While Geese as a whole are not endangered, our particular breed - The American Buff, are. We are the most gentle and calm breed of Geese, and we love swimming and grazing!
If you are interested in having an American Buff Goose as a permanent resident on your farm, please send us a message here.
About Us
The American Buff is a lovely apricot-fawn color. The buff colored feathers on their backs and sides are edged with creamy white. They are calm and docile. They are good parents, attending well to their goslings. These attributes make the breed well suited for the average home flock!
This breed is the largest of the medium weight class of geese with mature ganders weighing about 18 pounds and mature geese weighing about 16 pounds. They lay between 15 to 25 eggs per year, live about 15 to 20 years and are very curious. Geese are every bit as smart as dogs!
Handling & Habitat
We are more than just very large waterfowl. We make excellent watchdogs for a flock of ducks. If you're raising waterfowl or any other small birds or animals, it's always a good idea to have us "guard" birds handy.
Whether you consider it an advantage or disadvantage, we'll let you know when a stranger arrives. And, interestingly enough, more people are afraid of geese than dogs so you can use us as a deterrent to trespassers.
Geese are the most intelligent poultry. You will be surprised by their understanding of the events going on around them. They enjoy companionship, they play, they seem to have emotions, and they will communicate with you if you listen. They are extremely protective of their family. The bad part of this is they may become territorial during the spring breeding season. The fascinating part of this is they will often adopt and raise baby goslings that are not their own - even if they were not sitting on eggs or being parents at the time.
What We Eat
Our favorite food is grass; so, if you have a lawn, orchard or pasture where you need the grass kept under control, we'll be happy to help. Without grass, we'll eat around a half a pound of food per day.
Geese love greens such as cabbage, cauliflower leaves, lettuce. spinach and chard. Geese may like other vegetables like carrots, green beans, and celery. They will also eat leftover vegetables like cooked potatoes, carrots, parsnips, etc.; but, not all geese like the same things and usually have to get a taste for things just like people.
Whole grains, whole oats, lentils, brown rice, small seeds, corn and split peas are some of the foods geese enjoy. Additionally, unprocessed popcorn (free of additives, salt, and butter) and small seeds like sunflower seeds make good snacks for geese.
As a general rule, you should NEVER feed your goose any processed food. Things like white bread, candy, junk food, fast food, chips, and anything with high levels of salt, sugar, and fat should not ever be fed to geese. Geese cannot effectively digest most breads. Bread contains little to no nutrients and therefore is not really a good choice as a feed for geese. Young geese which take in too many carbs may develop angel wing, a condition which prohibits proper development of the wings. Most people advise against feeding any kind of bread to waterfowl, but in small amounts, whole grain bread may be an acceptable exception.