I am planning on keeping a pair of geese next year to function as both 'alarm system' for my small poultry flock, keeping the grass trimmed down a bit, and just because I think geese are gorgeous and having a pair of them bumbling around in the garden will probably give me hours of entertainment. I wouldn't mind the occasional goose egg omelette either!
I came across a very
local breeder (less than a 10 min drive from our property) that I want to buy my ducks from, as he sells indian runners that are a bit hard to come by in these parts. I asked him if he sells any geese as well, as I would like to raise both ducks and geese by hand to have them tame , as Indian runners can be rather skittish, and I don't want to have to chase them and stress them out each time I need to handle them, and neither do I want to have a pair of aggressive geese on my hand. To me it seemed like the best idea to get the ducklings and goslings more or less at the same time so they grow up together and consider each other as part of the flock. Getting both the goslings and ducklings from the same breeder would be very handy because that way I can get them at the same time.
Also this breeder says he only raises breeds that he knows are hardy
enough to handle the local mountain climate. Given that I live so closely, the breeds he sells
should do just fine on my property.
Now the only breed of geese he sells are Sebastopol (or Danubian) Geese. I did not know this breed and looking them up I can say they look quite Funky!
In german they are called Struppgans, which translates to Unkempt Goose, which seems fairly accurate description of them. I do think they're cute though.
I've read that the curly feathers prevents them from flying much, and they're not great swimmers either. Now I don't have a
pond, only a stream, so while there is plenty of
water to wash up, it is not deep enough to swim in.
Sebastopols are said to be quite calm with exceptional personalities. When handled carefully, they have a quiet and pleasant nature (Holderread, 1981). Due to the fluffy feathers they are not quite as resistent to cold weather and especially wind. So a windbreak would be a must. Fortunately my property serves as a mini-valley onto itself with most of the wind blowing over it instead of trough it. We do have a bit of a draught created by the creek that runs trough the valley, bringing with it cold air during summer and slightly warmer air during winter.
They are classified as a Light Breed by the German Standards with stipulated weights being 5.0 – 6.0 kg. for Ganders and 4.5 – 5.5 kg, or as a medium breed by the the American Poultry Association Standards with weights as follows:
Old Gander: 14 lbs Old Goose: 12 lbs.
Young Gander: 12 lbs. Young Goose: 10 lbs.
As for predators, the most pressure here would come from fox and (an alarmingly large population of) stray cats. My ducks and
chickens would definitely be cooped up during the night. As for the geese, I've never kept them so have no
experience, but I have read they usually prefer sleeping outside? During the day I would let them pasture.
Does anyone have any experience with this breed of geese? Do you think this breed would be a good match for my purpose for them?