Like the majority of European and North American domestic geese, the Shetland goose is thought to have descended from the Greylag. As the name suggests, the Shetland Goose was domesticated upon the Shetland Isles off of Scotland and quickly became a mainstay of the islands bird’s population.
The Shetland Goose is not a particularly heavy goose, with the gander weighing at its peak between 5.4kg and 6.4kg, the goose weighs a kilogram or so less. The most distinctive feature of the Shetland Goose though is its colouring. The gander of the species is always white, with the goose always grey and white. The head and upper neck of the goose is white, with grey more prominent around the lower neck, under-wing back and thigh areas. This colourisation also makes it very easy to sex any hatchlings, and this can be done within a couple of days
The gander will also have blue eyes. The goose will have brown eyes normally, although brown and blue mottled is not unheard of. Shetland geese will have reddish bills at the tip, with a more orange hue closer to the face, the geese will also have pink coloured feet and legs.
The colourisation of the Shetland Goose does lead to it sometimes being confused with the Pilgrim breed of goose, although the bill of the Shetland is smaller and of a different colour.
The addition of Shetland geese to a farm or smallholding has many advantages. The obvious ones of include the decent size of the bird when stocked as an eating bird, with the bird regarded to have a flavour reminiscent of game, additionally a Shetland goose is likely to provide up to 25 eggs. The Shetland though is also a great forager and will happily graze with no need to provide any extra food. It is also a good idea to mix the Shetland in with other animals, including livestock, as the Shetland Goose will help to control parasitic levels.
The Shetland Goose is now to be found in many areas of the world, although the British Isles remains the focus for the majority of the population. The Shetland Goose though has the ability to travel, as its strong wings allow for sustained flight, unlike many other domestic breeds of geese, including the Sebastopol Goose.
The Shetland Goose makes a good addition to any grouping of wildfowl and livestock, and although they are unlikely to become family pets, will help in many other aspects.
Copyright - First Published 5th March 2010
Sunday, 7 June 2015
Sunday, 24 May 2015
The Pilgrim Goose
The Pilgrim Goose remains one of the more popular breeds of domestic duck, although there is some slight concern about overall numbers. It is a breed particularly favoured by smaller farms and domestic keepers of geese.
The standardisation of the Pilgrim goose is accredited to Oscar Grow a waterfowl breeder from Missouri. The breed itself is more likely to have originally come from Europe, and in particular it is said to have been a common British bird during the nineteenth century and earlier.
The standardisation has lead to distinct colourisation characteristics, and the Pilgrim Geese breed is one of the few that can be identified sex wise by its colours. Ganders are mainly white, although some light grey can often be found on secondary feathers as well as around the rump area. Ganders also have blue eyes. Pilgrim geese, the female of the breed, are light grey in colour with some white around the head area. The female also have brown eyes.
When newly hatched the Pilgrim Goose can quickly be sexed, with males a light yellow with light beaks, and the female hatchlings a grey-olive colour with dark beaks.
The Pilgrim is regarded as a medium to small size goose, and a gander will normally weigh in the region of 6.4kg, with the mature female Pilgrim goose a kilogram lighter. The size does make it a good table bird.
Both the ganders and the goose of the Pilgrim breed will have orange feet and shanks and also an orange bill. The bill of the Pilgrim Goose should also be knobless, and the presence of a knob is a sure sign of crossbreeding.
There are a number of reasons as to why people like to have the Pilgrim goose on their property. The female is normally a decent layer, and in two clutches will normally lay about 30 eggs. The Pilgrim has also got a very docile temperament, and when raised from hatchlings will have a sweet nature that allows them to be more of a pet than anything else. The Pilgrim is also relatively hardy and will gain the majority of the food intake needs from foraging and grazing.
The Pilgrim Goose is recognised as being one of the quieter members of the species, although they can still be an effective guardian of property, as they can be very possessive. A good flock of Pilgrim geese can be a great addition to any holding.
Copyright - Originally Posted 5th March 2010
The standardisation of the Pilgrim goose is accredited to Oscar Grow a waterfowl breeder from Missouri. The breed itself is more likely to have originally come from Europe, and in particular it is said to have been a common British bird during the nineteenth century and earlier.
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| Pilgrim Geese - Redleg - Released into PD |
When newly hatched the Pilgrim Goose can quickly be sexed, with males a light yellow with light beaks, and the female hatchlings a grey-olive colour with dark beaks.
The Pilgrim is regarded as a medium to small size goose, and a gander will normally weigh in the region of 6.4kg, with the mature female Pilgrim goose a kilogram lighter. The size does make it a good table bird.
