Pilgrim Geese thread

[sianara]

I see. Thanks for the info. Do the ganders tend to have grey on their backs? Or are they mostly all white like an Embden?

They always have a little grey...

http://www.metzerfarms.com/PilgrimGeese.cfm?Breed=Pilgrim&BirdType=Goose&ID=PIL

Of my four goslings, I have three males with lighter down and pink bills and one female with darker down and a gray bill. Unfortunately, one died and it was a female which was very disappointing. Was hoping to get one female and two pairs out of this batch but there's always next year.



Now to rehome my three males before they get too big...

 

[DuckBoy323]

How do they look? Are they pure Pilgrims? How about the gander? I was a bit concerned about his grey coloring.

 

[livininbrazil]

How do they look? Are they pure Pilgrims? How about the gander? I was a bit concerned about his grey coloring.

They look ok so far. The grey is normal in pilgrims. The female doesn´t have a very white face yet, maybe she´s still young. time will tell, especially when they have goslings. If the male goslings are white and the females grey, then you have a pair of pils, at least, auto-sexing birds.
Did you say this pair already raised goslings? She doesn´t seem to have undercarriage (lobe) development there, which normally they have, especially after raising a brood. Here´s a pic of a nice pair I got from the internet. What do you think? Comparable?

 

[DuckBoy323]

Nice birds. Are the ganders about the same size as the females or are they a bit bigger? And she has a little white on her face. I'll take a few more today. And as for the goslings, that's what the guy I bought em from said. At what age can they start laying and sitting on eggs?

 

[livininbrazil]

Nice birds. Are the ganders about the same size as the females or are they a bit bigger? And she has a little white on her face. I'll take a few more today. And as for the goslings, that's what the guy I bought em from said. At what age can they start laying and sitting on eggs?

They´ll start in the winter, going through to spring. So beginning in Jan when the mating dances begin, then any time between feb to April she should start with her eggs. Sometimes a little later, depending on where you live.
They´re delightful birds, have fun.

 

[Tivona]

How do they look? Are they pure Pilgrims? How about the gander? I was a bit concerned about his grey coloring.

They look a lot like my Pilgrims. Personally I like the splash of grey. My gander had much less light grey and didn't have the dark feathers before the last molt so perhaps its a bit random as to the grey and how it grows in. I think it makes him prettier with the extra color...some don't like the dark grey though and its not encouraged in showing as I understand it. Some light grey is considered desirable though.

Nice birds. Are the ganders about the same size as the females or are they a bit bigger? And she has a little white on her face. I'll take a few more today. And as for the goslings, that's what the guy I bought em from said. At what age can they start laying and sitting on eggs?

My gander is a bit bigger then his mate. Not much bigger but a bit and that is standard from what I have read. The girls get more white with age. My girl started with just a few tiny white feathers by her bill much like yours in the picture and she has much more white this year. She laid her first egg exactly 8 months to the day of when I got her 2 days old. I have now read a few times that the first year is iffy as to getting any goslings and should be considered a bonus. I guess I got lucky as she hatched out 7 really healthy babies.

 

[DuckBoy323]

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. Here's some better pics of the Pilgrims. What do yall think? How's the gander look? He's got quite a lot of grey. Do y'all think they're pure pilgrims?

 

[livininbrazil]

. . . . Here's some better pics of the Pilgrims. What do yall think? How's the gander look? He's got quite a lot of grey. Do y'all think they're pure pilgrims?

Do you have any reason to doubt they´re pils? They look ok to me..all as Tivona said.
But as I mentioned earlier, next season you´ll know...the proof of the pudding is in the eating.

Here´s a pic of my gang.....
You can see they grey in the ganders´wings. The older geese have white faces, you can only see one here, and the younger ones are not really showing the white at this point. (ignore the ones to the far left, they´re crosses.)

 

[DuckBoy323]

That's quite a lot of pilly's. They're nice for sure. And I thought mine may have been a cross because I think someone said that the males if they have a lot of grey you wanna stay away from that. And the guy I bought em from bought the pilgrims from a lady I think down in oregon so I didn't know if she may have crossed em with another geese breed. I thought maybe like a Toulouse or something. But yeah I'm going with Pilgrims on them. By the way do you have Pomeranians in that pic?

 

[livininbrazil]

That's quite a lot of pilly's. They're nice for sure. And I thought mine may have been a cross because I think someone said that the males if they have a lot of grey you wanna stay away from that. And the guy I bought em from bought the pilgrims from a lady I think down in oregon so I didn't know if she may have crossed em with another geese breed. I thought maybe like a Toulouse or something. But yeah I'm going with Pilgrims on them. By the way do you have Pomeranians in that pic?

I have 3 saddlebacks, but they´re not poms.
My pils have varying amoiunts of grey on them. I don´t think any of them have black feathers, but they have a lot of dove-grey, and the females are a beautiful soft grey. Wait til next year, then you´ll know for sure if they breed true.