Common breeds of geese

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Geese breeds appeared a very long time ago, because these poultry have been bred for more than a decade. The main products that can be obtained from them are juicy and tasty meat, therefore the main characteristics of the breeds are rapid growth, meat quality. In addition, the industry uses goose feathers, down and even leather. Most of the breeds originated in Europe, but there are Asian and African varieties.

Goose breeds

General characteristics of breeds

Most breeds of European domestic geese trace their ancestry to the gray wild goose. This species still exists in nature. The appearance of wild birds differs from that of domestic birds: they are smaller, their legs are higher, and their body is muscular. The wild gray goose flies beautifully, migrates to warm regions for the winter. The ancestors of the Chinese breeds were the dry goose and the gnarled goose, which are also found in the wild today.

The main purpose for which the breeds of domestic geese were bred is to obtain meat. Earlier, goose pens were still widely used, including as writing instruments. Feathers and down also matter now, but these are far from the main products. There were also fighting geese, which often coped with the protection of the owner and his house no worse than dogs, participated in goose fights.

Modern meat breeds of geese are divided by size:

• large (Toulouse, Landskaya, Legart);
• medium (geese Emden, Tambov, Vladimir breeds);
• small (Chinese geese, Arzamaska, Shandra breeds).

Small geese are now more and more transferred from the category of meat to decorative. When breeding them, attention is paid to the color of the plumage, growths on the nose and other characteristics that make the birds beautiful. For industrial purposes, broiler breeds are bred, which quickly gain weight and go to slaughter by 2-3 months. The bird species is also divided according to the region of origin. In connection with this characteristic, the following list of geese breeds is distinguished:

• geese of Chinese breeds (gray and white);
• Western European geese (Toulouse, Emden, Lanskaya or Landskaya breed);
• East European geese (breeds bred in different regions of Russia, Ukraine, Hungary).

The popularity of broilers has led to the disappearance of many breeds. According to official data, there are now 63 species of these birds. Of these, 19 breeds are on the verge of extinction. In Europe, there are special national programs for their conservation. At the same time, new breeds are constantly emerging. Recently, the Bashkir and Kurgan governor geese, the Ural, Krasnozerskaya, Ledgorskaya breed, Landau have been bred, interesting hybrids appear in European countries.

Below in this article you will find the most popular breeds of domesticated geese with photos and descriptions. You can choose which goose breeds are best for you.

Arzamas breed

Geese of the Arzamas breed appeared in the city of the same name about 350 years ago.Their reliable origin is unknown, obviously geese of some Chinese breed and local Russians took part in breeding. The main direction in which geese were bred was meat, but attention was also paid to fighting qualities. The modern Arzamas breed is considered one of the most productive. Here are its main characteristics:

• The head is short, massive and thick at the base, the cheeks are swollen.
• The beak is large, slightly curved at the base, orange, brightens at the tip.
• The eyes are large, blue.
• The neck is elongated, beautifully curved, the breast is round and wide.
• The body is massive, with an extended back and large, tight-fitting wings.
• The legs are strong, slightly shortened, the plumage is white.
• The mass of an adult goose is 6 kg, of a goose - 5-5.5 kg, goslings at 2 months - 3.7-4 kg.
• Fertility - 18-120 eggs per year, good fertilization, survival rates of chicks.

The Arzamas breed is found mainly in the Nizhny Novgorod region, it has not received wide distribution even in Russia. You can study it by looking at the photographs.

Vladimir clay

The Vladimir clay breed of domestic geese was obtained as a result of crossing the Toulouse and Kholmogorskaya. It got its name because of the delicate clay shade of plumage, similar to the feathers of the English Saddle breed. At the same time, breeders tried to consolidate this feature as much as possible so that it was passed on to subsequent generations. By weight category, Vladimir geese are classified as medium-heavy birds. Here are the main characteristics of this breed:

• The body is dense, compact, slightly elongated.
• The head is small, rounded, the neck is of medium length, thickened.
• The breast is widened and rounded, there are 2 skin folds on the tummy.
• The weight of males is 7.5-9 kg, females - 6-7.2 kg, chicks at 2 months - 4 kg.
• Egg production is relatively high - 35-45 eggs.

