* Light Goose Breeds:- Pilgrim |
| Pilgrims are quiet, light
weight geese that are one of only two autosexing breeds of geese (the
other being the West of England Goose) . Ganders are 90%
pure white with some grey feathering to the wings, backs and tail
. Geese are pale grey in colour. When they grow, it is easy to spot the
difference by the colour of their down,newly hatched ganders are
light yellow and geese are grey. Female goslings also have darker bills
than the males.By nature quiet and docile and although much less
aggressive than other breeds of geese, they can become protective of
their newly hatched goslings especially to men. Many think that Pilgrim Geese originated in England and were exported to America . Development was in Missouri during the 1930's by Oscar Grow in US and is well known giving the Pilgrim Goose it's modern name. Knobs on the beak are a sure sign of cross breeding but have been seen recently. For housing use a large dog kennel or small garden shed to house the geese. During the winter they need to be protected against rain, wind, and snow . The shelter must be waterproof, predator proof and well ventilated ( goose crap is high in ammonia so small places produce quite a smell). At night these geese must be penned up being vulnerable with their quiet and trusting nature to two and four legged predators. For bedding use straw, paper shreds,wood chip, wood shavings or hay, although I do prefer hay for the nests. Recommend mucking out the geese enclosure every 1-3 weeks, depending on how many geese you have in the enclosure, and how big the enclosure is. Queries ask via the domestic - waterfowl club website |
| . Telephone : 01691 655 635 (Shropshire) or Email grahamhickss@hotmail.co.uk |