Domestic Waterfowl Club.

African Geese

Tips for improving your flock......based on Dave Holderread's and Oscar Grow's books (taken from the Australian rare Breed Site)
Select the fastest growing goslings for future breeding.
Always look for massive features (even in their first year they should have large, coarse heads and thick necks) and carriage 30 to 40 degrees.
Head should be large and broad between the eyes
Knob should be as wide as the head
Older females especially when laying will often have low-hung paunches and show some indication of a keel. But all males and young females should be keel-less and only a moderately full abdomen. Selecting for this should maintain the breed's fame as a lean meat bird.
Africans with tails held in line with the back or lower often indicate physical weakness and infertility.
Avoid young geese of too refined type, otherwise the flock will eventually revert to the Chinese breed type (small and slender rather than massive and meaty).
Avoid young geese that have already developed a pronounced dewlap.Africans do not grow the dewlap as fast as Toulouse and it will not fully develop until aged about three years.

Names Also Known as L'oie de Guinee or L'oie Africaine in France ie Guinea Goose
Country Of Origin;. . . China
Carriage;Reasonably upright 35 to 40 degrees above the horizontal rather than the Chinese geese which stand much more upright. Height 90 cm av
Purpose;... ...Eggs.....Meat...Broody..
Egg Colour......................white ....
Egg Numbers  .............10 / 20. In America, they appear to be more productive with 20 - 40 eggs in a season
Breed Defects. . . . . .Lack of dewlap; lack of knob; white patches amongst coloured plumage
Info  A very gentle breed that is much quieter than its skinny cousin. Available in white; brown (grey) and buff.
Breed Hints.... Kept as trio or pair .. will go broody and hatch
Weights; 11 to 28 pounds
Breed Tip Some individuals don't get the dewlap until over 18 months old, whilst others might develop one at 6 months. The dewlap runs down from the bill into the neck. The knob should be oriented slightly forward. Paunch should not touch the ground.'
Flying . . .normally too heavy but has been known . . very rarely

A GENETIC COLOUR PROBLEM SOLVED


first mating;

Brown African gander X Buff African goose = ALL Brown offspring

Brown ganders carry buff genetically [call this B/B1]

Brown geese DO NOT carry buff genetically speaking.

Second mating

B/B1 gander X Buff African goose = 1/2 males AND 1/2 females Brown and 1/2 males AND 1/2 females Buff

OR

B/B1 gander X pure Brown female = All males Brown

1/2 females Brown AND 1/2 females Buff

AND

Buff gander X pure Brown female = All ganders Brown [this is B/B1] =All geese Buff