Pilgrim gander protecting his geese as we move closer to breeding season.

North Field Pilgrim goose and gander, situated near the driveway, announce every visitor.

The characteristics that I admire in Pilgrim geese make them an ideal bird to keep and breed on a small farm homestead.

Is it necessary to breed my own birds? No, but with the impact of avian disease on the hatchery industry, limiting the transportation of birds and the destruction of flocks, I have concerns about the availability, cost and quality of birds.

I’ve shifted from a mindset and practice of flock matings for my geese to one of managing the breeding flock more carefully. I want to improve my flock and avoid inbreeding depression. According to A Conservation Breeding Handbook by D. Phillip Sponenberg and Carolyn J. Christman , inbreeding depression results in “the decline in reproductive fitness and in the vigor of the young produced.” Pilgrim geese are listed a “threatened” on the Livestock Conservancy’s website.

Threatened: Fewer than 1,000 breeding birds in the United States, with seven or fewer primary breeding flocks, and estimated global population less than 5,000.

My goal is to raise hardy “farm” stock, not show birds, that meet the American Poultry Association’s description in the Standard of Perfection.

Because the birds I have to use as breeders have similar appearances, my group assignments were somewhat random. The younger birds were matched with more experienced partners, the most experienced trio has the paddock closest to the driveway and the trio with the youngest gander shares the Barn Field with the sheep flock and more interaction with me. A gander with an extra grey mark on his head, although not to the standard, is well shaped, so he has been kept to see if his offspring display his shape but not his “freckle”.

The plan is to mark and maintain these breeding groups as long as they are productive. My goal is to select the best offspring to build my flock and to sell as breeding stock.

To increase genetic diversity in the flock, I hope to buy some breeding birds that are from carefully managed breeding lines. Until I find such geese, I will work with the geese and ganders already at Lilac Hill.