Blue and Steinbacher Geese

The Blue Goose is a striking light blue color. It is similar to the Gray in size, type and pattern. This goose has never been common but there have been fixed strains. Blue individuals appear in flocks of Gray and Pomeranian geese occasionally. This is arguably the most attractive domestic goose. American Blues have appeared in both the Pomeranian and general Gray populations. This goose deserves to be preserved because of its beauty. American populations may be in part descended from the German Steinbacher, a small fighting goose (geese as well as chickens were once bred for sport) and the only established breed that is routinely this color. This Steinbacher goose sets protectively on her nest in Michigan. The Krebs family imported some from Germany and have successfully bred them here, making a few available to other breeders. Mrs. Krebs took these photos of her birds. Steinbachers have a long history but were not standardized until the early 20th century, after goose fighting was outlawed in Germany.

This goose made her nest from hay, straw and the down she plucked form her own breast. Geese and swans pluck a bare spot to incubate their eggs, other wise their feathers would effectively prevent enoguh warmth from getting to the eggs.

The Steinbacher’s fighting background may make keeping ganders in a flock with others a problem during the breeding season. With people, they are confident and affectionate birds that will defend themselves and their families if provoked.

This gander is very upset at Mrs. Krebs being near the nest.he is trying to attack and bite me "Let me tell you, if they get you, they are like little pitbulls, they bite hard and don't let go," she says. "Even through jeans they can give you a nice bruise and even sometimes break the skin. The goose is making a racket in the background. During laying and nesting time, it is best to leave them alone as much as possible. When you do enter the stall for feeding, don't make eye contact and proceed quickly. Don't turn your back to the gander."

This is not meant to frighten anyone about geese. It's desirable for them to protect their nests. Knowledge of good handling to accommodate their behavior is rewarded by the joy of having such beautiful and interesting birds live with us.

Embden Geese

Embden (or Emden) Geese are the commercial goose that makes its way to the supermarket. Embdens are big white geese, one of the three (the others are Toulouse and African) heavy goose breeds recognized by the APA. The white plumage eliminates the problem of dark pinfeathers in the skin. Occasional gray feathers on young geese usually grow out white as they mature. They have orange bills and deep orange legs and feet. Their eyes are bright blue. They grow rapidly to their full size, 16 to 20 pounds for a young goose. Old geese range from 20 pounds for a female to 26 pounds for ganders. This goose feeds a large family at holiday dinners.

They take their name from the Westphalian city of Embden and are an old breed. Pliny the Elder, the Roman writer of the first century AD, wrote about white German geese in his Natural History.

Harrison Weir, in Our Poultry (1912) describes Embdens and ‘very quiet.’ He cautions against crossing them with other geese, particularly Toulouse, to avoid, among other things, the development of the dewlap and lobe, “the large abdominal fat folds that now so often disfigure our Embdens of late years...” As shown in these drawings that illustrate the differences between Embden and Toulouse Geese, from Dr. J. Batty's Poultry Colour Guide, with paintings done by Charles Francis (second edition, 1979).

He documents their arrival in America to imports from Bremen to Boston in 1821. The two ganders and four geese were described as “being of the purest white – the bills, legs and feet, of a beautiful yellow.”

“I consider them the easiest sort of fowl to raise,” Weir writes.

Autosexing Geese

Autosexing Geese are breeds in which hens and ganders are easily distinguished because of sexual dimorphism in color. Ganders are white and hens are solid color or saddlebacked. This characteristic dates back 1,000 years or more in England and France, longer in Scandinavia. They probably originated in Scandinavia and can be found in areas where Vikings set their anchors.

Being able to tell the sexes apart is a significant advantage in raising geese. In most breeds, males and females are so similar that it's not unknown for a breeder to set up breeding pens that are all one sex. It's possible to examine geese physically to determine sex, but it's difficult and, unless done carefully, can permanently injure the gander. Ganders have a penis, but the genitals have to be inverted by applying pressure with the fingers. Definitely a technique that is best taught by an experienced goose handler.

Males tend to be larger than females, but there's a lot of variation. A small male could be mistaken for a female. Among geese with knobs, the Africans and Chinese, males generally develop larger knobs than females, again with the caveat that there is a lot of individual variation among birds.

Autosexing breeds include: The West of England and Choctaw, important regional types in American agriculture. West of England include gray blotched, saddlebacked or purely gray hens and white ganders. West of England geese may well have been the ones that arrived on the Mayflower. At one time, this goose was well established in New England. They are also known as Old English.

The Choctaw is also called Cotton Patch and Cottonfield Geese. They were originally common in cotton-producing areas from Mississippi to Oklahoma. They probably developed from the West of England and Normandy with some Gray goose infusion. They are very similar to the West of England.

