At nonesuch farm it is our goal to to preserve rare breeds of livestock and heirloom vegetables. The ganders in this strain tend to have as many gray feathers as pilgrim ganders, but these feathers are all dove gray unlike the pilgrim in which they can be slate gray. If youve noticed we arent updating this site as much, its because we are working hard on our new website. Pilgrim geese are able to fly short distances and they have a long lifespan of up to 40 yearsnot that such an age is particularly old for humans. One strain more closely resembles the pilgrim goose and has a. The bills and feet are pink rather than orange, as is seen in the pilgrim, which it. While this female has unusually distinctive saddleback markings, the amount of gray on individual females varies widely.
Our cotton patch geese are not descended from the walker line of geese they are the walker line of geese. Not all who claim to have cotton patch geese are committed to the historic pink bill and feet. Buy pilgrim geese online, pilgrim goose for sale online. Females lay an average of 2035 eggs per year, are very calm and make good mothers.
Many hatcheries sell chickens labled ameraucanas that are not up to breed standards and not to be shown. Well because we love our traditions in the south and the cotton patch goose has a long and colorful history here. Dressed yields based on live weight vary according to breed table 2. In australia, the settler goose named by andreas stoll in 1984 is their equivalent of the pilgrim. This page is a place to share information and contact people that may have. Cotton patch goslings tuesday morning i was reminded of an albert einstein quote that i had on my bulletin board when i was a school teacher. They range in weight from 810 pounds for geese and 912 pounds for ganders. Male goslings are yellow with a grayish hue while females have darker down and skin. Anyway, with goose season closed for a while i now have a new reason to look forward to a flock of geese coming in. Cotton patch geese cotton patch gooses history and origin. It seems to me that when ive seen this happen the geese would be dropping down nicely without the need for any radical maneuvering. Shetland geese are noted for their foraging ability and sexlinked color. 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.
Dayold males are silveryellow with lightcolored bills, in contrast to the olivegray females with their darker bills. The pilgrim goose was standardised in america first in 1939 and later in the uk in 1982. I live in nw arkansas in the ozark mountains with 14 pilgrim geese. Pilgrim geese were developed by oscar grow in the early 1900s in iowa. Cotton patch geese are remembered in the rural south for helping many farmers. The cotton patchs body is more elongated and less rounded than breeds such as shetland or pilgrim goose. Description of the pilgrim pilgrims are medium weight geese 1218lbs. We produce artisanal food and quality breeding stock. In the early 2000s, interest in this breed was renewed and once again, small farmers are finding them geese to be a useful part of their farming operations.
Their coloration sometimes leads to confusion with pilgrim geese, which are also color sexlinked. All animals range widely and eat all or most of their food from our spacious pastures. Because geese relish grasses and shun most broadleafed plants, some enterprising us farmers in the 1950s began. Piney woods cattle, gulf coast sheep, spanish goats and cotton patch geese are all breeds that are unique to the united states, and are in danger of extinction. Etsy has thousands of handcrafted and vintage products that perfectly fit what youre searching for. Cotton patch geese were common in the southeastern us until the 1950s. 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. Currently, the cotton patch goose is listed as critical on the livestock conservancys conservation priority list. The most common geese raised for meat are the embden, toulouse and pilgrim. The reason i was thinking about the quote is because tuesday morning we noticed three little fluff balls in with the cotton patch geese, yes we have a. They are a calm goose with a reputation of being excellent parents.
We raises several varieties of heritage chickens, some of which were known in slaveryera maryland. The plumage of the gander is white, and his eyes are blue. Pilgrim goslings for sale hatching from march to june. Cotton patch geese have the ability to fly well beyond their first year, easily clearing 56 foot fences without a running start. The pilgrim, in the medium class, is the only recognized autosexing breed.
He claims to have developed the breed in iowa and it was named by his wife in memory of their relocation or pilgrimage to missouri during the great depression of the 1930s. Females are found in two color phases pied or saddleback and solid, which is much like the pilgrim goose but dove gray where pilgrims are normally a darker. Pilgrim geese were developed in the early 1900s in iowa and are one of the few american breeds of geese. Throughout history, crows, ravens and other black birds were feared as symbols of evil or death. The male pilgrims ganders hatch yellow and turn white, often with touches. The cotton patch geese are suppose to have pink bill and feet. Is a pilgrim goose the right domesticated goose for you. Males are white with touches of gray, and females look like a toulouse with white faces.
