The African Goose is a breed of domestic goose derived from the wild species Anser cygnoides. It is one of two domestic breeds that derive from this species, the other being the Chinese goose. All other domestic geese derive from Anser anser.
African geese were first introduced to America in the mid-1800s and are known for their striking looks. They share a similar appearance to their relatives, the Chinese goose.
African Goose
Physical Characteristics
The African Goose is a large, heavy bird, among the heaviest of all goose breeds. According to the British standard, weights are approximately 8-11 kg for geese and 10-13 kg for ganders. The German standard gives weights of 7 kg and 8 kg respectively. The birds may stand up to 90 cm tall.
The body is large and is carried at about 35° to the horizontal. The back is long and fairly flat, with a smooth and rounded breast and belly. The tail is held above the back-line, particularly in ganders.
Read also: Ingredients and Benefits of BB Super Gro
The head is large, with a prominent knob protruding forwards and upwards from the front of the head and the top of the upper mandible of the broad bill. While the knob may take a few years to develop fully, it is a key feature of the breed. A smooth, crescent-shaped dewlap hangs from its lower jaw and upper neck. The dewlap may become ragged in shape as the bird ages. Its body is nearly as wide as it is long.
Three color varieties are recognised by the Poultry Club of Great Britain and the American Poultry Association: the grey or brown, the buff and the white. The brown has wild-type plumage, with colors ranging from light to dark grey-brown (or light ash to dark slate), with black bill and knob and dark or brownish-orange shanks and feet. A dark brown stripe runs over the crown of the head and down the back of the neck. On mature birds, a narrow band of whitish feathers separates the satin-black bill and knob from the brown head. The legs and feet are dark orange to brownish orange.
African vs. Super African Geese
Is there truly a difference between geese marketed as super african geese and geese marketed as african geese?
They are not the same. Some hatcheries sell both. A Super African is basically a pure breed African goose. They have dewlaps. The ones that people sell as just Africans almost always lack the dewlap. A pure breed should have it.
Super Africans are considered "show quality" and therefore cost more. Regular Africans are the same size, weight, temperament, etc.
Read also: Global Football Celebration
Behavior and Temperament
Active and highly curious, African geese are natural foragers that excel at weeding and maintaining properties. They are intelligent and inquisitive and will greet your arrival. Some ganders may be aggressive, but if African geese are socialized when they are young, they can be docile, pleasant birds with people. They are a loud breed, and not the best choice if you have close neighbors.
Geese have a reputation for being noisy and mean. Being social animals, they will form strong relationships within the flock.
Geese are a great addition to your backyard flock and they can provide hours of enjoyment and entertainment.
Flock of Geese
Geese in the Backyard Garden! 🌱🐣 Natural Weed Control & Fertilizer
Housing and Care
In winter and cold climates, African geese require proper shelter, as their prominent knobs are prone to frostbite during harsh weather. Keep in mind special care should be taken for Africans and Chinese to prevent frostbite on their knobs.
Read also: Unveiling African Super Grow Gel
A pond is not a necessity for raising geese but they will need a kiddie pool or trough for drinking, bathing and playing. In the cooler months, a simple, dry, and covered shelter along with their feathers and soft down helps to keep geese insulated and warm in the coldest temperatures. In the warm summer months, a shady spot and cool, clean drinking water will need to be provided to help your birds to stay cool and hydrated. Once these things are provided, your geese will be able to free-range to their little heart’s content.
Feeding
Geese are fairly inexpensive to raise and tend to be the easiest as well. They are great foragers which keeps feed costs low. However, if you are raising geese during the winter, the additional feed will be needed since fresh grass is not available. After three weeks, an ideal goose diet consists of 80% grass and 20% grain along with plenty of water.
Egg Laying
African geese typically lay 20-40 extra-large, white eggs per year. Their eggs weigh 5-8 oz. and hatch in 30-32 days. Goose eggs are quite a delicacy and have a higher price tag per dozen because the laying period is shorter than other birds.
