Holderreads vs. Metzer

[feste79]

Hey All,

I'm looking for geese to graze a pasture I have. I'm thinking about Embden's and I'm thinking long-term. I've gotten my ducks from Holderread's and have been really pleased with them. There is a huge difference between price between Metzer's and Holderread's when it comes to Embden geese and the size they say they will get is quite different, too. I want to have them for a long-time, breeding them, etc, and create a flock, so I want to start with the best. I will not, however, show them, so I'm wondering if there is a growing speed, size difference, etc, between Metzer's and Holderread's or if the differences are really more important to someone who is interested in showing them, versus raising them for meat.

The French Toulouse from Metzer's are also tempting.

Thanks for the help.
Seth

 

[CelticOaksFarm]

if you arent looking for show birds go with the production toulouse metzers offers. They will graze well, grow well, you will be happy if you use the for meat and they dont cost nearly as much as other breeds.

 

[feste79]

Excellent, that is what I wanted to know. Thanks for the help.

 

[pete55]

Hate to disagree but my personal choice for quality and reputation would be Holderreads based purely on the stock that I've seen. However I do have limited experience in this matter.

Pete

 

[Jchantecler]

I have to agree with Pete. Holderread is far superior in service, stock quality, hatchability, livability, breed selection, etc. Metzer is a huge commercial hatchery with little regard for the customer or the bird. If you're looking for birds that are sure to survive, have excellent foraging abilities, and look gorgeous as a bonus, go with Holderread. I can't say enough great things about them.

 

[kswaterfowl]

If you have no intention to show, I would go with Metzer. The price is a huge factor in the matter! We have two fairly easy breeds and I will tell you that our flock of Tufted Romans have both Holderread and Metzer birds in the flock. We show them and do well with birds from each place. The Pilgrim flock has birds from Calico Woods (out of business now), Holderreads and a couple of breeders and while we hardly show those any more, they are extremely nice birds. I think for your purpose I would go with cheaper and enjoy them. If you were showing them, I would say otherwise, but one of our best show string females came from Metzer farms. We look at all of our geese as show birds and cull them extremely hard as young birds, then if there is something we don't like about them as they are older we cull then too, but we show them as often as we can, so that matters to us, but putting them out to graze pastures and add some nitrogen to the soil too, I don't think it matters where the birds come from!

 

[Jchantecler]

I can understand that price is an issue, but you really have to factor in the quality of the birds themselves, if not their actual show quality. Birds from Metzer aren't really selectively bred, so you're getting birds that have low livability in comparison to Holderread. Metzer birds will be less likely to reproduce and live as well and long as Holderreads. You should also consider that Holderread is a smaller operation, and to help the bird community, you should support small farmers, rather than giant cheap hatcheries. Though the price may be high, true heritage poultry are well worth it.

 

[feste79]

I don't mind spending more money for Holderread's birds, because I want to breed them for meat and I want the healthiest, best genes, fastest growing, best foraging, geese I can get. I'm just doing this for myself, but is bordered by a nice shallow slow-moving stream that my ducks love, but aren't making the most out of the pasture, like geese would.

Would Holderread's birds get bigger faster? Be healthier in the long-run, cause I'll be breeding them? How long can a breeding trio or pair breed? Would that differ between Holderread's and Metzer? Also, how much would an Embden weigh if it is on good pasture all summer and into fall (from egg to butchering time)? I have no experience with geese.

Thanks for the input.

Seth

 

[Jchantecler]

Geese in general grow fairly fast, but Holderread's wouldn't grow any faster than Metzer's, possibly slower. This is an attribute to many pure-bred heritage breeds, but it will vary from breed to breed. With embdens, all should grow fairly quickly. It is likely that Holderread's will be healthier in the long run, due to his careful breeding techniques. As for breeding them, because embden are heavy geese, it will take 2-3 years before they reach sexual maturity.