The pilgrim was admitted into the american poultry associations standard of perfection in 1939. The pilgrim goose, as a standardised breed is a relatively recent development by oscar grow, an authority on waterfowl in the 1900s. The pilgrim goose is known for being calm and personable. The cotton patch goose society is a loose association of interested parties who became acquainted through the facebook group, cotton patch goose breeders. The american south is where they were used on homesteads and farms as multipurpose poultry for weeding, meat, eggs, down, and grease. This breed once thrived throughout the southeastern states to weed mostly cotton fields, but as herbicides and pesticides use grew more common, the geese. As they mature, males become increasingly white with blue eyes and females become gray with brown eyes. But the female pilgrim geese are all solid no saddleback variety. Cotton patch geese cotton patch geese are among the rarest of all domestic geese and are listed as an endangered heritage breed. The feet and bill color distinguishes the cotton patch from the pilgrim and some other geese which have orange bill and feet. Heritage breed animals are a main attraction and bring lots of life to button farm.
Pilgrim geese backyard chickens learn how to raise. Part of the familyrun farms mission is to raise breeds in danger of disappearing. It is one of two american goose breeds that is sexually dimorphic autosexing, the other being the cotton patch breed. Cotton patch goose info, history and origin, pictures. A flock of our autosexing shetlands on summer pasture. Meat and eggs all the geese in the heavy and medium weight classes are good utility birds.
Cotton patch geese were historically cheap labor for keeping cotton fields clean. The cotton patch goose is known for its friendly, nonaggressive personality and. The pilgrim goose is a newer breed of waterfowl, which originated in the united states during the early 1900s. Flip flop ranch is known for its collection of cotton patch geese.
Pictures of pilgrim and normandy geese ashton waterfowl. 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. They make excellent watchdogs, alerting you when someone or something arrives. The bills and feet are pink rather than orange, as is seen in the pilgrim, which it resembles. 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. A little look at my geese when they are cranky during breeding season they always back down unless i am swiping actual goslings from. The cotton patch goose is an american landrace breed of goose that was once a common place fixture on farms especially in the southeast, but are now critically endangered. Although there is a place for these easter egger chickens many are disappointed as they find that the birds they have raised are not what they expected. The birds with the gray backs and white bodies are. Shetland geese average 1214 lbs, and lay about 30 eggs yearly. Pilgrim geese are the only american goose breed that is autosexing. The birds with the dark gray bodies are females of the solid color variety.
What id really really like to get is the cotton patch. Discover all the extraordinary items our community of craftspeople have to offer and find the perfect gift for your loved one or yourself. Pilgrim geese are curious and aware of their surroundings. Welcome to the pilgrim geese web site the purpose of this site is to. Our focus is on highly productive but smaller livestock. Pilgrim geese are one of the few american bred geese. These geese were used to weed cotton and corn fields up until the 1950s.
I had geese befor, a mix of breeds picked up at the feed store. Females are either entirely gray, or pied gray and white, also called saddleback. Forget big goat propaganda, geese are better at mowing. To reduce inbreeding, we keep females with a variety of markings.
In the usa, the cotton patch goose also carries the same colour genes as the west of englandnormandyshetland. The only way i even knew about them was american livestock breeds conservancy. Be assured that our birds are exhibition quality and will come out of the egg ready. 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. Cotton patch geese possess many qualities that are common in sexlinked european breeds such as the west of england, shetland, and normandy geese. The owner of the cotton patch geese, tom walker, once said. Make sure you get your cotton patch goslings straight from the best. At flip flop ranch, in californias lucerne valley, serina harvey had fallen in love with cotton patch geese. You can tell the male from the female goslings the moment they hatch. Shetland geese and cotton patch geese are unrecognized autosexing breeds. Some geese are autosexing, which means that males and females are different colors, so they can easily be distinguished from each other. However, these breeds are recent importations to north america, and have not played a role in the development of the cotton patch goose.
The cotton patch goose society dedicated to preserving. The plan is to have it out by the beginning of the new year. Pilgrim geese also have orange bills and feet, but cotton patch geese have pink bills and feet or at least they should. Our cotton patch geese are of a dwindling breed once used to weed cotton rows on old plantations. The origins of this breed are unclear, but they are thought to be either descended from stock in europe, or developed from american stock during the great depression era this poultry article is a stub. The cotton patch goose is known for its friendly, nonaggressive personality and its ability to thrive under hot, humid conditions. Pilgrim geese australian settler geese in australia are a breed of domestic goose. Forget big goat propaganda, geese are better at mowing and. The pilgrim goose was developed by waterfowl expert, oscar grow from the geese on his farm in iowa. Some researchers suggest that, they might have descended from the stock of european geese that were imported to the united states during the colonial british rule. Pitts cattle are a prized family heirloom and their lineage can be traced back over 150 years after 150 years the records are lost. The feet and bill color distinguishes the cotton patch from the pilgrim and. Cotton patch geese are a rare heritage goose that we raise and sell at the ranch.
713 340 419 85 181 586 1244 761 710 1060 720 833 1042 851 540 883 1417 941 67 487 482 872 315 685 63 90 636 76 874 971 989 1222 1049 1085 598 664