Vladimir clay geese are unpretentious in feed, can be kept in any conditions, they tolerate cold weather normally. The breed has an excellent gene pool, therefore it has great prospects in breeding. Great weight and early maturity, as well as a calm disposition and beautiful plumage increase the popularity of Vladimir geese.

Gorky breed of geese

The Gorky breed of domestic geese appeared in the 50s of the twentieth century. We got it through multiple crosses of Chinese, Solnechnogorsk and aboriginal birds. These are mobile birds of rather large size, with a raised body and white or gray-piebald feathers. Here are the main characteristics of the breed:

• The body is elongated, widened and deep, raised in front, the back tilts back, wide.
• The breast is widened, rounded and set high, the tummy with 1-2 folds.
• The head is small, with a lump on the forehead and a purse under an orange beak.
• The eyes are blue or dark brown.
• The neck is elongated, curved and thick.
• The legs are well developed, with short orange metatarsals.
• The mass of a sexually mature gander is 7-8 kg, a goose is 6-7 kg, a gosling at 2 months is 3.5-3.8 kg.
• Egg production is 45-50 pieces per year, hatchability is 80%, almost the same number of chicks survive.

The breed is bred most often in Buryatia, in other regions and abroad it is little known, but the productivity of Gorky geese is quite high: in a short time you can get good fluff from them, a lot of meat. In conditions of maintenance, the Gorky breed is unpretentious.

Danish legart

The Danish large breed of Legart geese is quite popular among poultry breeders. It is distinguished by a calm disposition, unpretentious, quickly gaining mass. Some even say that it is the best breed of domestic geese in the world. It is bred both in private households and on industrial farms. Geese and geese differ among themselves not only in weight, but also in some features of the structure of the body. Here is the standard and description for Danish legart birds:

• The outlines of the body of the gander are massive, square, the body of the geese is elongated and elongated
• The neck of males is elongated, bends like a swan
• The head is small, the eye color is blue, the beak is yellow
• Tummy with two folds
• Feathers are absolutely white
• The weight of males is 7.5-8 kg, females are 5.5-7 kg, chicks at 3 months are 7.2 kg.
• Egg production is 30-40 pieces per year, an egg can weigh 200 g.

An interesting fact: legart goslings up to 5 months old look little like their parents. Only after the second molt do they acquire a beautiful white plumage and typical body shape. The first brood of a pair may not have all the characteristic features of the breed, therefore, you need to navigate when breeding on the second. Egg hatchability is not very good, 65%, geese have poorly developed maternal instinct, chicks grow without problems. You can increase productivity by breeding goslings in an incubator.

Italian breed

Geese were bred in the Apennines at the beginning of the last century. In Italy, the breed quickly gained popularity and began to spread throughout the world. The first representatives of the Italian white geese breed appeared in our country in 1975. A distinctive feature of birds is a long lifespan, rapid weight gain by young animals. Geese have a frisky, independent character, they can aggressively defend their territory.

Here are the main characteristics of this goose breed:

• The head is compact, with swollen cheeks, the geese have a crest on the back of the head, the geese have no growths above the beak and bags under it.
• The eyes are blue, the beak is orange with yellow, short, neat.
• The neck is plump, shortened, straight, bends only in the upper part.
• The chest is widened and rounded, the back is wide, slightly convex, the body is compact, raised in front.
• Legs are strong, of medium length, red-orange in color.
• The feathers are dense, snow-white.
• The gander weighs 6-8 kg, the goose 5-6 kg, two-month-old goslings 4 kg.
• Geese carry 40-55 eggs per season.

For the Italian breed of geese, any content is acceptable. Despite its southern origin, it perfectly tolerates low temperatures and even frosts. The hatchability of chicks reaches 67-70%, the survival rate is high. The Italian goose breed is not bad mothers, so there are no problems with breeding.

Chinese goose breeds

There are two popular varieties: White Chinese Geese and Gray Chinese Geese. They are similar to each other in many ways. The main difference is the color of plumage, legs and beak. In white geese they are bright orange, in gray geese they are dark, almost black. Both breeds have a distinctive feature: large growths at the base of the beak, respectively, are orange or gray. Sometimes they are called gergul.

