Well because we love our traditions in the south and the cotton patch goose has a long and colorful history here. Autosexing means that males and females are distinguishable, by color, upon hatching. A unique characteristic of the pilgrim gosling and adult pilgrim is that its sex can be determined from the color of its down or feathers. Make sure you get your cotton patch goslings straight from the best. If i was raising geese for a hatchery, 3 cotton patch goslings would be an utter failure. The cotton patchs head is rounded and the beak is dished. We produce artisanal food and quality breeding stock. Geese waterfowl are extraordinary birds to add to your farm flock. This breed once thrived throughout the southeastern states to weed mostly cotton fields, but as herbicides and pesticides use grew more common, the geese became less needed.
The cotton patch goose is an american landrace breed of goose that was once a common place fixture on farms. For decades we have also been providing our customers with baby ducklings and geese for sale. The ganders are charming and attentive to their geese. The cotton patch goose was developed in the southern united states. I had geese befor, a mix of breeds picked up at the feed store. Testimonials frequently asked questions the ecofarm the farmers tours. Cotton patch goose breed information modern farming methods. Pilgrim geese originated in britain but is associated with the pilgrim fathers with some believing that the breed was taken to america in the 1600s with them.
Brought to the new world by european colonists, these sexually dimorphic geese were a staple on homesteads and farms. These geese are native to africa, south of the sahara, and throughout the nile valley. And i want live birds, not eggs, im not up to trying to hatch my own yet. They much more closely resemble the wild forebears of domestic geese, the greylag goose.
Buy pilgrim geese online, pilgrim goose for sale online, best. Average live body weight of the mature cotton patch ganders is between 4 and 5. Sep 24, 2010 but the female pilgrim geese are all solid no saddleback variety. Pictures of pilgrim and normandy geese ashton waterfowl. The owner of the cotton patch geese, tom walker, once said. Pilgrim geese are one of the few american bred geese.
Their bodies are full and plump, with a smooth, keelless breast. Cotton patch geese are on the livestock conservancys critical list, and are very. That award usually goes to backyard chickens, or dairy goats with the occasional pastured pig thrown in. We control all aspects of nutrition, breeding, selection, incubation, and hatching to ensure you the highest quality of dayold birds. Pilgrim ganders males are yellow and light gray with lightcolored bills when they hatch, while pilgrim geese females are a darker gray and have darker bills. The cotton patch goose is known for its friendly, nonaggressive personality and its ability to thrive under hot, humid conditions. These geese were used to weed cotton and corn fields up until the 1950s.
Pilgrim geese also have orange bills and feet, but cotton patch geese. Little published information has been available for enthusiasts to learn from, and it has become apparent over time that having consolidated information in a central location is of paramount importance. Cotton patch geese heritage chickens narragansett turkeys guinea fowl pastured turkey pastured eggs sheep. For white geese, we offer the embden and white chinese.
They are one of the heaviest breeds of geese and are the most popular breed for meat. Oscar grow, noted waterfowl expert from the early 1900s developed this breed from one or more of the autosexing european breeds such as the west of england goose or the french normandy goose citation needed. One strain more closely resembles the pilgrim goose and has a beak that is slightly roman. We can handle all sizes of poultry orders and can ship any anywhere in the united states throughout the year. It is one of two american goose breeds that is sexually dimorphic autosexing, the other being the cotton patch breed. The paunch is minimal and when present has a single lobe. But the female pilgrim geese are all solid no saddleback variety. Most chinese geese lay from 5060 eggs but may produce as many as 100 yearly. Pilgrim geese are curious and aware of their surroundings. The eyes of the solid females are brown while the eyes of the saddleback female may be either brown or blue. Please browse for different breeds of baby goslings for sale at cackle hatchery and order online. You can expect a healthy, wellmanaged pilgrim goose to lay 3545 eggs per year.
During the breeding season in spring to early summer they can demonstrate particularly protective behaviour. In the usa, the cotton patch goose also carries the same colour genes as the west of englandnormandyshetland. We are a familyowned farm and hatchery that has been in business since 1972. Day old pilgrim goslings for sale hatching march to june. Females are found in two color phases pied or saddleback and solid, which is much like the pilgrim goose but. Pilgrim geese were developed in the early 1900s in iowa. Buy pilgrim geese online, pilgrim goose for sale online. Cotton patch geese are typically remembered in the rural south for helping many. It is similar in color to the shetland goose and pilgrim goose. The pilgrim goose is known for being calm and personable. In the usa, the cotton patch goose also carries the same colour genes as the west of.