Other autosexing breeds include the Pilgrims, right, a modern American breed that was developed in the 1930s by Oscar Grow, probably from mixed West of England and Gray stock. These birds are photographed at Metzer Farm, a duck and goose breeding farm here in California, http://www.metzerfarms.com/. The Pilgrim is a gray goose with the autosexing gene added. Compared to the historic autosexing breeds, the Pilgrims are relatively common.

Shetland hens are gray saddlebacks with wide pattern variations. Ganders are white. With yellow bills and pink legs like the Western Greylag, they are the smallest of the autosexing group. They may well be the original type of autosexing geese. They were first imported to the U.S. in 1997.

Pomeranian geese

German or Pomeranian Geese probably originated in the Pomeran or Pomorze region of eastern Germany between the rivers Oder and Vistula. They are widely distributed in Germany and Eastern Europe. Historically, the Pomeranians were the second largest group of geese in North America. They are descended from the Eastern Greylag that naturally occurs further East, from Turkey to Northeast China. Like them, true Pomeranians have a single lobe and pink extremities.

There are several varieties: Gray, White, Gray Saddlebacks, such as these credited to Laura Kendall and posted on www.feathersite.com, Buff Saddlebacks, and a solid Buff variety known in Germany as the Cellar Goose. Historically, the Gray variety was the most common, but in many areas the Saddlebacks predominate today. As little as 35 years ago, these geese were common where ever Germans had settled in North America. Today, they are nearly gone. However, they turn up in interesting places. I found some living on a lake in San Diego County several years ago, and a reader reported that she found some that were dropped off at a local park on Long Island this past week. She has taken them home and intends to keep them.

Despite more than two centuries in North America, only the Saddleback varieties have been recognized by the American Poultry Association, and those only since 1977. The APA’s standard sizes of 17 lbs. for old ganders and 15 lbs. for old hens are near the upper limit of the breed’s typical size. They are only slightly smaller than Grays and have the same profile, but are single-lobed. Pomeranians should have pink bills and feet, but the APA Standard currently specifies orange-red legs. Historically, Pomeranians and Grays stand out as the most important breeds in North America. Unfortunately, not all modern flocks labeled Pomeranian are genuine. Many birds winning today are much larger, have orange bills and feet and are double-lobed. These changes came about not by selection from Pomeranians but by crossing Buff and Gray geese with Embdens and selecting the desired saddleback pattern. This has led to serious disagreements about the proper standard.

Traditional Goose Breeds

Many varieties of geese are waning and need attention. The Mother Goose of the past, inspired by the common sight of flocks of geese, has become a rarity. The rich influence of the goose in agricultural history and myth is now relegated to commercial production of a single breed, Embdens. Geese now represent less than one percent of modern poultry production.

Geese were once the traditional Christmas meal and competitive with turkeys for other festive occasions. But today, among concerns about high fat diets and the decline of the traditional family farm, geese are the least used of our traditional poultry. Being less well-adapted to factory production than chickens or turkeys, commercial production has nearly ceased. Most recognized breeds of geese, such as American Buff, African, China, Embden, Roman, Sebastopol and Toulouse, have remained relatively popular as show birds and have retained safe population levels. However, some that were historically among the most important types in traditional American agriculture are in serious decline and need immediate help. I'll devote separate posts to each breed in future.

The Gray Goose is a large domestic variation of the wild Western Graylag, right, the goose that migrates through Iceland, Northern and Central Europe. The domestic Gray Goose was the most populous farm and commercial goose in America until the 1960s. Agricultural records document it as the most popular goose in the U.S. and in Canada. Confusion arose from commercial operations that gave the Gray Goose the misleading name, Commercial Toulouse. Both Gray and Toulouse Geese are gray in color, but otherwise very different breeds.

American Gray Geese developed largely from the English Gray Goose, the traditional bird of holiday celebrations. They are slimmer and lighter in body than the true Toulouse, without the fatty mid-body keel. They are easier to finish, not as fatty and mature earlier than Toulouse Geese.

As the American diet has targeted fat as undesirable, goose has become less popular on the table. Goose can be prepared to reduce fat in the meat, and the fat reserved for other culinary uses. The American housewife of the past valued goose fat as an ingredient in other cooking throughout the year.

Consumer demand for Gray Geese, now often called ‘Commercial Toulouse,’ encouraged hatcheries to maintain the breed. That has kept Gray Goose numbers sufficient to protect the breed from disappearing. However, the strains bred in hatcheries do not always preserve traditional qualities.

Gray Geese have historically been noted for egg production. Some modern hatchery strains have shown an increase in egg production.

