Geese

Our white geese are bred specially for the Christmas market. They resemble the white Embden from Germany. The strain that we keep is called the Wessex goose and was developed locally. They are slower growing than some of the hybrid commercial geese and do not put on as much fat. They may be smaller in size but they make up for this with their wonderful taste.

Our goslings come either from our own geese, or from registered organic suppliers. The goslings are kept inside under heat for about 3 weeks. Then they are allowed out into our fields. They spend the days grazing on grass and mucking around in their miniponds before being led back into their shed at night for protection against foxes. The flocks are small, with no more than 250 birds being kept in one shed. During the first 12 weeks of their life they get grass and organic goose pellets. During the summer they are fed almost exclusively on grass, just getting a bit of food in their sheds at night to tempt them back in. During the autumn they get organic wheat along with apples and the occasional fig, to finish them in time for Christmas.

Unlike some other goose producers, our geese are allowed out on to grass right up to the time they are slaughtered. Our geese are slaughtered by ourselves on the farm so there is minimal stress. This way we can ensure that our birds get well treated to the end. The birds are plucked, waxed to give a lovely finish and then hung for about seven days to allow the flavour to develop.

We keep several varieties of rare breed geese. They are not kept for commercial purposes but for our own pleasure and to do our little bit towards preserving genetic diversity

The Exhibition Toulouse geese are huge grey and white birds, often weighing 14kg or more. They have been bred specifically for showing, and have an exaggerated keel, lobes and dewlap.

Because of their size and shape, they are very hard to breed successfully. But, like many large animals, they have a placid nature.

We also keep a number of Sebastopol geese. These are medium-sized birds and are very easy to identify because they have 'frizzle' or 'curly' feathers all over their body. The beaks and legs are orange and the eyes are bright blue.

These geese originated around the Black Sea, and took their name from the Sebastopol area.

Our American Buff geese are larger than the Sebastopols, and have brown feathers, hazel eyes and orange feet and beaks..

They originated in the USA, mainly from German strains. Buffs are a docile, calm breed, and make very good parents. Ours amble happily aound the farmyard all day long.