Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1876-05-05
Embden Geese.

The Canada Farmer says The Embdcn
goose has prominent blue eyes, is remarkably
strong in the neck, and the feathers from
near the shoulder to the head arc far more
curled than is seen in other birds. The
plumago is uniformly pure white, the bill,
flesh coored and free from dark blotches,
and the legs and feet, orange In carriage,
they should be tall and erect, with fine,
square bodies which in fat specimens touch
the ground. They come to enormous size
three.year-old gander has weighed as much
as thirty-pounds, and goose Of the same
age, twenty.six, but good bird of any breed
| weighing twenty pounds is considered very
fine, and for breeding purposes such weight
is quite sufficient to insure good stock.
The Embden goose seldom lays till after a
year old. Their eggs are white in color,
very large and rough in the shell, which is
extremely thick. Regular goose breeders
rarely if ever, allow the geese themselves to
Sit but put from three to four eggs under a
Cochin or Dorking hen, which they can well
cover and take care Of them. A turkey hen
makes capital mother. The eggs should
be regularly sprinkled with lukewarm water
to prevent the shell becoming so hard as to
cneck Jne egress OF Jne young
Sometimes, but not often, they lay two
sittiugs in season. The period of incuba-
tion is thirty days.
The goslings are easily reared on the same
food as duckings, but they require green
food as well and for this purpose young
green onions are strongly recommended.
When once fledged they will thrive well with
no other food than can be procured by them
in the field or by the wayside, until later in
the fall, when they should be shut up for a
few weeks and fed on meal, oats, ETC. ; they
will lay on flesh quickly and come to great
weight. Embden geese do not necessarily
require much water, but of course, to look
we'll, the pure Embden geese will require
large pond or brook to wash themselves in.
One Of the great advantages of the Emb.
den geese, is that all of their feathers being
perfectly white, their value, where many are
kept, is far greater in the market than is
even the case with "mixed" feathers. The
quiet, domestic character of this variety
causes them to lay on flesh rapidly. They
never stray away from home, the nearest
pond and field satisfying their wants, and
much of their time is spent in quiet repose.
Their flesh is equal to that of the famous
Toulouse of France. Mr.. Hewitt says, "these
birds have an advantage even over the Tou-
ouse. In instituting comparisons between
the white and colored geese, have noticed
that the pendant abdominal pouch of the
Toulouse tells sadly against it when dressed,
and would undoubtedly be prejudiciaI against
the sale, in accordance with current opinion
of such an appeudage being indicative Of ad-
vanced age"
All white aquatic poultry are considered
to dress Of a clearer and better appearance
than the parti-colored or dark featherod
birds, more especially when young, This
arises from the patches where the dark feath-
ers grow, showing even after being carefully
plucked, more particularly if the plumago at
the time they are killed, happens to be inn
mature.