Ashton Waterfowl 
Pure breeds Domestic Geese, Call Ducks, Indian Runner Ducks - UK

   Geese  AfricanGeese   BreconBuffs   ChineseGeese    PilgrimGeese    Sebastopol  ToulouseGeese  KeepingGeese  Goose Show   
Bantam Ducks   Call Ducks   Hook Bill    RouenDucks    IndianRunners     KhakiCampbell  
Books  Wildfowl Pictures   Colour Genetics 
Home 

African geese are not from Africa! They are the same colour as the Chinese goose, and originated in SE China. Like the Brown Chinese, they are the same colour as the wild swan goose - a most attractive colour with a brown stripe down the back of the neck in contrast to the cream throat. The body feathers are ashy brown, edged with a lighter shade. 
They were imported into the USA in the nineteenth century, and reached Britain as the 'Hong Kong' goose in Victorian times. Good examples of the African were more or less lost in the UK in the 20th century. Most Africans here now come from birds imported from the USA from the 1970s onwards. Exhibition Africans are imposing birds, ganders standing one metre tall. However, hand reared, they are very tame. The large head, with a stout bill, carries a crescent-shaped dewlap. The body is large and quite long, but carried fairly upright giving the birds their height. There is a great deal of variation in weight. Some varieties are quite small, reaching only 16-20 lbs. Big exhibition birds in the UK and the USA reach 26 lbs - the same as their stated weight in SE China.  

Africans have also been bred in white and are similar to the Russian Kholmogorsk goose. In recent years the buff gene has been introduced from the American Buff goose and the blue gene from the Steinbacher.

We have been breeders of African geese for over 15 years and sometimes have birds for sale, from pet to exhibition quality.