Roman goose
The Roman is a small, chubby white goose with piercing blue eyes. It is said to be one of the oldest goose breeds.
The Roman is a pure-bred goose breed in the PCGB Light class. Its origin is given as Italy. It appears on the RBST Watchlist as a priority breed, so keepers of pure stock help conserve it.
It is kept in light form. Recognised colours: White. Typical adult weights: gander about 5.4–6.3 kg and goose about 4.5–5.4 kg.
Expect roughly 40–60 eggs a year, with white shells. It is mainly kept for the table.
Compiled from poultryclub.org, rbst.org.uk, domestic-waterfowl.co.uk, poultrykeeper.com, waterfowl.org.uk, en.wikipedia.org. See sources
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Identity
- Species
- Goose
- Type
- Pure breed
- PCGB class
- Light
- Origin
- Italy
- Kept for
- Table
History
Legend says white geese sacred to Juno raised the alarm when the Gauls attacked Rome. Small white geese spread across central Europe, perhaps descended from Italian stock. Britain imported birds from Italy in the early 1900s and published a standard in 1954. America standardised it in 1977 as the Tufted Roman.
Appearance
Small and compact. It should be pure white, with pale blue eyes and an orange-pink bill and feet. North American birds carry a tuft.
Recognised colours
White
Size and weight
- Forms
- Light
- Gander
- 5.4–6.3 kg
- Goose
- 4.5–5.4 kg
Eggs
- Eggs a year
- 40–60
- Egg colour
- White
- Notes
- No egg figure was found in the sources.
Temperament
- Keeping notes
- A light utility goose with a good meat-to-bone ratio.
Hardiness
Not recorded yet.
Broodiness
Not recorded yet.
Flying
Not recorded yet.
Suitability
- Good to know
- Several regional types exist across Europe.
Conservation status (RBST)
A priority breed on the Rare Breeds Survival Trust Watchlist.
Breed club
- The Goose Club, umbrella · Website
Sources
This page is compiled from:
Review
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