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Autosexing Domestic Waterfowl: Pilgrim Geese |
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In a pure strain of Pilgrim geese, the goslings are auto-sexing. This means that the sex can be determined by the colour of the fluff as goslings, and by the feathers as adults. There is not a great deal of difference at first, but new fluff grows as the gosling becomes bigger. The males are distinctly whitish by 12-14 days, and the females are grey. The best way to distinguish the sexes at day-old is by bill colour. The females are darker.
The breed probably evolved over long period of time through people traditionally selecting a white gander and a grey goose as a breeding pair from farmyard stock. This happened in the UK. Of course, birds of the same type went to Australia and North America, so these continents also have auto-sexing geese. It was an American, Oscar Grow, who documented this characteristic and named the breed 'Pilgrim' Pilgrims are medium weight geese (12-18lbs). The ganders are nearly white, some of them having faint grey plumage on the back, wings and tail. The females are pale grey, not the harder grey of a Pomeranian or Toulouse. Associated with the sex-linked colour is the paler face. Young females have a grey face, but white feathers advance with age and form 'spectacles' around the eyes. The photograph above shows adult females with white extending over the front of the face. Most
strains of Pilgrims, hand reared, are exceptionally tame. Oscar Grow
comments on their being a sweet-natured breed. They are also very
self-sufficient if left to their own devices - good grazers with a
strong flocking instinct. |