Gray Geese have traditionally been good parents, brooding and raising their own goslings. It was not unknown for them to raise two batches of goslings in a year. Some hatchery Gray Geese are no longer good brooders or parents. SPPA is looking for established flocks with a history of reproducing naturally.
Toulouse Geese, shown in this illustration from Lewis Wright's Illustrated Book of Poultry, 1890, are a French breed originally developed for production of the large livers used in making foie gras. It is low slung and heavy bodied, with a dewlap under the chin and a fatty keel below its midsection hanging nearly to the ground. In silhouette, its heavy body appears more horizontal and lower than the Gray Goose’s. Because of this lower distribution of its body, its legs appear short.

The Toulouse was originally an all gray breed but now a buff variety is recognized and some breeders maintain white flocks.

Ganders often weigh as much as 30 lbs. Toulouse as a breed are larger than Gray Geese.

NAIS Listening Sessions

After speaking my alotted three minutes at the NAIS Listening Session in Riverside, I decided to write up my comments, so that I could include all the detail and submit them to the Federal eRulemaking Portal at<http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main?main=DocketDetail&d=APHIS-2009-0027>. This turned out to be easier said than done.

After several tries, posting my comments to the Comment section for the original Notice and receiving a tracking number, my comments failed to appear. Subsequent comments by others have appeared, so I assume that my submission was not made correctly. Failing at the electronic method, I decided to try the phone numbers listed. The one listed for APHIS NAIS inquiries, 301-734-0799, has a full mailbox and does not allow further messages to be recorded. There is no answer at the other, for Dr. Adam Grow, Director, Surveillance and Identification Programs, National Center for Animal Health Programs, 301-734-3752.

Growing increasingly frustrated, I started calling other numbers posted for contacts in the Public Affairs department. The emergency phone number for reporters on deadline finally was answered by a live person. She, however, knew nothing about how to post comments, nor was anyone available, at 4 pm on a Friday, to answer such a question.

I've spent a fair amount of time on computers, and if this system is foiling me, I'm probably not the only one.

I shall send my comments by regular mail to USDA-APHIS, addressed to Dr. Grow, National Center for Animal Health Programs, VS, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 200, Riverdale, MD 20737. But I couldn't have invented a more telling experience about dealing with the USDA on the issue of NAIS.

My submission to the USDA's NAIS Listening Session:

Statement from Christine Heinrichs, SPPA Historian, on behalf of the Society for Preservation of Poultry Antiquities:

I am grateful for the opportunity to give voice to the opposition the poultry breeders of the Society for Preservation of Poultry Antiquities have to the National Animal Identification System.

In the cover letter of John R. Clifford, Deputy Administrator for Veterinary Services dated May 7, 2009, he states that the goals of the sessions are to “develop a system that we can all support – one that facilitates tracing diseased or exposed animals and assists in safeguarding animal health, one that promotes our exports, one that stands out among other country’s (sic) systems, and one that is workable for everyone involved in producing and marketing livestock.”

Regarding animal disease tracing: The National Poultry Improvement Plan continues to work well in managing several significant poultry diseases. NAIS is not needed. An effective plan is already in place. Monitoring for Avian Influenza in Live Bird Markets has been effective for Low Pathogenic AI. No High Pathogenic H5N1AI has been found in North or South America. This speaks well for the effectiveness of these programs.

Crowding animals together in filthy conditions, living in their own waste, maintained on subclinical doses of antibiotics, is the textbook way to develop virulent animal diseases that might then be transmitted to humans. I commend the USDA for being concerned about animal disease. The best way to avoid developing such infectious agents is to stop keeping birds in such conditions and encourage more small flock owners to raise birds in clean, healthy conditions. The USDA’s burdens on small farmers while encouraging increased development of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations suggests that the agency is less committed to healthy birds than it is to the interests of large, wealthy industrial producers.

Reducing animal disease through preventive measures and supporting animal health would be a better use of resources than tracing it after the fact. In a world where we must make choices about how to allocate limited resources of time, money and expertise, SPPA recommends continuing the well-accepted programs presently in use and expanding support for small flock owners. Consumers are indicating their support for a choice of poultry products by buying locally raised meat and eggs. Demand for these products consistently exceeds the supply.

Regarding promoting exports: Whatever animal identification is required for birds being raised for meat and egg exports should certainly be available to those who wish to participate in those markets. Those who do not participate in export markets should not be required to participate in an expensive, cumbersome system to accommodate those who do. Inspections of imported animals and agricultural products should be effectively increased. Entry of animals from countries with known disease problems should be carefully examined and tested or barred entirely

Regarding our standing with respect to other countries: This country could have a system that stands out among other countries’ by supporting the small flock owners and the maintenance of traditional breeds. These birds could be the envy of the world. They could play a significant part in international recovery, by providing stock that is adapted to local conditions. Commercial hybrids cannot fill the needs of feeding people in developing countries.

