Sebastopols. A cash crop?

[Pidgey104]

Quote:
You can fix angel wing....

How ? ? ! she is just growing in her feather now.

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

I will step up and say I'm so green behind the ears when it comes to Sebbies that it's not funny.

I've been doing a lot of reading - and picking brains - of people (like Foley's Waterfowl) to learn more about this beautiful goose..

Now having said that - before I owned them, or saw them in person, I thought they were the ugliest goose ever. Last fall I saw my first Sebbie in person, and fell in love.

I purchased my breeding quad from a woman who had purchased her parent stock directly from Holderrhead's. The 4 I have now are what she had hand picked from her hatchlings last spring to be her new breeding quad. This lady bred for shows, and had show quality silkies, Black Langshans, and Call Ducks. Her decision to step out of the poultry world was my gain.

I paid what I felt was a pretty penny for my geese (and the Langshans and the Calls), but I was paying for Quality over Quantity so I felt the price was far well worth what I was obtaining.

I have NOT made a profit on the Sebbies. We've hatched a total of 3 Goslings this year (due to the laying wasn't great) and I did send out 4 eggs to a couple individuals.

I have a smooth breasted gander, and he is gorgeous! I have two curly geese and the third goose is curly, but she's blue/gray. I had no idea until I had seen these Sebbies that they came in colors other than white.

Of the 3 goslings that were hatched this year, only 1 is blue. The blue is staying, as I'm not 100% sure on the quality of him/her and I want to see how this gosling turns out by fall.

My Sebbies all look like "barnyard" geese to some degree right now, because they are in a molt and they look terrible.

I'm still learning about what to look for in quality sebbies, but my goal and dream is to have a stunning flock of white Sebbies and to have a Stunning flock of Blue/gray Sebbies. It may take several years to achieve what I want, but half the fun is in getting there.

This is a pic of the Smooth breasted Gander and one white and my blue goose a few weeks ago (the other white was setting on a nest)

And this is pics from when I first brought them home in February.

 

[Cottage Rose]

Quote:
I find this a rather odd statement since Dave's prices are the highest of any Sebastopol breeder that I know of,
AND he not only sell's smooth breasted colored Sebastotopols but smooth breasted whites as well!
Who has higher prices...please post a link to such websites.

 

[pips&peeps]

Quote:
I find this a rather odd statement since Dave's prices are the highest of any Sebastopol breeder that I know of,
AND he not only sell's smooth breasted colored Sebastotopols but smooth breasted whites as well!
Who has higher prices...please post a link to such websites.

I believe the majority of birds coming from Holderreads would be considered pet quality. Unless you buy an adult bird, which is going to cost around $300.00 plus shipping. I'm not knocking him or his birds, but if you were an exhibition breeder, would you sell all your exhibition potential goslings? Or, would you keep the majority of them and sell them for a higher price in the fall? This would give the breeder the chance to weed through and keep only the best......

I recommend that people read the standard on these birds. I only know of a few people that are breeding them to standard. An obvious point that I see wrong on 99% of birds being sold is they do not have a rounded forehead. I think alot of outcrossing was done and this trait has been overlooked.

 

[peachick]

oops
i posted something I should not have... I thought this was on the Sebbie forum... my sincere apologies

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

pips&peeps :

An obvious point that I see wrong on 99% of birds being sold is they do not have a rounded forehead.

Would you please talk about this more? Is there a picture of a correct rounded forehead somewhere that a newcomer to this breed like me could use for reference?​

 

[banter]

Many breeds of geese have a head that melts into their neck. The Seb should have a rounder head, showing larger than it's neck-however, the neck should be thick and able to be carried erect (stove pipe). I'm not sure if that means side view only. Most frontal views of geese show a narrow width of the head, with some rounded cheeking, that may or may not be just feathers. I'm posting a couple of head type pics. Please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong-this post should prob be moved.

Round head

Young gray Seb gander with full cheeks, fairly round head and stovepipe neck

A mini goose with a narrow face and flat forehead

 

[banter]

The last I will say about this on this post. I know for a fact many of us that are just starting out in Sebs keep just a few pairs that we fancy, and sell (or place) the ones we feel we can't use for breeding for a very reasonable price, and have also placed some of the ones we did not want to breed free to good homes. Look beyond the feathers! There is a nice animal under all that fluff!

 

[Mrs. Turbo]

I grew out 13 of my goslings last year and I only had took 2 I would take to a show with me...... It is a very slow process to build a nice flock. They take up a lot of room and eat a lot of feed in the fall and winter. This year I hatched 6 goslings so far out of my breeders.....6 hens and 3 ganders. they are not the easiest to hatch especially with the strange weather we had this winter and spring.
Do you ever think people have to sell some of their birds or eggs to pay for the feed and maintaining the flocks?
Heck.....isn't the price of a regular gosling $10-$15 in some places?

 

[redhen]

Quote:
X2!