Geese Breed Focus - Sebastopol

It might seem like such a fine breed as the Sebastopol would've only been genetically engineered by science very recently. However, Sebastopol geese have been around for nearly two hundred years- having originated near the Black Sea in the 1800's. They were bred for their feathers to be used in bedding, pillows, and art. Understandable, considering they have the heaviest feathering of any goose breed. Derived from the Greylag Goose, Sebastopol Geese used to be much smaller than they are today having weighed around nine pounds in the 1800's. They were crossed with Embden Geese in the 1900's to increase the total weight of the bird. Originally named Danubian Geese, a name first used for the breed in Ireland in 1863, they were officially dubbed "Sebastopol" Geese after being distributed from port Sevastopol in Ukraine. The breed was first exhibited in England in 1860 under the name "Sebastopol" goose.

Details:

Purpose: Ornamental; Exhibition
Weight: Gander 12-14 lbs; Goose 10-12 lbs
Egg laying: 25-35 eggs annually
Colours/Varieties: Buff, White


Pic by @Chickenhill


Pic by @DuckLady


Pic by @Cottage Rose

BYC Breed Reviews:
Sebastopol Breed Review

BYC Breed Discussions:

• Sebastopol Geese Thread !!!!!!!!!! SHOW YOUR PICS !!!!!!!!!!
• Sebastopol geese - selecting breeding stock, color genetics, and color improvement

Do you own Sebastopol geese? Are you an Sebastopol geese breeder? If so, please reply to this thread with the your thoughts and experiences, including:

• What made you decide to get this breed?
• Do you own them for fun? Breeding? Some other purpose?
• What are your favorite characteristics about this breed?
• Post some pics of your birds; male/female, chicks, eggs, etc!

Those are some seriously beautiful geese!

Received a notification on this topic so will respond about a breed I love and have kept for 11 years now. For many years I wanted to try geese but like most people erroneously thought they were mean and evil. I did some investigating and found that some breeds aren't as aggressive and among those breeds was Sebastopols. Well it only took me one minute after seeing pics of them in a Dave Holderread sale brochure to know I wanted some of those fluffy beauties! Long story short I found geese much more interesting and personable than chickens. Aside from the ganders breeding season crabbiness I found them down right dog like. Back in 2005 I found very little breed information and photos and went on to promote the breed through my photography and created a website and breed forum to share the information I had gathered through the years that followed. 2016 will be my last year for breeding Sebastopols due to a desire at 65 years old to cut back and have more time for traveling and other interests. I'm keeping a handful of Sebastopols for pets because my love for the breed has not died. They truly are a lovely breed and if anybody is hesitating to try geese for the same reasons I did, I would recommend giving them a try. My only regret is that I didn't try them sooner in life.

I would love to get some of these beautiful birds. Any sellers in the south jersey area?

Yes. Very nice looking birds. And yes again, probably very good feathers for blankets and pillows etc. I had considered getting some but a thought occurred,"Dang! I bet when they get dirty THEY GET DIRTY!" So I changed my mind. But who knows, maybe one day.....
I just hope I ain't like Cottage Rose because , well, I'm already 57.......
Cheers y'all

Hi
I would really love to get one of these geese
Can someone please tell me about their experience with them

BCP

BoomChickaPop said:

Hi
I would really love to get one of these geese
Can someone please tell me about their experience with them

BCP

Click to expand...

I think Cottage Rose just did: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1089047/geese-breed-focus-sebastopol#post_16716667

NorthFLChick said:

I think Cottage Rose just did: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1089047/geese-breed-focus-sebastopol#post_16716667

Click to expand...

Thankyou I will check it out

BCP

I live in East central Florida and would love to get some of these. Anybody that breeds Sebastopols in this area?

I don't have any geese but I really really really want some of the beautiful creatures.