The moment I saw them, I knew they were the geese for us. They remind me of the ballet, a pantomime or a creature plucked out of a fairy tale story. So dainty, with their flowing feathers, but also very useful in the garden, vineyard and orchard.

ORIGIN: They originated from Southeast Europe close to the Black Sea. They were named after a town in Russia, where they were

BREED: They were recognized by the American Poultry Association in 1938. The Sebastopol Goose also lesser known as the Danubian goose is a medium sized domestic goose that is about 12-14 lbs. They were bred by using the wild Greylag Goose which is native to Europe.

Currently only the white variety is recognized, but there are beautiful coloured Sebastopols, that come in Grey, Blue, Lavender, Buff, Lilac and splash – they also come in saddleback. The white & Grey goose will have bright blue eyes, with a bright orange bill, legs & feet. They come in both curly or smooth feathers. I will be adding Grey & Blue coloured varieties to our our gaggle of geese to help strengthen the lines, many of the typical white variety have been heavily line bred in Canada, so genetic variety is key for vigour in the species.

They are a very hardy bird, and can be kept in cold climates, they can often be found sleeping in the snow, even if they have a choice of an insulated habitat.

Because of the curl in their feathers, they can’t really fly, which makes them much easier to contain, but also more fragile as you do not want them to be dinner for any predators.

These geese can live as long as 25 years, and I promise you will get attached or they will get attached to you!

LIVESTOCK CONSERVANCY: The Sebastopol breed is currently listed as threatened with the Livestock Conservancy which means the estimation is that there is less than 5000 worldwide and that is a great reason to focus on this gorgeous breed. They only produce 25-35 eggs per year, and many of those eggs will not develop into goslings.

TEMPERAMENT: The Sebastopols are one of the more docile and quiet breeds of geese, and one of the best picks if you have kids on your homestead, but they still might be feisty in breeding season.

USES: Though it is known to be an ornamental bird because of their long graceful curly feathers. They are often a show bird, for obvious reasons. But, they are also a great meat bird, they are about 8 lbs dressed. Our motto has always been keep the best, eat the rest! They also of course have fabulous nutritionally dense eggs, but, unfortunately, they don’t have that many of them. We love the geese as they keep the grasses short in our orchard and help eliminate the lifecycles of many pesky pests.