Regarding workability: NAIS is technically unworkable. The databases for tracking every bird and the infrastructure to follow them have not been demonstrated. NAIS accomplishes too little for too much cost. It is practically unworkable, because farmers will not sign up, as the USDA must now, after these Listening Sessions, be aware.

The USDA’s report on the Benefit-Cost Analysis of NAIS makes no mention whatsoever of small flock poultry keepers. While NAIS has minimal costs, on a per-bird basis, for industrial poultry operations, for small flock keepers, it is burdensome and intrusive.

Small flock owners, especially those who keep historic breeds, are doing a service to American food systems by keeping unusual genetic stock alive. Punishing them by requiring premises registration, individual bird identification and movement tracking does nothing to prevent or cure disease and will certainly force many out of business.

The claim that 35 percent of the relevant premises have registered is misleading. Many of those were registered without their knowledge or consent, when they participated in testing or vaccination programs, per the NAIS Business Plan. Those who do not know that their premises have already been registered are unlikely to take the steps, now available through as a result of court decisions, to be removed.

This lack of transparency and deliberately misleading actions increases the suspicion with which the USDA is viewed by small flock owners.

The USDA has vacillated between ‘mandatory’ and ‘voluntary.’ The only way this system can work is if it is truly voluntary: those who want it, or need it to engage in international trade or for other commercial reasons, should have it. Those who do not engage in activities that require such documentation should not be registered without their knowledge and against their will nor punished for declining to participate.

Issues of animal disease are confused with issues of food safety. NAIS will not make processing facilities cleaner or reduce food contamination. Creating policies that decentralize the livestock industry and encourage local, diversified farms would increase animal health, food security, and food safety. Many existing laws already govern unsafe practices. By improving enforcement of those laws and improving inspections of large slaughterhouses and food processing facilities, including unannounced spot inspections, food safety could be improved. Adding NAIS does nothing of itself to improve food safety.

People are learning that sustainable integrated methods produce more and better quality foods than industrial methods. CAFOs promote disease transmission between animals. SPPA encourages the USDA to take note of the needs of the American people for a safe, secure, plentiful food system. Small producers have fed Americans for most of our history. The pollution and cruelty of the industrial system are no longer tolerable. Serving the needs of small flock owners would never produce a system like NAIS.

Wendell Berry, speaking at the NAIS Listening Session in Kentucky, said: “The need to trace animals was made by the confined animal industry – which are, essentially, disease breeding operations. The health issue was invented right there. The remedy is to put animals back on pasture, where they belong. The USDA is scapegoating the small producers to distract attention from the real cause of the trouble. Presumably these animal factories are, in a too familiar phrase, “too big to fail.”

“This is the first agricultural meeting I’ve ever been to in my life that was attended by the police. I asked one of them why he was there and he said: “Rural Kentucky”. So thank you for your vote of confidence in the people you are supposed to be representing. I think the rural people of Kentucky are as civilized as anybody else.

“But the police are here prematurely. If you impose this program on the small farmers, who are already overburdened, you’re going to have to send the police for me. I’m 75 years old. I’ve about completed my responsibilities to my family. I’ll lose very little in going to jail in opposition to your program – and I’ll have to do it. Because I will be, in every way that I can conceive of, a non-cooperator.

“I understand the principles of civil disobedience, from Henry Thoreau to Martin Luther King. And I’m willing to go to jail to defend the young people who, I hope, will still have a possibility of becoming farmers on a small scale in this supposedly free country. Thank you very much.”

SPPA seconds those sentiments.

Kansas City Urban Ag Tour

Kansas City, Missouri’s Urban Farms and Gardens Tour is scheduled for June 28, 10am-5pm, http://urbanfarmstourkc.com/. The Kansas City Center for Urban Agriculture is the sponsor. Pre-Tour Events started June 18 and continue through June 27. The theme is Food from the City, For the City. “Growing food is something that is, and should be, happening in the
neighborhoods where we live, work, shop and play,” they say.

The tour is self-directed, $5 for an individual ticket or $12 for a family ticket. Thirty sites are included on the tour. Buy tickets at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/57884.

Organizers have posted an Interactive Map, http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&encType=1&cid=5B8EAC91E0C832B%21526, to show where the farms are located so you can plan your own tour route.

Tour brochures can be downloaded from http://urbanfarmstourkc.com/.

Check the site for full information on pre-tour events, including a showing of Mad City Chickens Film on Tuesday, June 23, hosted by All Souls UU Documentary Series. 7PM at All Souls UU Church, 4501 Walnut, donations only.
“The film is a sometimes wacky, sometimes serious look at the people who keepurban chickens in their backyards. From experts and authors to a rescuedlandfill chicken or an inexperienced family that takes the poultry plunge, even a mad scientist and giant hen get into the act. It’s a humorous and heartfelt trip through the world of backyard chickendom.”

Includes an interview with me! Do I qualify as wacky or serious?