Hi everyone,
I got a question/problem that I hope someone can give me pointers at how to solve.
I am new to having Poms, liked the Saddleback Pommeranian for years since the stable in Europe where we use to go riding had a SQ flock of them roaming the grounds and I have never seen anything even close over here.
Well this year I took the plunge and bought 2 goslings off a friend at the west coast whos flock originally came from german imports(nice big heavy birds, close to what I remember my Ideal pom to look like). That was all he raised of them this year. Turned out at some point one of his African ganders flew the fence and the one gosling clearly was a an African X(and not even pretty...).... he went to freezer camp. So left with a single, mismarked gosling(which turned out to be female). Bought 3 more goslings from another source(who brokers from all over the place so who knows what kind of flock they came from).
Anyhow, these 3 new ones are 3 months older than my original gosling, and better marked but they are very noticeably smaller. Turned out they are 2 geese and 1 gander too. They are currently housed with a pair of French Toulouse geese that are also this years hatch and tower over these Poms like Giants, closest to their size being the mismarked female out of the german line. The Toulouse even have closer to the body shape that a pom is supposed to have then the 3 smaller Poms and, here is my problem!
Looking at them I almost think I would do better breeding that german female to the Toulouse gander than that pathetic excuse of a Pomeranian Gander out of the "mystery" line.
What should I do? I feel if I breed the large goose to the smaller gander, yes I probably get pom marked goslings but I am diminishing size and body shape. I rather build the barn first and then paint it, so crossing her with the Toulouse would keep or even up the size, but colour may take a while to get back and I know I have to cull hard for proper type(the Toulouse not being Ideal pom type either).
Have been trying to find better lines of geese, but it took me 8 yrs to find these in the first place..... Saddleback Poms in Canada seem to be a well kept secret(I have been told they exist but any leads I get tell me they don't sell birds, or I have to buy the whole flock off of them or refuse to send any pictures etc etc).