sebastopol geese

History
They are reputed to be of European origin and were called Sebastopol after being brought from the seaport of Sebastopol.'The geese were first exhibited by Mr Harvey D.Bayly in 1860 and were delineated and described in the Illustrated London News". .  .. "The birds were sent to England by Mr John Harvey esq who had been cruising in the Black Sea "Tegetmeir p 366.They were also presented to  the Zoological Society in February 1860 by Mr Bartlett so the rumour re the Crimea and soldiers is wrong. They are unique in the goose breeds in having frizzled feathers which curl due to the lack of a rigid feather spine/quill. When the primaries and secondaries on the wing also curl well it is often linked to the angel wing ; and it becomes almost the norm to find wing abnormalities within this breed resulting in the unaffected ones becoming expensive ! This defect is often the result of close/in breeding and is cured often by breeding the smooth breasted and the frizzled rather than frizzled to frizzled..

........They are average layers as a breed and due to their east European heritage may occasionally  be short tempered having the Russian fighting Geese / German Kampfganse in their makeup.Useful in that they are unable to fly well having no true wings, but needing care and plentiful water in order to groom and care for their plumage. Also known as L'oie Frise'e du Danube in France/Belgium

**Breed Hint ....Normally a smooth breasted or less frizzled goose bred to a frizzle will breed a better gosling as the feathering  often skips generations