Do my Gray Pomeranian Geese Meat the APA Show Standard?

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flyinghenfarm

flyinghenfarm

In the Brooder
7 Years
Apr 16, 2012
26
1
32
Does this goose and gander meet the APA show standard?

Body of Gander

Bill of Gander

Lobe of Gander (on the Left)

Body of Goose (on the Right)

Lobe of Goose


If you can help me out with telling me if they are show quality that would be great!!
 
I think you can show them. Bills are little too orange, and I prefer Pomeranians to be shorter and thicker. Are they young?

At any rate, you won't be laughed off the show grounds. You've got a ways to go with the improvements, but I've certainly seen a lot worse.
 
Your gander has nice markings, a bit better than those of your goose (at least on his back). The bill is a bit on the orange side, but a lot of them are. Something to check for is a prominent keep bone. Feel their chest, you shouldn't be able to easily feel the bony protrusion of the keel in the center.

Also, the International Waterfowl Breeders Association has photos and a description of what they consider to be APA qualifying Pomeranians. Here is a link:
http://www.iwba.org/goosestandards.htm
 
I am going to politely disagree about the markings. Color on the neck ideally goes to the halfway point of the neck and there should not be any white on the face. The goose lacks color on her wings.

Still, I think they are pretty nice and your flock could use some work, as do all of our flocks. Your birds are not discards and you should be able to show them.

You see the goose in my avatar? Color goes all the way down her neck, so she has too much color on her neck and she still has a Grand Champion Waterfowl. So judges will forgive imperfections if the overall quality is up there. But also notice how stout she is built. She is a thick sturdy girl. That is what you are aiming for in a Pomeranian goose.

If your Poms are very young, they will still fill out. Mine don't seem to be full grown until they are 2 years old. If they are all finished growing and that is as big as they are going to get, they are slightly too slim. That does not mean to cull them and start over. It just means that you have something to keep in mind and aim for when you breed.
 
Oregon Blues said:
I am going to politely disagree about the markings. Color on the neck ideally goes to the halfway point of the neck and there should not be any white on the face. The goose lacks color on her wings.

Still, I think they are pretty nice and your flock could use some work, as do all of our flocks. Your birds are not discards and you should be able to show them.

You see the goose in my avatar? Color goes all the way down her neck, so she has too much color on her neck and she still has a Grand Champion Waterfowl. So judges will forgive imperfections if the overall quality is up there. But also notice how stout she is built. She is a thick sturdy girl. That is what you are aiming for in a Pomeranian goose.

If your Poms are very young, they will still fill out. Mine don't seem to be full grown until they are 2 years old. If they are all finished growing and that is as big as they are going to get, they are slightly too slim. That does not mean to cull them and start over. It just means that you have something to keep in mind and aim for when you breed.
Click to expand...

Yes, I get what you are saying about the markings...guess I should have said better marked than the goose. IF I was looking at the right bird....I can't find my glasses today so am in squint mode and may not have correctly looked at the titles under the photos.
Overall, as has been said...I have seen much worse including one in my flock with WAY too much buff.
 
Yes they are young. Is it a huge problem that the gander and goose have uneven lobes? Also, so you think it would be ok to show them?
Thanks!!
 
They are 7 months old. So, when I breed I should breed the best sturdy, orange/pink billed, thick goose/gander. Right? Also is it not such a big deal about the lobes?
 
flyinghenfarm said:
They are 7 months old. So, when I breed I should breed the best sturdy, orange/pink billed, thick goose/gander. Right? Also is it not such a big deal about the lobes?
Click to expand...
This breed is a single lobed breed....meaning that ideally, they should have a large lobe/paunch on one side only. They may have a slight lobe on the second side, but it should not be very big at all. If you look in the Toulouse thread, their are some good photos of a dual lobed bird: A Pomeranian should NOT have lobes like the ones in those photos as it is considered a serious defect, but I can't say if it would be an automatic disqualification since I don't show.

Also, from experience, you can get a single lobed offspring from one dual lobed parent. As to the bill and feet, the more desirable color is orange/red to reddish pink or a deep flesh color: Pure orange is considered a defect. At seven months of age, your birds have a good bit of growing left to do. My 10 month old juveniles seem to have recently filled out very well. Also, if they are on the thin side (hard to tell from your photos), you may want to evaluate what you are feeding them. Celtic has posted her feed mix on here someplace and it is on her site as well.

If you hatch goslings, you will need to keep and breed only those with the desirable breed qualities and cull the others (sell as pets or if you are up to it, send them to the freezer). As Celtic mentioned, the APA standard of perfection lists the official criteria and has an artist's rendering of each species accepted by the APA: If you plan on showing or breeding toward the SOP, it may well be worth spending the $60 to get one. Although in the meantime, I would consider the Pomeranians pictured at the IWBA link I posted above a good reference in regards to markings.

Good luck.
 
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