Uses: Showing / Attractive unusual pets. Eggs: 30 to 50 white eggs per year.
Origin: Eastern Europe.
Weight: Gander: 5.7 – 7 Kg. Goose: 4.5 – 6 Kg.
Colours: Buff, White. (Curled feather and smooth breasted varieties)
Useful to Know: Light Grey feathers can appear in white females during their first year.
Photo: A White Smooth Breasted Sebastopol.
Sebastopol Geese were originally from the River Danube near the Black Sea and have been called the Danubian goose. They are known as Lockengänse in Germany and L’Oie Frisse in France.
Sebastopol Geese are medium weight geese, known for their long curled ‘frizzled’ feathers that make flight almost impossible for them. They have striking blue eyes. There are two types standardised in the UK, the Buff and White varieties although grey and saddle backed varieties exist. In North America, only the White variety is standardised.
There are two types – smooth feathered and curled feathered. Because of their rough feathering, they are not so waterproofed as other geese and do require a shelter to be able to get out of the worst of the weather. Free running water is recommended to allow them to keep their feathers clean. Mud should be avoided. Sebastopols are not known as an aggressive breed and they will go broody and sit on eggs.
The Sebastopol entered the American Standard of Perfection in 1938 and the British Poultry Standard in 1982.
Photos
Books
The following books are available. Links take you to the Amazon or other sellers’ pages for the books.
- Domestic Geese – C. Ashton – P.32
- British Waterfowl Standards – P.30
- British Poultry Standards – P.371
- American Standard of Perfection – P.364
Discussion
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- Please leave a comment below if you can provide further information or have a question about this breed.
