44 
Description.—These geese have a medium-sized and rather long head, 
a bill of medium length, and a rather small neck. The back is narrow 
and slightly arched from the neck to the tail5 breast, round; body, 
long, but somewhat small and slender. Their wings are large, and 
have instead of the ordinary hard knobs horny spurs about five-eighths 
of an inch long; the thighs are of medium length, and the shanks rather 
long. The color of the head is black and gray; the bill is purple or 
bluish red, and the eyes orange. 
The neck and back are gray and black; the center of the breast is 
chestnut, and the balance is gray. The upper parts of the plumage of 
the body are 
gray and black, 
and the under 
parts are a pale 
yellow, pen¬ 
ciled with 
black. The 
shoulders of 
the wings are 
white, with a 
narrow black 
stripe or bar. 
The tail feath¬ 
ers are glossy 
black; thighs, 
pale buff; 
shanks, toes, 
and webs, red- 
d i s h yellow. 
Fig. 34.—Pair of Colored Egyptian geese. The e^eS are 
orange. 
Weight.—The standard weight of the adult gander is 15 pounds; adult 
goose, 12 pounds; young gander, 12 pounds, and young goose, 9 pounds. 
MANAGEMENT OF GEESE. 
Goose raising is not so extensively engaged in as duck raising, the 
conditions under which they can be successfully raised being almost 
entirely different from those necessary for successful duck raising. 
The duck, being smaller, can be raised in a more limited space than can 
the goose, the latter needing free range and water, while the former 
has been proved to do equally as well without water. 
While the goose can not profitably be raised in as large numbers as 
the duck, still it can not justly be termed unprofitable. There are 
many places on a farm that are worthless for cultivation that could be 
utilized with excellent results for goose raising. Fields that have 
streams, branches, or unused springs on them could be turned to good 
advantage by making them into goose pastures. Many farmers are 