Unlike European species, the Chinese are descended from the dry-nosed and the gnarled goose. Although it is believed that Indian and gray geese, which flew to those regions for wintering, participated in their creation. The body size and weight of Chinese birds is less than that of European ones. The main characteristics of the geese of the Chinese breed:

• The body is compact, elongated.
• The head is small, the beak is shortened, a warty outgrowth is clearly visible at its base.
• The neck is elongated, swan.
• Legs are average, strong.
• The weight of an adult male is 5.5 kg, that of a female is 4 kg.
• Egg production is high, up to 60-70 eggs per year, some geese can lay and 100 pieces per year.
• Fertilization of testicles - 60-80%, hatchability of goslings - 70-80%, survival rate of young animals - 99%.

Chinese goose species have very tasty and savory meat. The nature of the birds is quite aggressive, which can be a problem when breeding in a common poultry yard. Geese of Chinese breeds are popular in Asia, in Europe and Russia they are often taken for breeding, especially to increase egg production.

Obroshin breed

Obroshin geese appeared in 1957 in Western Ukraine, near Lviv. The selection involved gray Chinese geese and aboriginal white birds. The result is geese with fast maturation, an increased number of testicles, and average weight indicators. Description of the breed:

• The body is muscular and compact.
• The chest is deep and widened.
• There are no folds of fat on the tummy.
• The head is small, the beak is orange, medium, widened at the base, without outgrowths.
• The neck is medium, straight.
• Legs are average, strong.
• The wings are well developed, fit tightly to the sides, they are white or gray.
• Feathers are gray with a steel sheen, with a dark stripe on the head and neck, or white on the breast and tummy.
• Male weight - 7.2 kg, female - 6.8 kg, two-month-old goslings - 4 kg.
• Egg production is 35-40 eggs per year.
• Fertilization of testicles - 90%, hatchability of chicks - 70%.

Obroshinskaya breed is distinguished by high survival rate of chicks, good tolerance of unfavorable climate. The meat is tasty, the chicks recover quickly. From geese, you can get up to 0.5 kg of feathers per year. The breed is grown in Ukraine, Moldova, and some regions of Russia. In addition to Obroshinskaya, breeds with the following names were bred in Ukraine: Mirgorodskaya, Kuchuberiya, Romenskaya, Large gray and Kucherbayevskaya based on it.

Rhine breed

The birds were bred in the vicinity of the Rhine, in Germany. Geese of the Emden breed and local varieties participated in the selection. The breed came to our country at the end of the 60s through Hungary. German geese of the Rhine White breed are very productive. When breeding, they are more profitable than Emden. They differ in both early maturity and high egg production. They are absolutely unpretentious in the content. They can live in a paddock or graze in a pasture. Here is a short description of these birds:

• The head is small, with a medium beak, orange in color.
• The body is medium, the breast is round and wide.
• The back is widened, slightly convex, descending to a wide tail.
• There are two folds of fat on the abdomen.
• The paws are orange, of medium height, well developed.
• The gander weighs 6.5-7 kg, the goose 5.5-6 kg, the goslings at 2 months - 3.7-4 kg.
• The average number of eggs per year is 45-50 pieces, with good feeding - 65-80 pieces.

Geese are very good hens and mothers, the survival rate of young animals reaches 94%. The meat is tasty, has an excellent presentation. Rhine geese are bred in some regions of central Russia, in Altai and the Far East, in the south of Ukraine, in Belarus.

Pskov bald breed

The Pskov bald breed of geese was bred in the second half of the nineteenth century. It is the result of crossing wild white-fronted geese with local poultry. Locals often call this breed coots. Birds were actively bred in the first half of the twentieth century, but during the war the breed almost disappeared, began to revive only in the 50s. A distinctive feature of Pskov birds is a specific white mark on the forehead.

Here is a brief description and characteristics of the Pskov bald geese:

• The head is large, with a white speck on the forehead, the beak is shortened with small bumps, the eyes are dark.
• The neck is not too long, the back is widened, elongated and straight, the breast is convex and wide.
• The body is horizontally widened and deep.
• The wings are well developed, large, the tail is short, the legs are low, with orange metatarsals.
• The weight of ganders is 6-7.5 kg, females - 5-6.5 kg, goslings at 2 months - 3.8-4 kg.
• The number of eggs is small - 15-20 eggs per season.

