The Cotton Patch Goose is an American breed of domestic goose. It was created in the southern United States.
The breed has traditionally been used to weed fields of cotton, corn and other crops, hence its name.
The exact origin of the breed is unclear. But the breed is believed to have descended from a European stock brought to the United States during the colonial period. It was kept in rural southern estates until the 1950s.
The breed has been used as an all-purpose poultry to weed crops, eggs, meat, lint, and grease. Herbicides almost completely replaced weeding on American farms after the mid-twentieth century.
And the number and popularity of the Cotton Patch goose has declined. In particular, it has largely disappeared from farms in South America, where it was once common.
The breed is currently considered endangered Passing by Conservation of American Animal Breeds. The breed is also included in the US Slow Food Ark of Taste, a catalog of endangered traditional foods. Learn more about the breed below.
Characteristics of cotton goose
The Cotton Patch goose is a medium-sized breed. Its color is similar to that of the Shetland goose and the pilgrim goose. Ganders are usually white with gray feathering on their backs and tails.
While geese are either all gray or variegated gray and white (also called saddler). The beak and legs of these birds are pink rather than orange, like those of the peregrine.
The breed is a standing goose with a tail aligned with the back and wings, giving it a sharp wedge-shaped profile. The body of the Cotton Patch goose is more elongated and less rounded than that of the Shetland and Pilgrim breeds.
The average live weight of mature cotton jars ranges from 4 to 5.5 kg. And the average body weight of mature geese ranges from 3.6 to 4.5 kg. Photos and information from Wikipedia.
Advantages
The Cotton Patch Goose is a versatile breed. It was mainly used to weed fields of cotton, corn and other crops.
The breed is also known to help many farmers and their families in the southern countryside by providing a steady source of eggs, meat and fat.
Special Notes
The Cotton Patch goose is a very hardy and active bird. It is particularly well adapted to the climate of the southeastern United States. It is very heat resistant and has relatively good flight ability.
The sex of these birds is easy to determine by color. The small size of the birds allows them to tolerate hot weather better than heavier breeds of geese. They have the ability to fly much longer than their first year of life, easily overcoming 5-6 foot fences with no take-off run.
They are excellent foragers and are very well suited to an extensive breeding system. However, check out the full breed profile of the Cotton Patch Goose in the following chart.
| Breed name | Cotton patch | |
| another name | Known by other names locally | |
| Purpose of the breed | Meat, eggs, weeding, grease | |
| Special Notes | Very hardy and active, well adapted to the southeastern United States climate, heat tolerant, good flight ability, excellent forager, very good for an extensive management system. | |
| breed class | medium | |
| gander | 4 to 5.5 kg | |
| geese | From 3.6 to 4.5 kg | |
| sullen instinct | Good | |
| climatic tolerance | All climatic conditions | |
| egg color | White | |
| Egg size | big | |
| Egg performance | Medium | |
| Ability to fly | Good | |
| Varieties | A | |
| scarcity | endangered | |
| Country/place of origin | UNITED STATES |
