Sebastopol breeding

[Cottage Rose]

I think I'm gonna go play Farmville.

 

[ChickenHwk]

Sorry I haven't been able to follow this thread as closely as I would have liked but I just haven't had any time this past week...


All I have to say is that my future is wide open, I don't know where I will be next year, or next week or even tomorrow... All that I know is that I have a great love for raising and growing Sebastopol geese. My small flock of five sebastopols are going to be used in my "breeding program" for next year and I will see what happenes...


I thank you, everyone, who has helped me with my new prospect and I hope that breeders will ban together in the raising of these beautiful birds instead of fighting over who has better quality.

Thank you...

 

[Mrs. Turbo]

A lady we showed against at Shawnee bought some Sebs for $1000. I am pretty sure she said each, but maybe she meant to say $1000 a pair. Still a very big price, but they were very nice birds.
I do agree that if you breed mediocre geese together that is the most you will ever get from them....but if you have the bloodline, you might get that lucky one to hatch.
I am not sure if chickens are like geese, but we raised a TON of Columbian Wyandotte bantams last year out of a single pair. We took 2 great bloodline breeder quality columbians and raised as many as we could. We then culled down to our best ones and placed a few of them in the show in Lebanon. We took RB with a Columbian bantam wyandotte pullet out of a class of about 130 bantam wyandottes....a starred win. We gave our flock to a friend and he continued to win with them the rest of the show season. Of course it would be impossible to raise 100 goslings out of a single pair of geese.

 

[goosedragon]

Quote:
I have mentioned this several times over the years but I live about 8 miles from the ALBC headquarters in Pittsboro NC. Frankly I thought their poultry lists could use a lot of work and volenteered to help them by contacting breeders listed in APA and ABA rather than just sending surveys from their limited mailing list. No interest was shown at all! Sort of a 'this is the way we have always done it" type thing. even when I suggested they might well pick up new donars (sp) from my efforts. I finally broke with them, you can't help someone that doesn't want to be helped!

 

[Cottage Rose]

Quote:
First and foremost I must apologize to the author of this topic for getting into it with DK.
I'm sorry I have allowed this individual to get to me and I will try harder in the future
to avoid responding to what he says about me.
Yes it would be REALLY nice if we could all work together put certain individuals don't feel the same way.
That's really unfortunate.

Personally as far as who has better or show quality birds is besides the point and doesn't matter to me.
I simply want to encourage those who are starting out at square one with
average non show stock and letting them know there's no monopoly on breeding animals.
Just because one can't afford to go out and buy better foundation stock
(and for some people $50. - $75. a bird is unaffordable)
that shouldn't stop them from pursuing a hobby, working with what they have at the time,
or trying to upgrade their stock to the best of their ability and as they are able.
Here's a very important factor to consider....not once have I had a customer come back and tell me
they're upset because their bird wasn't show quality...they're simply grateful they have a pretty,
fluffy goose with a wonderful temperament. I feel like the proud grandma when I get their email
updates and photos. I could care less about winning blue ribbons with my geese.
I could show my geese and possibly even win with some of them but all I really care about is enjoying them,
sharing them with others and helping beginners who are interested in them.
I spend alot of time answering email questions from people all over the U.S.,
not just wanting to buy Sebastopols from me, but with many questions like:
"what do we do with a duck we found in the park?" to "can you help me find a breeder in my area?"
(yes I can and I refer to others often) to "is it okay to feed my geese Twinkies?"
I gain my fulfillment in helping others plus all the wonderful people I've met and come to know as friends is just an added bonus.
Best wishes to Chickenhwk...I'm sure you will do well.

 

[Cottage Rose]

A mini tribute to some non show quality yet beautiful breeders of mine...

My beloved Soufflé...

Meringue one of my first ganders...

Some of the offspring from non show parents...

 

[banter]

Yo ChickenHawk! Wish you the best of luck in your Seb endeavors!
I feel I must make a comment on this post. This is the bottom line for me (as far as breeding Sebs in the limited fashion that I do). In order to be able to breed these geese and
experiment with the colors and other aspects I have to be able to sell the excess gosling and occasional adult I cannot afford to keep. I will not eat them, or sell them to any but a quality home. I've even raised some horrid incubator mistakes (not genetic-my under the goose have never had one of these) that hatched deformed because I just couldn't cull them. I have spent hundreds of hours with my geese, know them all by name and sight (and wow! my husband can almost do it too now!), and have bred some of the same pairs a few times now and have kept records. I bought quality stock and I breed with a good eye to the outcome. I keep BOTH smooth and curly Sebs because they both are beautiful and have their virtues. I breeds for their lovely personalities, and quirkiness, which never show up in a photo! Most of the people I'm familiar with on the various forums are dedicated as I am.
When those who have raised this breed for a long time post the blah blah blahs, even though you might not mean to, you can be potentially putting people out of the Seb business.It often infers we are more amateur than we actually are. I for one have trouble tooting my own horn for the most part. Everyone wants a quality Seb for the price of a production meat breed (wouldn't you?) and times are hard now anyway.
Most of us are dependent on selling a few geese to be able to feed the others-I have sold a couple I wish I could of kept. I keep a small flock of 12 at the moment.

 

[DaveK]

Quote:
Hi ChickenHawk, yea, you've kind of been slapped up side the head here. As I said you will seek your own best counsel and find the way that is best for you. You did mention the idea of improving and having quality and I offered my 2 cents worth. Guess I shouldn't have? Whatever the problem with Cottage Rose is has nothing to do with the geese themselves. I am convinced of that when I can't even agree with that poster without receiving a barbed response. And if the ideas expressed or information shared is not what Cottage Rose is agreeing with at the moment heaven forbid. I tried to use her own experience with a purchased pair of birds to indicate that improvement really can take place and some very nice stock get raised without the numbers or the $$$ amounts being astronomical. This in spite of the fact that postings from Cottage Rose would have many beginners figuring they should give up. Heck, it's happened as they just end up feeling defeated until someone says "no, it needn't be all that hard". People just need some encouragement. At any rate using her own fine example of what can be possible generates a lot of attitude here on BYC and a nasty PM that indicates a lot of issues with the original breeder who evidently I should not have alluded to. I can't help any of that but neither am I going to abandon something as interesting as BYC because of it. At any rate do stick with your Sebastopol interest. They are a wonderful looking breed with tons of fun and personality. The hobby can be approached a hundred different ways and the geese care about none of it. They will continue to be themselves and provide lots of pleasure. Good Luck. [email protected] www.sebastopols.freeforums.org