I culled the Saxonies and Pilgrims. In the fall, I am culling birds that won’t join the breeding flocks.

Our duck and goose breeds are listed in the American Poultry Association’s Standard of Perfection, so we have lists of physical attributes that they should conform to.

Saxony ducks and Pilgrim geese are also listed on the Livestock Conservancy’s conservation priority list. The Conservancy’s descriptions of each breed focus not only on physical characteristics, but on the goals of their original breeders , especially with an eye towards usefulness.

For both the ducks and geese I am looking for good sized birds that have done well in our farm setting under our management practices. I compare weights, body width between legs, wide heads and for the geese, stout necks.

Next I check for correct feather coloring. Pilgrims have sex-linked coloration, so removing birds with off coloring is important. Because I’ll be creating multiple breeding lines, I want some light and dark Saxony ducks/drakes .

In an effort to keep some genetic diversity, I try to keep my breeding groups stable which works especially well with the long lived geese.