The meat of the Pskov bald geese is very tasty and tender. They gain weight well when grazing in pastures, do not require large amounts of feed. They tolerate low temperatures well, are unpretentious in the content. They are not bred on an industrial scale; large broiler breeds of geese have firmly taken their place there. On frequent farms, these geese are popular, especially in their home region.

Tula breed of geese

The Tula fighting breed of geese was bred a very long time ago. The main goal was to educate pugnaciousness in birds. Tula ganders were brought up to be aggressive, selection was made on the same basis. Now goose fights are a thing of the past, but the breed has remained, although birds are very rare these days. They preserve it because of the interesting appearance of the birds, the historical value of this species.

Geese of the Tula fighting breed are very similar to their wild relatives. They have a compact, muscular body, large and well-developed wings that fit tightly to the body, strong legs. The head is small, the neck is short and thickened, the back is wide, the breast is widened and deep. The population is quite homogeneous, but the geese differ in the shape of the beak. There are 3 types:

• False-nosed, or pereyary, - the beak in the upper part, at the base, is slightly concave. On the sides of the base of the beak there are bony outgrowths in the form of cones, because of them another name for such a goose is horn.
• Straight-nosed - the upper part of the beak is straight.
• Steep-nosed - the beak is slightly convex, like a humped nose.

The Tula breed of fighting geese is not very productive. Geese weigh on average 5.5-6.5 kg, geese - 5.2-5.5 kg, young animals at 2 months - 3.9 kg. Egg production is low, 25 eggs per year. Geese are unpretentious, but they prefer to live in free grazing, and not in pens. They tolerate low temperatures well, rarely get sick. They are bred in private farms in the Tula region and nearby regions. Often these geese are kept as decorative or for the sake of preserving an old breed.

Toulouse breed

Bred on the basis of wild gray geese in France, in the vicinity of the city of Toulouse. It is believed to be the largest breed of geese. Toulouse birds are still involved in breeding, they are used to improve other breeds of geese and increase their weight. There are several varieties of these large geese. They differ in exterior features: folds on the tummy, the presence or absence of a wallet under the beak (wallet and wallet-free).

Large breeds of geese from Toulouse feed well. They are used to obtain foie gras liver and tasty meat, although it is now believed that the quality is better than the liver that the Landskoy breed gives. The average period for raising birds is 2-5 months. Here is a brief description of these birds:

• The head is shortened and widened, the beak is straight.
• The neck is medium in length and very thick.
• The body is placed horizontally, very massive and wide.
• Paws powerful, short, orange hock.
• The feathers are shaggy, gray, they are almost black, the fluff is lush, like angora wool.
• The mass of an adult gander is 7.5-10.5 kg, some individuals can show a weight of 12-13 kg, a goose weighs 6-8 kg, goslings at 2 months - more than 4 kg.
• Egg production - 25-40 eggs per year.
• The hatchability of goslings is low, in the range of 50-60%.

Crossing with the Toulouse breed made it possible to breed the best geese breeds in the world. From it came Landskaya, Ledgorskaya, Romenskaya. Unfortunately, the number of parent birds is now decreasing. Most often they are grown in private households, and not on industrial farms. It is difficult to meet representatives of the Toulouse geese breed in Russia. Birds of giants are sensitive to cold, can only be bred in the southern regions.

Shadrinskaya breed

Geese of the Shadrinsky breed appeared in the 17th century on the territory of Russia, in the Perm province. In appearance, they are very similar to wild grays. The breed was created by selecting the best birds among the wild gray geese. Even the number of cervical vertebrae in this breed is reduced to 16 pieces, like in wild ones (domestic thoroughbred geese have 17-18 vertebrae). The breed has not become completely complete, has low productivity and many defects in the exterior. Here is a short description of the Shadrinsky birds:

• The head is small in size, with a straight beak.
• The neck is shortened, like the body, the back is quite wide.
• There are two fat folds on the abdomen, the legs are short.
• Adult males weigh 5.6-6.5 kg, females 4.5-5.0 kg, goslings reach their normal weight no earlier than 5 months.
• Egg production - 25-30 pieces.

The breed is valued for its good tolerance in unfavorable conditions of detention: no matter how low the temperature is, the geese do not freeze and do not get sick. For industrial cultivation, it is not very profitable to breed it, but for personal consumption it is quite possible.