But geese deserve to be fourth on that list in my opinion. Pilgrim geese are a calm, quiet breed and are excellent foragers. Buy pilgrim geese and goslings online from metzer farms a we have live pilgrim geese and oneday goslings for sale online. Most pilgrim geese are very tame if hand reared and have good parenting qualities. They are also slimmer in body than most domestic geese, and retain a relatively good flying ability into adulthood. Little published information has been available for enthusiasts to learn from, and it has become apparent over time that having consolidated information in a central location is of paramount. Some of the types of ducks we have available include blue swedish ducks, ancona ducks, welsh harlequin ducks and so many others. A mature pilgrim will weigh around 14 pounds, making it a good size for the family table. Cotton patch geese are remembered in the rural south for helping many farmers and their families. Contrary to legend citation needed, pilgrim geese were not brought to the united states by early settlers citation needed. Pilgrim goslings for sale hatching from march to june.
We ship waterfowl when they are freshly hatched out of our hatchers on mondays and wednesdays. The american south is where they were used on homesteads and farms as multipurpose poultry for weeding, meat, eggs, down, and grease. Cotton patch goose info, history and origin, pictures. March, 2017 by laurie neverman 69 comments this post may contain affiliate links which wont change your price but will share some commission. In australia, the settler goose named by andreas stoll in 1984 is their equivalent of the pilgrim. The only way i even knew about them was american livestock breeds conservancy.
Dec 10, 2015 cotton patch goose eggs day 7 duration. Chinese geese are the most prolific egg laying geese and it is not unusual to have them lay in the fall or winter. This has been widely disputed but the birds did get to america and indeed the breed was first standardised in the usa. Geese lay fewer eggs than chickens or ducks, but many people who raise them like to use the eggs for baking. I paid my way through college by hatching and selling baby poultry. Due to high order volumes, please allow 34 business days for processing before you receive a confirmation.
They are a calm goose with a reputation of being excellent parents. Cotton patch geese cotton patch geese are among the rarest of all domestic geese and are listed as an endangered heritage breed. These geese once played the role of weeders in the crop fields, and had extensively been reared throughout their region, especially in the farms and hatcheries. Although similar to pilgrims in their dimorphism, cotton patch geese are much. All premade chicken coops or chicken coop plans will include nesting boxes. What id really really like to get is the cotton patch. At nonesuch farm it is our goal to to preserve rare breeds of livestock and heirloom vegetables. However, they have been extremely rare in recent times. Once common throughout the south and eastern united states, the cotton patch goose is now critically endangered, with perhaps fewer than 100 breeding pairs alive. Pilgrim geese also have orange bills and feet, but cotton patch geese have pink bills and feet or at least they should. Addressing aggressive ganders the problem with some hand raised geese is they become too imprinted to their human flock. Box 458 191 closz drive webster city, ia 50595 phone. When imprinted to humans, the human is viewed as the parent for the first 23 months. Our focus is on highly productive but smaller livestock.
And average mature body weight of the geese vary from 3. Males are white with touches of gray, and females look like a toulouse with white faces. This was the result of the work oscar grow did with the breed during the 1930s. Over a period of three or so years i traveled more than 10,000 miles to louisiana, arkansas, mississippi, and tennessee trying to find as pure as possible some cotton patch geese. Mar, 2017 homestead geese easy to care for barnyard protectors and weed eaters. We specialize in waterfowl, hatching 19 breeds of ducks pekin, jumbo pekin, mallard, rouen, khaki campbell. The cotton patch goose is particularly welladapted to the climate of the southeastern u. Shetland, normandy, and cotton patchbut they are even rarer, and in most cases. Chickens for sale pet chickens, chickens backyard, chicks for sale, baby chicks. Description of the pilgrim pilgrims are medium weight geese 1218lbs. Homestead geese are not the first animals that come to mind when you consider homestead livestock. The livestock conservancy has an online directory of breeders. Oscar grow maintained that he named the birds pilgrim after the familys removal or pilgrimage from iowa to. The cotton patch goose society dedicated to preserving.
