Goose Organization?

[Omniskies]

I'm head over heels smitten over my Pilgrims and swoon nearly as much over my American Buffs. I've rapidly fallen for my Mini Pilgrims, want Shetlands, and have a secret soft spot for Africans and Tufted Romans. I would love to see a Pilgrim breed club, but realize that geese are a skosh less common than chickens, so a breed-specific club might be a little sluggish. So with that in mind, I would love to see a goose association. Does anyone know of any? Is there one? If not, how would someone go about setting one up?

 

[RiverOtter]

This is the only one I know of and they're not very active I think.
And, they don't have a standard for Africans! - my daughter's love.

http://www.iwba.org

 

[goosedragon]

Quote:
There used to be a Heavy Waterfowl club for people that raised Heavyweight Ducks and all geese. It died for lack of members.
The American Poultry Association has the Standard for Africans WHY reinvent the wheel?

 

[RiverOtter]

They were unclear whether they used a different standard or just didn't show African Geese at IWBA shows. We personally probably wouldn't join if the one and only breed of waterfowl DD is passionate about isn't represented at their shows.

But they do mention Pilgrims and Buffs, which are the breeds Omniskies has, therefore she may be interested in the organization.

 

[Omniskies]

I don't think it's reinventing the wheel - I think they mean it doesn't have the APA SOP for Africans.

It's a shame that they fizzle out. I would love to see a site that is more indepth than the one that was listed: with pictures, a list of breeders, upcoming shows, breeding tips, a summary of the SOP, and various articles. I don't even mind sharing it with ducks if that's what it takes to keep it active.

I have the webspace and the coding skills necessary to build a site - I just don't know if it would be used or even well received if (another) duck/goose information base/club was set up.

Edit: When I looked on the site, it looked like it wasn't really geared toward the average person but moreso focused specifically on shows and didn't really have a lot of information on there that would make it appeal to people who have geese, or appeal to people who were wondering whether getting into geese is a good idea for them. I also get leery about international clubs since the standards are going to be different on this side of the pond. But that may be my awful American bias shining through

 

[roboboy]

The IWBA is a fairly prominent poultry orgainization. The largest that caters only to the showing of standard bred waterfowl that I know of. Yes, they have African standards. They're just not on the site yet, as it states on the front page, "This site is still under construction". As it was started in the United States I doubt there would be a standard problem from across the pond.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I was going to get the news letter but it was almost 2 years old so I opted out.

 

[goosedragon]

Quote:
I think and this is just my opinion that "international" was mostly meant to include CANADA there are lots of waterfowl breeders in canada. And when I said why reinvent the wheel? It would have been clearer to say I am pretty sure they use the APA Standard which is copyrighted by the APA and if they don't do much else they enforce that copyright which is one of their biggest sources of revenue.
Many of us have been pushing for years for seperate books for Waterfowl, one for Turkeys and one for G. Fowl. but they won't hear of it. I have often wondered if something like this caused the American Bantam Association to split off from them years back.

 

[Silver Spring Waterfowl]

The Duck World seems to be doing okay, but geese sure need a boost. I asked about interest in an American Buff Breeders Club, and someone was helpful enough to start a poll which had some response, but I can't tell who to contact Maybe I should do it again. I couldn't post a poll before. I joined IWBA early this year but have yet to hear from them. They did cash the check so I know they got the application. We at Silver Spring Farm (both of us) are really focused on improving our stock and preserving this breed. I can't say enough about them! I was really tempted to get some of Holderread's Blues or Ices. I still want to do that, but our first priority is what we have right now and they happen to be Buffs.

I feel that an official organization for breeders of geese/haevy waterfowl would help us for several reasons:
1. It would help us network and get to know each other.
2. It would give us access to other breeders to help us improve our flocks.
3. It would give folks who have questions considering goose ownership a good place to start with their questions.
4. It would provide access to a group of breeders who subscribe to an agreed upon standard of ethics.
5. It would also provide a sponsorship for specialty shows.
6. It would allow us to promote geese as a group. It might help us as a group to establish markets for our birds and our products. There seems to be a growing number of people who want them as pets or for their table. A national group would facilitate this.
7. It would give us the benefit of combined experience and multiple perspectives.

That's just for starters. I'm sure there are a lot of better ideas and aspirations out there. If we want a club, we can start one. I will repost this as a separate thread and re-post the poll.

Omniskies, I with you!!

 

[Omniskies]

Even an unofficial one. Something that focuses more on the backyard breeder and preservation rather than Master Breeders and show points.