Cotton Patch Geese

Tom Walker wrote about his Cotton Patch Geese in Mother Earth News. He's doing a great job reclaiming these birds and focusing on their usefulness.

"Typical of most of the southern part of the United States, my area was cotton country. Grass grew in abundance in the cotton fields and, in keeping with long tradition, cotton farmers used geese to eat that grass. Geese were cheap labor for keeping the cotton fields clean, and they can weed other crops, such as corn and strawberries, too. Cotton fields were typically referred to as cotton patches; so, we present-day fanciers of this common goose have dubbed it the Cotton Patch goose. Apparently, this goose is the goose with the pink bill and feet that was brought to the American Colonies by the English in the early 1600s. The breed is autosexing in that its gender is evidenced by its color at the time of hatch (males are yellow as goslings, females are gray)."

This photo, from the 1950s, captures them at work. Traditional breed will be valued and preserved for their uti9lity as much as their beauty. Thanks, Tom, for keeping them going and for documenting their history.