Anyone raise geese for down?

[Wolf-Kim]

That is an excellent idea, to get them use to the handling and positioning! It would help keep them calm. I think if and when I get geese, I will definately look into harvesting down for a little extra money to balance the feed bill. I think it is a great thing, if done correctly!

-Kim

 

[Omniskies]

You know you want geese. Get the Pilgrims and harvest both grey and white down

 

[Wolf-Kim]

My choices are between the Toulouse and the White Embden, just because those are the breeds my friends have. I guess I could pick another breed, but I'd have to do some more looking..

-Kim

 

[miss_thenorth]

I am glad you got some useful responses!

 

[Dinos_rock]

This is an interesting thread! I might try this, its a good idea....

 

[Beekissed]

I think the white Embden, as mentioned above, are the ones the Mennonites had in the "lost" article that first caught my interest.

The reason this interests me so is two fold. I want to find a way to keep my yard and orchard down without the expenditure of gas and time, and I wish to stockpile some down for use in comforters, pillows, jackets, etc. I am also considering a hair sheep for the same purpose. Why couldn't one gather and wash the wool from their sheds and accumulate it for various purposes? Composting, insulating, dog beds, fire starter, etc.

Just looking for more ways to maximize my space without over extending my finances, really. The sale of offspring should pay for some feed for the sheep and the sale of goslings and down products may offset the feed for the geese.

 

[brandywine]

Thanks for this thread! It's make me seriously reconsider getting geese next year.

I agree that it is absolutely necessary to determine what someone has to sell before giving any credence to the story they tell.

I should think that there would be a tremendous boutique market for sustainably-grown, humanely hand-harvested breast down from free-range grazing farm geese. Tell your customers a story (a true story, not a marketing spin) and there are people who will pay a premium for such a product. Cold, animal-loving active outdoors people. Your ice-climbing Sierra Club crowd.

Website with a short video of a contented goose being hand-stripped would do the job.

The vast majority of the goose and duck down used in garments and bedding in this country comes from China, for the simple reason that the Chinese eat a LOT of duck and goose, and Americans eat very little. It is a by-product of food production in that country. The best stuff is usually from Europe, also a by-product of food production -- and yeah, probably foi gras production, something I hadn't considered before.

The absolute BEST down comes from wild eiders, and is hand-gathered from the nests on the ground after the eggs hatch. I have an ancient duvet, given to me by a Finnish aviation student (long story) that is true eiderdown. Fantastic. No way could a regular Jane like me afford something like that new. The cotton shell fabric is starting to give way, and I'll have to have the stuffing reclaimed and reused in something else pretty soon.

 

[Omniskies]

I keep looking at the hair sheep and passing them up. Sooner or later I'll have to break down and buy a pair. My only problem is that they don't look like the traditional sheep I've built up in my head. If I have sheep I want them to look all big and round.

Then again, I keep looking at the Jacobs Sheep and plotting. Who wouldn't want a sheep with four horns?

Four! They'd be my radioactive sheep.

 

[DuckyBoys]

Dave Holderread talks about this in The Book of Geese.

Page 180 appendix E.

Live plucking is not something I'd ever do. I have enough feathers on the barn floor from molting to stuff a pillow right now. I'm quite sure a live plucked goose would never trust you again.

Why not just butcher it first and then take the down? You can't get very much at one time from live plucking anyway. Only from the breast and only 50% of what is there. Sounds to me like you'd need a pretty large flock to make any money at this idea.

 

[ChickenToes]

Hmmm....so does that mean it's better/easier to just make feather pillows instead of down pillows??