Sebastopol Goose

Medium sized, the Sebastopol Goose is one of a number of domesticated breeds of geese found in the Northern Hemisphere.

There is some debate about the reason why the goose is called the Sebastopol Goose, although the most likely reason is that the Crimean port was the purchasing and dispatch point for the first of the breed to make its way to Great Britain in 1860. At the time though the goose was as likely to have been known as a Danubian Goose, a reference to the area of Europe around the river when the first of its breed was first developed.

Saddleback Sebastopol Goose - Davee - CC-BY-2.0

Traditionally the Sebastopol Goose was a white bird with long curly feathers. The colour of the goose though has evolved through the successfully breeding of the bird, and now varieties of the Sebastopol can be find in buff, saddle and grey. This breeding has also produced Sebastopol geese which have lower concentrations of curly feathers around the breast area, and are smooth like the bird’s neck area.

The legs of the Sebastopol Goose are orange and the bird has bright blue eyes.

Today the Sebastopol Goose is considered to be a medium sized one, with ganders weighing in at between 5.5kg and 6.4kg, with the goose at 4.5kg to 5.5kg. These weight though area an increase of a third over historical weights brought about by specific breeding.

Sebastopol Goose and Gosling - Davee - CC-BY-2.0

The nature of the curly feathers around the breast area has given rise to two German names for the Sebastopol Goose; Lockengans, translated as curl goose, and Struppgans, or unkempt goose. The curly feathers are a result of a lack of a rigid spine or quill within the feather, and whilst this leaves the Sebastopol goose as almost flightless, does have the benefit for owners as superb feather to be used in pillows and quilts. Owners of female geese can also expect on average 30 eggs in the year.
To help keep themselves clean the Sebastopol Goose does require more than the normal amount of water, but many geese do require a lot in order that their sinuses are kept free of dirt and debris.

Many people do like to keep Sebastopol geese as pets or as small flocks on smallholdings, although it is worth noting that the breed is perhaps not as friendly as other breeds, like the Roman Goose, having origins associated with the German Kampfganse and fighting geese from Eastern Europe.

Copyright - First Published 4th March 2010