The African is one of the three heavy goose breeds in the very first American Standard of Perfection (1874), and despite the name it traces to Asia's wild Swan Goose, sharing that ancestry with the Chinese. It is a massive, upright bird with a large knob on the forehead and a smooth, crescent-shaped dewlap under the jaw, and it takes several years to reach full size. Young birds dress out at 16–18 lb by 15–18 weeks, and the lean meat has made it a favourite roasting goose. Most are inquisitive and greet visitors; some ganders turn aggressive, and all Africans are loud enough to rule out close neighbours. In hard cold the knob needs shelter to keep from frostbite.
Cold hardy
Heat tolerant
Broody
Egg colorWhite
Egg production20–45 / year
TemperamentSome Ganders Aggressive
BroodinessOccasional
ClimateCold hardy, Heat tolerant
PurposeMeat
Weight
Goose18 lb
Gander20 lb
How to spot it
Head
A large knob on the forehead and a smooth, crescent-shaped dewlap under the jaw
Plumage
Brown variety: browns, buffs and greys with a dark stripe down the back of the head and neck; White variety: pure white
Look for
A Chinese-shaped goose at nearly twice the size, with a dewlap the Chinese never has
