Pilgrim vs. Sebastopol geese

[dtaratut]

hi,

Does anybody know what pros and cons pilgrim geese and Sebastopol geese have and which breed is a better, quieter, backyard goose who is better at laying eggs, more docile and quiet, and is a better mother!? Thanks! Keep in mind I'm only getting a pair. So again which is quieter, better mother, and more docile?!

 

[scratch'n'peck]

Hi, I have both Sebastopol and Pilgrim geese. I started with one pair of each and then the Sebastopol female hatched three more Sebastopols. We chose these breeds because they both have a reputation for being fairly friendly. However, hand raising your geese makes a much bigger difference in friendliness than the breed generally. The Sebs are a bit smaller and more docile. Although there really is no such thing as a quiet goose, the Sebs might be a little less noisy. They both lay eggs only during breeding season and there were no differences really in that respect. The only reason my Pilgrim goose did not hatch her eggs is because her nest was too near my swans' nest and they kept chasing her away from the eggs. I have rarely heard of any breed of goose being a bad mother. Because I wanted really friendly goslings, I took them away from mom (yes, it made me feel guilty.)

Because the feathers of the Sebs don't lay as flat they may be a little less tolerant to really cold weather and chunks of ice can freeze and hang off their loose feathers. But both breeds really tolerate winter weather quite well.