Both the ganders and the goose of the Pilgrim breed will have orange feet and shanks and also an orange bill. The bill of the Pilgrim Goose should also be knobless, and the presence of a knob is a sure sign of crossbreeding.
There are a number of reasons as to why people like to have the Pilgrim goose on their property. The female is normally a decent layer, and in two clutches will normally lay about 30 eggs. The Pilgrim has also got a very docile temperament, and when raised from hatchlings will have a sweet nature that allows them to be more of a pet than anything else. The Pilgrim is also relatively hardy and will gain the majority of the food intake needs from foraging and grazing.
The Pilgrim Goose is recognised as being one of the quieter members of the species, although they can still be an effective guardian of property, as they can be very possessive. A good flock of Pilgrim geese can be a great addition to any holding.
Copyright - Originally Posted 5th March 2010
Tuesday, 3 March 2015
The Embden Goose
The Embden Goose is the very image of what most people think a domestic goose should look like, it is after all white, plump and with a long neck. As a result it is one of the most popular of all domestic geese.
The written history of the Embden Goose is not overly long, and it is generally thought to have come into existence in the last two hundred years. The exact origins of the breed though are somewhat confused. There is evidence that the Embden was produced as a cross breed of the German and English Whites, which is linked to its standardisation in the United Kingdom in 1865. Other evidence though does suggest that it was bred in the Germanic areas of Europe.
The Embden is now primarily kept because of the fact that it is a heavy breed of goose. Fast to grow to maturity, the Embden can stand erect at a metre in height. Along with the impressive height is a weight of up to 14.5kg for ganders, and even 12.57kg for females.
One of the most striking of geese, a number of other breeds are often mistaken for the Embden, including the likes of the Tufted Roman Goose. This is mainly due to the misconception that all white geese are Embdens. Embdens are of course covered in pure white feathers, but are distinguished by the long neck, a neck that resembles a swan’s. The eyes of the goose are clear blue, and they have a short, orange bill.
There should be really little confusion between the Embden goose and other breeds of white geese, as the others are normally a lot smaller.
Embden geese are not just kept for their meat, and indeed they are prolific layers, and can manage up to 40 eggs in a year. Additionally the feathers, though relatively hard, are sought after for pillows and duvets.
Known as great foragers, the Embden goose can strip away bark from tree, and will eat almost any plant life, which could leave a backyard looking extremely bare very quickly. They will happily look for food be it in water or on land.
The size of the Embden goose does make it an intimidating bird, and is often kept around as a substitute guard dog. The Embden Goose can be extremely protective, a characteristic often displayed by the gander when he believes that his mate or youngsters are under threat. They are though at the same time an extremely friendly goose, and when raised from a hatchling will be docile. They are considered to be somewhat of a handful and are normally only recommended for those who have had dealings with geese before.
Copyright - First Published 5th March 2010
The written history of the Embden Goose is not overly long, and it is generally thought to have come into existence in the last two hundred years. The exact origins of the breed though are somewhat confused. There is evidence that the Embden was produced as a cross breed of the German and English Whites, which is linked to its standardisation in the United Kingdom in 1865. Other evidence though does suggest that it was bred in the Germanic areas of Europe.
 |
| Embden Goose - Noodle snacks - CC-BY-SA-3.0 |
The Embden is now primarily kept because of the fact that it is a heavy breed of goose. Fast to grow to maturity, the Embden can stand erect at a metre in height. Along with the impressive height is a weight of up to 14.5kg for ganders, and even 12.57kg for females.
One of the most striking of geese, a number of other breeds are often mistaken for the Embden, including the likes of the Tufted Roman Goose. This is mainly due to the misconception that all white geese are Embdens. Embdens are of course covered in pure white feathers, but are distinguished by the long neck, a neck that resembles a swan’s. The eyes of the goose are clear blue, and they have a short, orange bill.
There should be really little confusion between the Embden goose and other breeds of white geese, as the others are normally a lot smaller.
 |
| Embden Goose - Ralph Daily - CC-BY-2.0 |
Embden geese are not just kept for their meat, and indeed they are prolific layers, and can manage up to 40 eggs in a year. Additionally the feathers, though relatively hard, are sought after for pillows and duvets.
Known as great foragers, the Embden goose can strip away bark from tree, and will eat almost any plant life, which could leave a backyard looking extremely bare very quickly. They will happily look for food be it in water or on land.
The size of the Embden goose does make it an intimidating bird, and is often kept around as a substitute guard dog. The Embden Goose can be extremely protective, a characteristic often displayed by the gander when he believes that his mate or youngsters are under threat. They are though at the same time an extremely friendly goose, and when raised from a hatchling will be docile. They are considered to be somewhat of a handful and are normally only recommended for those who have had dealings with geese before.
Copyright - First Published 5th March 2010
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