What is the best homesteading goose?!

[fordguy]

Hi guys. I've done some reading here about the best geese for food, and grazing in my orchard. I have some questions about "homestead survivability" of the breed - Can they feed themselves by foraging? Can the mother goose hatch a brood? Can they fend off a coon and possum? I am not going to incubate the eggs, so the goose has to be a good mother! a guy locally who used to raise embdens said embdens get off a clutch for long periods and he had to incubate the eggs. What do you think of embdens as mothers?

varieties I am looking at are holderread embdens, toulous, and pilgrims. If your answer is embdens make just as good a mother as the others, that is the breed I'll go with.

I also have small children, 2, 3, 4 and 8 so we will have to make sure the geese grow up with the kids and then make sure they are supervised with the geese when they are grown.

 

[fordguy]

hoping to get some feedback guys! thanks...

 

[noahsgeese]

I have one female Embden goose and she is not setting on her eggs as much as she should be ( but it is in the dead of winter so I do not know if that answers your question or not )

Hope this helps!!

 

[ultasol]

If you want Embdens for homesteading, you might want to go for a production embden rather than the extra large show stock from Holderread. I have heard it is two years before they lay,.. and you don't want the toulouse from holderread as they are Dewlap (exhibition) toulouse and tend towards fertility issues, are very affected by any inbreeding, and are not good sitters from what I understand.

Beautiful geese, but not great for homesteading. If you want to be able to cull the extra ganders young, pilgrims are nice in that they are autosexing (by color). I have Buff Americans which are very nice geese, however they are not sexable by color (but I have learned how to vent sex them, so I'm fine with it).

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

i received an embden gander and a toulouse goose - a mated pair and they are great! they are really self sufficient - easy keepers and dont require a lot of hands on care. our toulouse is an incredible momma. her daughter - a toulouse x roman tufted, was also a great momma. the gander is a great protector of his little family. i like the idea of the pilgrims b/c you can tell the males from females, as ultasol mentioned.

i really like the look and the size of the romans. but between my two layers we'll have all the geese we could ever hope for.

ps you know they can be ridiculously mean, right?

 

[fordguy]

OK thanks guys! I just ordered 2 emden males and 2 emden females, and 6 straight run pilgrims. (from Mcmurray) Also 1 male pekin 2 females, and 2 khaki cambells!!!

Did I do OK?

and about mean, no i did not know emdbens were mean, we will spend a lot of tiem with them as they grow up so hopefully they will bond with my family.

 

[FLOWERPOT]

My buff pair have just reached maturity and the male has become very protective over the female. should I say "mean" Yes he is! even though I spent lots of time with them while they were growing. He bites me anytime I go into the coop unless I cary a stick.

 

[goosemama]

I have a question on Pilgrims. Since they are the only goose breed that you can sex by color - why do the hatcheries sell them straight run? They have to know when they see the goslings what sex they are? I would like to get some Pilgrims but in the Spring when its warmer. Where do folks suggest is the best place to buy Pilgrims?

 

[FLOWERPOT]

Metzer farms will sell sexed pairs of any goose breed. Thats where I got my buffs.

 

[Cottage Rose]

Quote:
Cotton Patch Geese can be sexed by color.
Think: American Buffs, Cotton Patch & Pilgrims