaft with a series of more down to stay warm.