Anyone's Cotton Patch Geese laying?

[Blackhorsehill]

I started writing a long post, then realized I was just too tired to say much meaningful. However - the fact that this is being discussed in a rational and enlightened way bodes well for the future. I would love to know about the history as well, and wonder if anyone has taken the time to write things down. I might be in a position later in the year to start to do some interviewing, and have the luck of knowing several published authors. Would be an interesting project, for sure. That could help to make some decisions down the line, maybe.

Just need to know who to interview.

In the meantime, I took a look at the San Clemente Island Goat website, and was pretty impressed. That would seem like a good model to follow. I like the idea that they cover all the bases including how to transport, health, breeding, history, etc. In fact, the more I look, the more I like. That kind of information could really help highlight the differences between the CPG and Pilgrims. So, maybe someone (Hint, hint Serina) could have Dr. Walker look at it and see what he thinks?

Here is what it looks like in Wisconsin this afternoon.

 

[Serina81]

Wow that looks cold! I'm a california girl so I'm freezing in 60 degree weather (although I still have flip flops on...hence why my ranch is called Flip Flop Ranch lol).

I'll talk to Dr. Walker and see if I can get his reaction. He's been busy and I think emotionally kinduv not in it since those texas fires burnt his home to a crisp last year, poor guy. That's why I haven't been able to get him to write the standard down. I can't imagine being 85 years old and losing everything I owned..

 

[morgan mc]

I have to wonder about a standerd for cotten patch, there is differences in geese from place to place. Around here they were not used as weeders, they were kept for their feathers. When a couple got married and set up house keeping someone would give them a pair of geese, these geese and their desindents would be on the farm from then on with no new blood.The geese on different farms looked different, not a lot but enough to see, the amount of gray on the hens,their build, some had bright pink bills and feet, some showed some orange, most were saddlebacked but a few were solid. I remember one farm that was along the road that had both and there was a lot of varriance as to how much color that was on the hens. So who has the right to say my geese are what everyone's should look like.
I do think we need some sort of organization to link us togather.
My opinon is that the pilgrims were bred from the cotten patch, with some other blood added to increase size, and give them a orange bill and feet. The Shetland is almost the same thing, and comes from the same stock as the cotten patch. which is the geese of northen England and Scotland. This is just my idea what do you think?

 

[Blackhorsehill]

I have to wonder about a standerd for cotten patch, there is differences in geese from place to place. Around here they were not used as weeders, they were kept for their feathers. When a couple got married and set up house keeping someone would give them a pair of geese, these geese and their desindents would be on the farm from then on with no new blood.The geese on different farms looked different, not a lot but enough to see, the amount of gray on the hens,their build, some had bright pink bills and feet, some showed some orange, most were saddlebacked but a few were solid. I remember one farm that was along the road that had both and there was a lot of varriance as to how much color that was on the hens. So who has the right to say my geese are what everyone's should look like.
I do think we need some sort of organization to link us togather.
My opinon is that the pilgrims were bred from the cotten patch, with some other blood added to increase size, and give them a orange bill and feet. The Shetland is almost the same thing, and comes from the same stock as the cotten patch. which is the geese of northen England and Scotland. This is just my idea what do you think?

That is fascinating morgan. That just goes back to them being a land race, and of course the regional differences with closed flocks would mean different characteristics coming to the surface.

I had been doodling around the last few days looking at the information on Pilgrims vs. Cotton Patch and the idea that the pilgrims must have descended from the Cotton Patch immediately came to mind. So, you are on the same mental track.

Can anyone tell I love these little emoticons?

Where are you located?

 

[morgan mc]

Pocahontas county WV. I have also seen where Holderridge has a mini auto sexting goose wonder how they compair to cotten patch.

 

[Blackhorsehill]

Well, it would be interesting to know what's up with everyone's geese.

My two girls laid 13 and 18 eggs, respectively. The first 5 from each girl went into the incubator, and now one is setting on 8, the other one on 13!!

Anybody elses's setting yet?

 

[hossfeathers]

Over ten eggs each? That is AWESOME!

In first looking into this breed, I was concerned about the low lay rate. It is very good to know that not all Patches are like that.

(Patches? Patchers? Is a word?)

 

[Serina81]

Well, it would be interesting to know what's up with everyone's geese.

My two girls laid 13 and 18 eggs, respectively. The first 5 from each girl went into the incubator, and now one is setting on 8, the other one on 13!!

Anybody elses's setting yet?

Mine haven't acted broody, but I take their eggs away and incubate all of them so I assume that's why. I don't like fighting angry goose parents to steal their babies away and I ship all my goslings as day olds.

 

[hossfeathers]

Mine haven't acted broody, but I take their eggs away and incubate all of them so I assume that's why. I don't like fighting angry goose parents to steal their babies away and I ship all my goslings as day olds.

Heh. Sounds reasonable to me...

I think it's interesting, the variety of hatching styles that I have heard Patcher keepers using. Some incubate all, some incubate some, some just let the goose lay & sit. I am imagining Serina hatching out *tons* of goslings and sending them all over, zip! Zip! Zip-zip-zip! Take *that*, "critical" classification! Zip, zip! Oh, no, Pilgrim geese, look out, we're flying right past! Zip-zip-zip! Look at the numbers go up!

(We are counting, aren't we? While we still can do the math on our fingers & toes?)


It might be important, though, when we get "enough" to be safe, that some raisers are having their geese hatch the goslings out. Does it seem like this would be a good trait for a heritage breed? It would have to be up to each breeder, I think, unless we eventually wanted to make it part of the standard.

*thinks thinky thoughts* Huh. Not sure how that would work out, or if that would even be necessary...

But I know very little about poultry standards. Is such a thing possible? (Leaving aside if it would be a good idea or not to make such a rule.) (And leaving aside how many years it might be before this would be a good thing to have as a rule. I don't think it's a great idea right now...)

 

[Serina81]

Haha! Yea, I ship out about 150 each year so it feels like zip zip zipping. As for letting the geese brood their own babies, I totally agree. The goslings I keep are, for the most part, hatched out by their mommies and the ones I ship I incubate. This year I took the very first eggs and incubated them because I wanted to guarantee I got the early hatch genetics. I think mommy hatching is an important trait to keep in heritage breeds.