Uses of African Geese
When choosing a breed of goose, it is important to take into consideration their ultimate purpose on your homestead. There are basically 4 different categories (meat, eggs, weeders, or watchdogs) that a breed of a goose can fall into and while most overlap and fall into multiple categories we have broken it down to the top three for each.
Meat
With proper diet and husbandry, geese can gain up to a pound a week. Typically by 12 weeks, they are ready for processing. The African goose produces high-quality, lean meat, and is considered a premier roasting goose. Young ganders can weigh 16-18 lbs. by the time they are 15-18 weeks old. Mature ganders weigh 22 lbs.
Eggs
Geese lay noticeably larger eggs than chickens or ducks, up to three times bigger. An average goose egg is 3-4.5 inches in length and a circumference of more than 7 inches. The yolk of the egg is quite large and there is less egg white than that of a chicken egg. Using them in your baked goods recipe can result in heavier, moister and denser bakes.
Here are your top three breeds for eggs:
- French Toulouse - 35-50 eggs per year
- White Chinese - 45-55 eggs per year
- White Emden - 35-45 eggs per year
Weeders
Geese have a lighter footprint and are smaller than humans which means less ground compacting and they can get in between garden rows with ease. The secret to weeder geese is that they tend to avoid broader leaf plants so they are perfect for keeping the rows between you tomatoes or cucumbers weed-free. If you have fruit bushes like blueberries you may want to net them before the berries ripen because geese love berries.
Here are your top three breeds for weeders:
- White Chinese
- Tufted Buff
- American Buff
Watchdogs
Stories of guard geese date back to 390 B.C. where the geese alerted Rome to an attack by the Gauls by wildly flapping their wings and honking loudly. Birds, in general, can hear better than humans and geese have an extra light sensor in their eyes so they can see further and clearer than we would ever hope to. This combined with the noisy honk we all have heard gives geese the reputation of being one of the best guard animals in existence.
Here are your top three breeds for guarding:
- White Chinese and Brown Chinese
- Tufted Roman
- African (Males)
Brooder Space/Heat
Day old poultry should be started in a proper space such a barn, out-building, basement, poultry coop or garage. It is important to make sure your brooder space is clean and disinfected prior to using it, especially if poultry have been kept there before. Whether you have them on bedding or on a wire floor, there should be some type of solid wall or partition around them to prevent drafts. Make sure dogs, cats and rodents are kept out. Initially each baby duckling or gosling needs about 1/3 square foot of pen space. What works best for larger areas is a brooder ring of cardboard 18 inches high with a heat lamp hung over the center of the area. Doing a ring/circle will not leave any square corners for baby poultry to pile in the corners and keeping them from wondering off too far from the heat and food source. Hang the lamp about 18 inches above the floor at first.
Bedding
Use 2 to 4 inches of dry litter, such as pine wood shavings, chopped straw or other appropriate bedding. Do not use newspaper or other slick material, this can cause legs to slip out from underneath them and cause serious leg problems.
Water and Feed
Make sure you provide plenty of containers of water based on amount of poultry. Provide room temperature water. Wash & clean the containers every few days. Use NON MEDICATED FEED for Ducks and Goslings.Waterfowl are messy with their water and for this it is best to make a wire platform on which the waterer can sit on. With using a platform set up, any spilled water goes through the wire and out of reach. They cannot track it back to the bedding or make a mud puddle with it. Little ones can be on 1/2" hardware cloth placed over a pan for the babies. Adults can be 1" welded wire nailed on to wood cross pieces. This can be placed over a pit in the ground for the adults.
Swimming
You can carefully introduce water to ducklings and goslings as early as one week. They must be able to walk in and out of the water very easily. The water should not be too cold and they must be able to find their heat lamp for rewarming. They do not have oil on their feathers at this age, so they cannot be in the water for long periods or they will become waterlogged and chilled.
