Geese breeds?

[raph]

Is anyone willing to give, a good link or just some info on breeds of geese and colours they come in?

I Don't have the first clue about geese, and I would like to learn, so I would appreciate knowledge on geese.

And if it helps in anyway I know a lot about chicken, so i can return the favour and dispense some knowledge about chicken if you want to learn

 

[gm21255]

Click on Geese Sticky Topics at the top of the page when you first get into the geese section of this forum. Then click on Raising Geese 101 and you will find photos and descriptions of many geese breeds. Then if you do a google search for a specific goose breed, click on images and you will get a ton of photos of that breed...most of which have been posted on this forum. It's just a faster way to find them. Good luck.

 

[raph]

Thanks, that is a good thread. So far I like the pomeranian's.

 

[Kevin565]

Poms are a great choice

 

[raph]

Are the pomerainians a good choice for starters?
I want to buy some but I'll have to buy some time next year. Were going to get a digger in to dig a out a pond.
How expensive are pomeranians?

 

[Kevin565]

I think their a excellent choice for beginners.

Are you looking for weed control, pets, meat, etc or actual breeder quality stock?

 

[raph]

I would just being for something thats cheap and easy to keep, and something that i can sell for good coin. Are they good layers?

 

[CelticOaksFarm]

geese are not something will get rich from. They lay only in spring time, only the top quality sell for a good price, and when you are done providing proper high quality diet, housing, medical care, pasture, fencing, predator protection you wont be making money.

 

[jadeduck13]

Is anyone willing to give, a good link or just some info on breeds of geese and colours they come in? I Don't have the first clue about geese, and I would like to learn, so I would appreciate knowledge on geese.

And if it helps in anyway I know a lot about chicken, so i can return the favour and dispense some knowledge about chicken if you want to learn

Hi! Sorry if I talk your ears off about geese (I tend to do that a lot), but I have a lot of info about goose breeds. First of all, all of the breeds of geese are put into classes (and are classified by the weight of the gander- male goose). First is the Light Class (which holds breeds that weight between 5.5 and 14 pounds), second is the Medium Class (14 to 21 pounds), and finally the Heavy Class (22 pounds or more). Then each goose breed is split into varieties (which you probably already know), where the different colors are stated. First, in the Light Class. The Chinese comes in Brown and white. The Brown Chinese has a black bill and knob (which is a little bump on top of its bill), and orange shanks (pretty much the legs) and feet. The plumage color is a light brown to a dark brown.

The white Chinese has an orange bill, knob, shanks, and feet with pure white plumage. The Chinese geese have a long, slender neck. The Chinese are related to the Asian Swan Goose. (Fun Fact: George Washington kept these geese on his farm.) They are not a good meat breed, they lay 50 to 60 eggs a year, they are very talkative and are great foragers. They are often thought of as a great guard goose, and an amazing "weeder" goose. The Roman also belongs to the Light Class. The only color is white. The bill is almost pink with a white bean (the bean is also called the nail- found on the tip if the bill), the eyes are blue, and the shanks and feet are orange/pinkish-orange. Plumage is white, although young may show signs of gray. The Roman goose has a tuft of feathers on top of its head. There is also another type that is without the tuft. Most common, however is the one with the tuft, and that is often called the Tufted Roman. A good roaster. The females are great mothers. This breed has a very friendly disposition (temperament). Great backyard goose. The Shetland is another Light Class breed. The bill is pink with a bit of yellow, shanks and feet are pink to pinkish-orange. In the ganders, the eyes are blue and the plumage is pure white. In the goose (also called the female when seen next to the word gander), the eyes are brown, and the plumage is white with patches of gray. These geese are very hardy. They are great foragers,and are wonderful parents. The Medium Class. The American Buff has an orange bill, shanks, and feet. The plumage is buff colored, also called apricot fawn, with a white underbelly. This breed is docile, and they make great parents. They are the largest of the Medium sized birds, which makes them great for meat. The Gray also is a member of the Medium Class. It used to be a traditional barnyard bird, but do to breeding for better production, these geese became rare. The Gray can lay 60+ eggs a year. They are amazing mothers and go broody easily. Bill, shanks, and feet are orange. Upper body is gray with white lacing, white underbelly. The Pilgrim. Bill, shanks and feet are orange. For the gander, the plumage is white with faint traces of gray, and eyes are blue. For the goose, the eyes are brown, the plumage is gray with white underbelly, and a white area around the bill. The bird is auto-sexing, which means that you can automatically tell, gosling or not, if the bird is male or female. Excellent backyard and barnyard birds. Hardy, great foragers, and excellent parents. They are very easygoing, and have a quiet disposition. they are also great for meat. The Pomeranian comes in Buff Saddleback and Gray Saddleback. In both varieties, the bill is reddish pink to tan, eyes are blue, and the shanks and feet are orangish-red. The Buff Saddleback has white plumage with a buff colored head, neck, saddle (think of where a saddle is placed on a horse- the saddle of a goose is the back of the goose). The rest is white. The Gray Saddleback has the same color pattern as the Buff, but instead of buff, it is gray. The Sebastopol goose is the most unique breed out there. It is the easiest breed to identify. The feathers are long, they curl and twist, and they just look like a soft cloud with a head and feet sticking out of it. The bill is orange, eyes are blue, shanks and feet are deep orange, and plumage is pure white with some traces of gray. Good for meat, hardy, and have great personalities. The geese are often used for ornamental purposes and pets. The Tufted Buff is the same as the Tufted Roman, except slightly larger and has a different color. Very friendly and quite. Great layers. The bill, shanks, and feet are orange. Plumage is apricot fawn (buff) with white underbelly. The Heavy Class. Known as the gentlest breed of geese, the African is a great meat breed. It is cold hardy, although the knob sometimes freezes. Like the Chinese, the African has a knob, but unlike the Chinese, it also has a dewlap. A dewlap is a flap of skin that hangs from the throat of the bird. The African has a thick neck and the neck is also short. There are two varieties of African geese, Brown and White. The Brown African has a black bill and knob, and orange shanks and feet. Plumage is brown. The White African has orange shanks, feet, bill and knob. The plumage is pure white. The Embden goose also belongs to the Heavy Class. It is a very old breed. They are known as the tallest breed of geese. They are also the best meat breed because of their large size and white feathers. Goslings can be autosexed, until 3 weeks of age. They are then all white. The male gosling has lighter down color than the female. The breed is fairly gentle. Bill, shanks and feet are orange. Plumage is solid white, and eyes are blue. The Toulouse goose comes in several different types: Exhibition, Standard, Dewlap, and Production (although I feel as if I've talked too much to even blab about that right now...). Only the Standard is without the dewlap- that is the original breed. The Production type is a good forager, is very docile, and a good meat breed. Although Buff Toulouse has been recently found, the Gray is most common. The Buff has a light orange bill, dark hazel eyes, abd the shanks and feet are orange. Head, neck, tail, and upper body are buff colored, the rest is white. The Gray Toulouse has an orange bill with light colored bean, eyes are brown/hazel, and the shanks and feet are reddish orange. The gray appears instead of buff in the same places. So hopefully you still have your ears (or eyes, since this is typed). Here are some links just in case I am talking alien ALBC You can also find this book, which contains all of the goose breeds and many more (like chickens, ducks, turkeys): Storey's Illustrated Guide to Poultry Breeds by Carol Ekarius