I have a metzer pair. They will be 2 yo this april. I find the hen has nice correct colour, the white on her head really just sticks to being around her beak and eyes and not past that. He is pure white exept for some gray on his primary and secondary flights.
Both are very calm, not really tame(handled them lots as babies but they never took to it like the africans) they tolerate you close and stay just out of reach. Neither bites when on the nest and he only hisses at me if he can't recognize me.
I can post pics tomorrow if you like?
I would love to see pics! I am interested in getting a pair to live with my ducks to be an alarm if there is anything screwy going on. I also have two young boys so I would like them to be some what calm/friendly towards the family. Is that realistic?
This is my pair. Like I said very calm birds, not in a hurry to do anything(exept when they see a raven, he takes offense to those
). I think pilgrims in general are nice calm friendly breed, but there will always be that individual that doesn't fit the norm. Also during breeding season anything goes, its a gooses nature to be more agressive from Feb-July and I wont be angry if they do pinch me, its their nature. Outside of the season they are very nice. He pinched me once last year when I picked up a freshly hatched gosling and it cried....... not his fault, he was protecting the baby.
My pilgrim pair is friendly enough to be free range during breeding season, he isn't very agressive. I haven't met very many other pilgrims so I cannot tell you if the mellowness mine display this time of year is the norm or not.
My grandmother had geese when I was little and they hated me, hissed and chased me every time they saw me. At that time I was the same size as they were so it was very scary for me. So in the back of my mind I am afraid that might happen all over again. But on Metzer's website they have their pilgrims listed as being very calm so I think it will be a good match for us.