Raising Geese As Watchdogs And For Food – Some Pointers

White Geese are not naturally found in Africa.  It was most probable that they had originated years before, from the Embden goose. These geese were likely to have been brought with them by immigrants from Holland and Germany, the natural habitat of the Embden.

The flock grazed in the orchard. The geese had no knobs on their bills and their height was no greater than the usual size for this breed.  They were fiercely protective of their territory – chasing, hissing, cackling and menacing everyone and anything that came too close.  They were the aggressors, anyone or anything that came into the periphery of their vision were liable to be attacked.  The dogs ignored them.  Adults, if they held their nerve, could catch them by their necks and intimidate them into backing off. There was only one die-hard gander who refused to be shaken by any form of backlash.  One couldn’t help admiring its spirit. Nevertheless, as a flock they were really annoying.  Children didn’t have much chance in avoiding their attacks and would end up being chased.

You could tell how old the mothers were by the ‘pouch’ which formed under their bellies.  The lower it hung, the older they were.  They make for tasty eating though their flesh tended to be very fatty which would explain why a way of preserving the meat before refrigeration was to cook it in its own fat.  The cooled fat solidified and surrounded the meat and in this way it was able to be preserved.  The end product is called  ‘confit’ and is quite often regarded today as a delicacy.

Around 2500 BC it was found that their livers could be made to greatly increase in size – up to 10 times of the original size.  This was done by force feeding them, called ‘gavage’ – a method which today is (and may have been in the past) quite an emotive issue. Moistened food is pushed down a funnel leading into a long tube which is inserted into the bird’s oesophagus.  The Egyptians used figs as the food, though pellets are more commonly used today.  Perhaps mercifully, the goose does not have a ‘gag’ facility.  The downside of which would be that their throats would suffer much harm.  The end result produced ‘pate de foie gras’ – goose liver pate to the uninitiated.  Apparently the liver has a buttery, rich flavour.

The fact that the goose is a migratory bird means that built in to its metabolism is the ability to put on weight rapidly within a short period of time.  Just before they migrate they are able to convert their food to fat very quickly.  This allows them to sustain their long flights to the more genial surroundings of their natural winter habitat.  It is this built-in mechanism that is used to produce the pate.  The geese are prepared by first feeding them on grass and then confining them until finally they are force fed up to 4 times a day.  The whole process may not take much more than 12 weeks.

Their watchdog characteristics are often used for just this purpose.  A fairly well known account exists of them being used in around 300 AD when the Romans had been routed by the Gauls and they took refuge on Capitoline Hill, a place easy to defend because of its elevation.  The Gauls besieged the city without success.  Then one night, under the cover of darkness, they scaled the hill to the bottom of the city walls.  Fortunately for the Romans however, they did not factor in the geese that had been placed in cages on the wall to alert the Romans of just such an occurrence.  The cackling of the geese roused the Romans who repulsed the Gauls and saved the city.

The geese in the orchard used to put on a good show when they stood up on tiptoe flapping their wings and rushing off in whatever direction took their fancy.  It was pleasant to watch. They were prolific breeders and were obviously greatly contented in the orchard.  They were also very good parents, the goslings changing from grey to white as they grew up.  Few predators attacked them.  During the day they roamed free, and at night were penned up.  To keep the numbers consistent, the adults were sold, live, to people living locally.

In North America, the Canada Goose and the American Buff Goose are both successful reared by breeders.  Species like the Greater White-fronted Goose (Specklebelly), the Emperor, Ross’s Goose and the Cackling Goose are not found in as great numbers as before.  Some are in the decline because of hunting.  They are best viewed today on trips especially designed for this, or by leisure paddling on your own or with friends.

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