Cackle hatchery sells more than just standard poultry breeds. Cotton patch geese, she says, will fall asleep on your lap like a dogs. Keeping goats, sheep or pigs there would require heavy fencing around. Cotton patch geese geese breeds, i like birds, future farms, pilgrims. Depending on who you ask, pilgrim geese were either developed during the 30s by oscar growa wellknown waterfowl breeder of his time or in europe by various breeders. Newest first most popular price high to low price low to high name az name za. By 5 months old, both goose and gander are at full height. The pilgrim goose was standardised in america first in 1939 and later in the uk in 1982. Because geese relish grasses and shun most broadleafed plants, some enterprising us farmers in the 1950s began. Used for their eggs, meat, grease, down, and weeding abilities, these early american geese were allowed to adapt to their local environments, thus creating the land race breed commonly referred to today as cotton patch geese. Since every hatchery now known to man offers many of those breeds just listed, we have decided to specialize in pilgrim geese.
I first tried breeding a pair of pilgrim geese, from a group of fifteen goslings received. In general, the geese with knobs are nosier than the geese without a knob. Cotton patch are sexually dimorphic as other sexlinked goose breeds, but differ by having pink or orangepink bills, light weight bodies, and the. Flip flop ranch is known for its collection of cotton patch geese. Due to high order volumes, please allow 34 business days for processing before you receive a confirmation email. Welcome to the pilgrim geese web site the purpose of this site is to. A goose is good for producing down for insulation, meat for food, a great watch dog and keeping your pond active. Welp hatchery of iowa is a chicken hatchery that sells dayold poultry including chickens, turkeys, pheasants, geese, and ducks.
Ever wished you could tell gander from goose upon hatching. I did vent sex my pair of africans before selection as breeders. While the geese are either entirely gray or pied gray and white also called saddleback. Brown chinese geese originate in china descending from the wild asiatic swan goose. Cotton patch differ from other sexlinked goose breeds by having pink or. The cotton patch goose society is a loose association of interested parties who became acquainted through the facebook group, cotton patch goose breeders. With their white plumage, they dress clean and are active foragers. Dayold male pilgrim geese are yellow and light gray with lighter colored bills. The cotton patchs body is more elongated and less rounded than breeds such as shetland or pilgrim goose. For breeding, birds should be selected for correct autosexing. Body of the cotton patch goose is more elongated and less rounded than shetland and pilgrim breeds. Our cotton patch geese are not descended from the walker line of geesethey are the walker line of geese. The cotton patch goose is the remaining relic of a little known american breed of goose with parent stock that probably shares common ancestors with the above mentioned sexlinked geese breeds.
They make excellent watchdogs, alerting you when someone or something arrives. And for a gray goose, we have the toulouse and african. The head is trim, the crown is often slightly flattened and the neck is average in length and thickness. The cotton patch is an upright goose with tail in line with back and wings, giving it a clean wedge profile. The pilgrim was admitted into the american poultry associations standard of perfection in 1939. Pilgrim geese were developed in the early 1900s in iowa and are one of the few american breeds of geese. Females lay an average of 2035 eggs per year, are very calm and make good mothers. The birds with the gray backs and white bodies are. May 09, 2012 keep in mind that success is relative. Pilgrim geese were developed by oscar grow in the early 1900s in iowa. At a time when other hatcheries specialized in only chickens or ducks or turkeys, i believed that a true hatchery should offer a little bit of. All animals range widely and eat all or most of their food from our spacious pastures. Pilgrim geese are relatively fast to grow and where pilgrim geese are used commercially for meat mainly in the us it is said that they look similar to exhibition strains.
Cotton patch geese are very rare, and in need of serious conservation breeders. Female pilgrim geese looking for 1 or 2 female pilgrim geese, at lease 1 year old. Our cotton patch geese are not descended from the walker line of geese they are the walker line of geese. Pictures of pilgrim and normandy geese breed info on autosexing. Mar 14, 2019 pilgrim geese are curious and aware of their surroundings.
Cotton patch geese are among the rarest of all domestic geese and are listed as an endangered heritage breed. Homestead geese easy to care for barnyard protectors and. The birds with the dark gray bodies are females of the solid color variety. Geese require little care as long as they have access to an area for grazing and to water. The fertility of their eggs is low a it averages about 60% over the complete season. The white embden is a heavy weight breed which originated in europe. These are one of the few american breeds of geese, and the only domestic goose breed in which you can distinguish males from females at any age. Quick information physical characteristics very similar to the pilgrim geese by appearance. Failure and success are relative 3 cotton patch is a huge success for us. The pilgrim goose is known for being calm and personableb pilgrims are mediumsized geese, weighing 14 pounds at maturity. Forget big goat propaganda, geese are better at mowing.