Pilgrim Geese

[bluejeans]

sorry the word should have been spelled "herd" along

 

[weeshanti]

Hi! Hoping to resurrect this thread...

We just got a pair of Pilgrim goslings this morning. We are raising them with blue Swedish ducklings, and so far so good, although the Pilgrims are three times the ducklings' size.

My real question is whether anyone has a ballpark of their winter feeding needs. We want to plan ahead for the ducks and the geese together. Is there anything I can grow over the summer to hold through the winter to supplement them? I was thinking of doing a winter garden of cold greens, but how much can they consume? I assume I will need to supplement grain, too.

Any input is appreciated. Thanks!

 

[tbishop]

I just got the final part of my start-up flock. I got 1 egg to hatch that I bought off of Ebay. Found a pair of 2-year-old geese and a separate 3 year old gander. Today my goslings arrived. I'm very excited to learn more about these birds.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I just got the final part of my start-up flock. I got 1 egg to hatch that I bought off of Ebay. Found a pair of 2-year-old geese and a separate 3 year old gander. Today my goslings arrived. I'm very excited to learn more about these birds.

Beautiful geese, Congrats!!

 

[tbishop]

Thank you- I have 2 ganders and 6 geese of various ages. I also have two more eggs from my adults in the incubator right now. I think that's a good start and has some room for error.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Thank you- I have 2 ganders and 6 geese of various ages. I also have two more eggs from my adults in the incubator right now. I think that's a good start and has some room for error.

Sure does, and don't forget to post pics when the lil one hatches. Nice a nice group and a nice size flock.

 

[RoboDuck]

Recently got an update on this thread in my email. Just wanted to pipe in quickly and say that I too am looking for Pilgrim hatching eggs but am looking solely for "Ashbrook" strain Pilgrim's. If anyone has these, please let me know.

God Bless,

Great. Another option for me to learn. This "Ashbrook" strain was mentioned twice in this thread. What's the difference?

Edited: Google is my friend. And Google led me.... right back to this forum. Got the question answered though. Looks like I'll just have to settle with substandard Pilgrims.

 

[Tivona]

Hi RoboDuck! I have some Pilgrims and they are wonderful. Super sweet and calm and very pretty. Even my gander who is in mating mode isn't much trouble.

As far as the "Ashbrook" strain, all I have heard is that the line is supposed to be of high quality. I assume that the "Ashbrook" is the breeder name but I can't even be sure of that. I would presume that the Ashbrook Pilgrims are closer to show quality. Sorry I can't be of more help.

 

[RoboDuck]

I found an old thread through my Google search and, yes, they are named after the original breeder. I'm not into showing so I don't need that high quality. My original choice was Toulouse but then someone mentioned the Pilgrims to me. I very much prefer them now. I don't like the geese with the big bumps on their heads like the Africans. Only the Production Toulouse was what I was looking for as we didn't like the Dewlaps. Pilgrims have a very sleek, neat look to them. Maybe since you have them, you know..... Do they do best as a pair or would they do better as a trio? Or do they even care?

 

[Tivona]

I have a pair and they are great together. There are a few people with them around here. Most of the ones around here are in pairs or in a larger flock. I only see the locals sell them as pairs not trios but I am not sure if there is a reason why. I do know that they don't mate as often as my Embden pair did. These are quieter and milder about most things and perhaps the ganders might find 2 girls a bit much. I know that my Embden gander would mate with his girl many times a day. These Pilgrims that I have seem to be mating about twice a day. Not sure if that is standard or not for the breed but going by my Pilgrim gander that I have I would have to guess pairs.

As far as the breed goes I can't recommend them enough. They are wonderful. My previous Embdens were a bit smarter, louder and much more aggressive. I had a Toulouse goose for awhile and she was pretty easy going as well but I really do prefer the Pilgrims. Also the color link is really nice. Knowing males and females at a glance is more handy then you would think. I also think that their easy going nature makes them a good first goose breed if you haven't had geese before. Some of this will depend on the individual geese and also on how much you want to work with them. If your getting geese I think you will be happy with the Pilgrims. I know I am.