Sebastopol Geese
Breed History; . . .
They are reputed to be of European origin and were called Sebastopol
after being brought from the seaport of Sebastopol.( although they
originated in the Danube area) 'The geese were first exhibited by Mr
Harvey D.Bayly in 1860 and were delineated and described in the
Illustrated London News". . .. "The birds were sent to England
by Mr John Harvey esq who had been cruising in theBlack Sea
"Tegetmeir p 366.They were also presented to the Zoological
Society in February1860 by Mr Bartlett so the rumour re the Crimea
and soldiers is wrong. They are unique in the goose breeds in having
frizzled feathers which curl due to the lackof a rigid feather
spine/quill. When the primaries and secondaries on the wing also
curl well it is often linked to the angel wing ; and it becomes
almost the norm to find wing abnormalities within this breed
resulting in the unaffected ones becoming expensive ! This defect
isoften the result of close/in breeding and is cured often by
breeding the smooth breasted and the frizzled rather than frizzled
to frizzled..
........They are average layers as a breed and due to their east
European heritage may occasionally be short tempered having
the Russian fighting Geese / German Kampfganse in their makeup.
Useful in that they are unable to fly well having no true wings, but
needing care and plentiful water in order to groom and care for
their plumage.
**Breed Hint ....Normally a smooth breasted or less frizzled goose
bred to a frizzle will breed a better gosling as the
feathering often skips generations
In German, they are called Lockengans or Struppgans, meaning
"curl-goose" and "unkempt goose". Also known as L'oie Frise'e du
Danube in France/Belgium
Sebastopol female. . . frazzled
Odd grey feathers are common many seem to fall out just before
going in a show pen !