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COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Asia

CATEGORY: Goose

A prolific breed of the smaller-bodied type of goose, which has, in recent years become popular on the show bench. It has, at times, been known as the Knob, Asiatic and the Hong Kong goose. The Chinese is an elegant, fine, small goose, active and good at foraging. Although it shares the some wild ancestor (the swan goose) as the African, which can be seen in the similarity of colour and marking, in shape and size the two breeds are very different. Chinese have been present in Britain since at least the early eighteenth century. As mentioned in the UK Standards of 1923 the breed is now standardized in both brown/grey and white varieties. The most distinctive feature is a prominent knob rising from the base of the beak.They are highly vocal by nature and have a reputation for being good “watch dogs”. They also are among the most prolific layers of any geese, averaging around 50 to 60 eggs per year.  They have served admirably as “weeder” geese, cleaning field crops and established gardens, and as guard geese. In fact, in Dumbarton, Scotland, a flock of more than one hundred Chinese geese guarded the famous Ballantine distillery’s 25 million gallons of aging whiskey until the distillery was decommissioned in 2002.Chinese geese that meet the specification of the Standard of Perfection are difficult to find. Anyone interested in Chinese geese for show purposes should seek out private breeders who have show quality birds. The show birds will have and arched and exceedingly slender neck. The Chinese was first standardized in 1874.

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