Light geese are mostly between 10-16 in the gander and 8-14 lbs in the goose. Some were the smaller 'farmyard geese' of Europe - good egg layers and often good sitters. The category also includes the Asiatic Chinese, the best egg-layer of all the breeds of geese.

Chinese Geese

Chinese geese come in two colour forms: the white and the brown (also called 'grey' or 'fawn'). The brown is the same colour as the brown African. Both breeds come from China, and were developed from the wild swan goose. The larger African or 'Lion Head' was reared as a table bird; the lighter weight Chinese produces more eggs.

Chinese are light-weight, graceful birds. They have a long, slightly curved neck and a rounded, prominent knob on the head which is much larger in the gander. The function of this is not known. This feature is seen in mute swans, but seems to have developed in the Chinese goose after domestication from the wild swan goose.

Chinese are the noisiest breed of geese, and have been employed as 'watchdogs'. They can be very independent and quite aggressive. But hand-reared, they are tame and amenable. The birds mostly kept and exhibited in Britain now are the lighter-weight 'American' exhibition geese which are far more showy than the 'English' type of the pre-1970s.

Ganders are 10-12 lbs in weight; geese 8-10 lbs. Females can lay as many as 80 eggs per annum, and may lay in the autumn as well as spring and early summer. Not all strains are this prolific.

Pilgrim

The Pilgrim goose was developed and standardized in the USA by Oscar Grow. He recognized the sex-linked colour of the breed, which can be seen even in the down colour and bill colour of the goslings on hatching. He did stress, however, that most of the birds breed true to colour; there can sometimes be white females. It is difficult to get a 100% pure-breeding strain.

Ganders are white with some light grey allowed in the plumage on the rump and secondary feathers. Geese are light grey, and have white feathers at the front of the head, the white extending around the eyes with age. Weights vary from 14-18 lbs in the gander and 12-16 lbs in the goose. The females are average layers, often laying two clutches, like the Brecon, of about 30 eggs in total. Pilgrims are renowned for their sweet nature, which applies if they have been handled as young goslings.

Roman

Romans are small, chubby, white geese. White geese are said to have raised the alarm when Rome was attacked by the Gauls, hereby saving the city. Flocks of small white geese became common in central Europe. They may have evolved independently from the goose of Rome - or be descended from these 'Italian' geese.

There are several regional white breeds of geese in central Europe. Diepholtz geese are slightly larger than our Roman; Czech geese are slightly smaller. Whatever the country, people do seem to like small, white geese as a contrast to the coloured and the larger breeds.

The UK standard for the Roman specifies ganders at 12-14 lbs and geese at 10-12 lbs. The females are good layers, starting as early as January, and laying several clutches up to early summer. They can lay up to 60 eggs per year in some strains. Temperament varies according to the strain, and how they have been handled as youngsters.

Sebastopol

Sebastopols were probably introduced into the UK in 1859. Whether or not they came from Sebastopol itself (in the Crimea) is unknown. According to Edward Brown (1929), white birds with feather curl come from countries surrounding the Black Sea, and along the Danube. Most Sebastopols in the UK are white, but there is also a buff variety. If the spot gene is introduced, non-standard buff-back and grey-back Sebastopols will result.

There are two plumage forms: the smooth-breasted and the frizzle. The frizzle has curly feathers all over, except for the head and upper neck. The smooth-breasted form has long, curled scapulars, thigh and wing coverts. Sebastopols look spectacular in new autumn plumage, but they need good water conditions to keep them clean through the year. The geese can be good layers, producing up to 40 eggs per annum.

Steinbacher

This breed was introduced into the UK in the 1990s. It has become very popular because of its calm, tame temperament. Originally produced as a 'fighting goose', its confidence with people makes it the ideal pet.

The breed was originally standardized in Germany in grey, but the blue form is the most popular in Britain. A distinctive colour-feature is the black 'lipstick' effect of the break serrations, and the black bean. It is quite a small goose, ranging from 11-15 lbs. The geese are not particularly good layers, but the eggs are comparatively easy to hatch in incubators. These geese are also good sitters and mothers.

For more about other breeds follow the following links.

• Heavy geese (African American Buff, Emden and Toulouse)
• Medium Geese (Brecon Buff, Buff Back, Grey Back, Pomeranian and West of England)