Geese are wonderful for keeping on a hobby farm. They are a versatile breed that require little food, virtually raise themselves, watch over your property, and supply eggs, meat, and down. Though they are large in size, geese actually eat less than chickens or ducks. In the summer, they tend to prefer grass and in the winter (if you are in a cooler climate) only require lower-protein grains like oats with a small amount of corn thrown in.

Geese are also relatively healthy are suffer from practically no contagious diseases. They also have a long life – often living for 20 years or more. Unlike other birds, though, geese tend to be monogamous – preferring to stay with one mate for years. A pair (one male, or “gander”, and one female, or “goose”) is ideal. Some owners, however, like to match one male with two females.

Most types of geese are good for meat, but some notable breeds are the American Buff, Brecon Buff, Chinese, Cotton Patch, Pilgrim, Pomeranian, Shetland, Toulouse, and Tula.

If you are looking for geese specifically for eggs, the types you should consider are the Brecon Buff, Embden, Pilgrim, Pomeranian, Steinbacher, Tula, and West of England.

The Sebastopol is a great breed if you are looking for an ornamental duck.

If you are in search of geese that will help weed your property, you can check out the Chinese, Cotton Patch, and Shetland.

Picture:	Breed:
	African: Origin: Unknown Coloring: Gray, brown, black, white Production: Meat Breed Note: Extremely large, weighing up to 18 pounds
	American Buff: Origin: U.S. Coloring: Brown, fawn, white, orange, yellow Production: Meat Breed Note: Averages 16 pounds at maturity
	Brecon Buff: Origin: United Kingdom Coloring: Buff, blond, brown Production: Meat, eggs Breed Note: Lay roughly 10 to 25 eggs in the spring
	Chinese: Origin: Asia Coloring: Multiple Production: Meat, weeding Breed Note: Popular weeders, love to go around and eat weeds
	Cotton Patch: Origin: Unknown Coloring: Gray, white, orange Production: Meat, weeding Breed Note: Very rare in today's time and in need of help
	Embden: Origin: Netherlands, germany Coloring: White, orange Production: Meat, eggs Breed Note: Prefer to live near some sort of water source
	Pilgrim: Origin: Unknown Coloring: Yellow, gray, white, brown Production: Meat, eggs Breed Note: Known for being calm and personable toward humans
	Pomeranian: Origin: Germany Coloring: Buff, gray, brown, red, blue, white Production: Meat, eggs Breed Note: Great "watch birds" as they greet newcomers noisily
	Sebastopol: Origin: England Coloring: White, orange Production: Ornamental, meat Breed Note: They have curled feathers which makes it harder for them to fly
	Shetland: Origin: Great Britan Coloring: White, gray, brown, orange Production: Meat, weeding Breed Note: Will forage for food year round
	Steinbacher: Origin: Germany Coloring: Blue, gray, cream, buff Production: Meat, eggs Breed Note: Ganders must be isolated from each other because they will fight
	Toulouse: Origin: France Coloring: Gray, buff, white Production: Meat, exhibition Breed Note: Will wonder on occasion, don't like to be in the same place
	Tula: Origin: Russia Coloring: Gray, buff, brown Production: Meat, eggs, fighting Breed Note: Noted for their parrot like beak extending from their forehead
	West of England: Origin: United Kingdom Coloring: White, gray, orange Production: Meat, eggs Breed Note: An auto-sexing breed