The Chinese is one
of the post popular and well known breeds of domestic goose. Unofficially, there are two kinds of Chinese geese: those that hate the
world and everything that moves within it, and those which have to be picked up and carried to their shed. They are so tame that they prefer to stand around your feet and won't be driven. The sort you end up with
depends partly on the strain, but mainly on how you rear them and treat
them. They can be wonderful watchdogs - tame with their owners, but
noisy when anything unusual is around.
Chinese come in two colours (white and grey) and two types - the
American exhibition bird and the heavier traditional English type. They
are light-weight geese, weighing between 8 and 12 lbs. Some are
excellent egg-layers, managing over 80 per year, but a more reasonable
number of eggs is 30-40. Younger birds achieve higher figures.
Older geese produce fewer eggs.
Chinas are one of the first breeds of geese that we had - and we still
have the brown ones. Like the African they are related to the wild swan
goose and have the same wildcolour - a brown stripe down the back of the
neck, and cream throat. Chinas are the most responsive goslings - speak
to them and they cannot resist shouting back. Pick them up, give them
attention, and they will be tame for life.
Brief
advice on keeping geese
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