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.

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

The Silver Appleyard

A relatively common duck in the United Kingdom, the Silver Appleyard is a rarity elsewhere in the world, despite it being a favoured table duck, pet and show bird.

Initially the Silver Appleyard was developed by Reginald Appleyard, hence the name, in the 1930s. Appleyard was an expert breeder of waterfowl, and working from his farm, sought to develop an attractive but productive duck. It took though several further decades for the Silver Appleyard duck to become standardised, mainly due to the work of Tom Bartlett.

Silver Appleyard - Barbieri Anna Maria - CC-BY-SA-3.0

This standardisation has created expected characteristics for the Silver Appleyard. Both Drakes and Hens should have dark brown eyes, and a bill of medium length that has an upward curve as it moves to the brow. A well rounded brown and black head should have green feathers overlaying it. The legs of the Silver Appleyard are also to be noted as they will be well apart and slightly further back than on other ducks.

There are though notable differences between the Silver Appleyard Drake and the Hen. The Drake is relatively colourful, having a red-chestnut flank, breasts and sides. The shoulders may also have a hint of red, but often the green of the head, and also a whitish silver colour makes an appearance. The white-silver also extends to the underbelly of the Silver Appleyard. The wings are predominantly grey, with blue and white also present, whilst tail feathers are bronze. Male Silver Appleyard ducks will have orange feet, and a bill that is either yellow or green in colour.

Silver Appleyards - Barbieri Anna Maria - CC-BY-SA-3.0

The female Silver Appleyard is normally white but has brown or grey present. Wing feathers are also creamy white with fawn and blue also visible. The hen will have orange or yellow legs. The bill of the Silver Appleyard hen is yellow or orange, and has a black bean upon it.

A flavoursome duck, the Silver Appleyard will normally weigh between 2.7kg and 3.6kg.
The Silver Appleyard is often referred to as the Large Appleyard, this name is used to distinguish it from a variant of the Silver Appleyard Duck, the Miniature Appleyard.

The Silver Appleyard Duck is now primarily kept as an egg laying duck, and in a good year a duck can lay as many as 250 eggs. Equally though the Silver Appleyard is a friendly duck and if treated right will act more like a pet than a domestic duck.

Copyright - First Published 5th March 2010

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