Pilgrim geese are a medium size goose that grows rapidly and can be autosexed by color as goslings (yellow males and dark grey females) and as adults (white males and soft "dove" grey females).
The picture to the right shows a Pilgrim gander surrounded by four geese. The colored bands on the feet help to keep track of different bloodlines and individuals within the flock, although the face markings on the females vary enough to indentify them by sight.
Pilgrims grow a pound a week for the first ten weeks, then slow down after that, maxing out at 13-16lbs, making them an exceptional meat goose.
These geese are extremely docile and are quiet - both wonderful traits for people who want to try geese but have heard bad things. Pilgrims are also wonderful parents and are listed as CRITICAL due to how few people are breeding them.
History
Contrary to popular belief, these geese did not come to America in the Mayflower and were instead named by Oscar Grow's wife after their pilgramige from Iowa to Missouri. The breed was recognized by the American Poultry Association in 1939, nine years after Oscar Grow first started working with them.
Autosexing geese have been reported throughout history, but an official breed standard had never been set up. In Pennsylvania a closed flock of autosexing geese were located, completely unrelated to the birds Oscar Grow used to build the breed.
Conformation
Good conformation and color in a Pilgrim is extremely important, both for breeding and to ensure that what you are buying is a pure Pilgrim rather than a mix. Crossing white and grey geese can result in a white goose with grey on its back, or a grey goose with white around the bill. Recognizing a proper body type can save you a year or more of disaster in even a small breeding flock.
Personality is also extremely important when deciding on your stock. Picture perfect adults that are loud and aggressive should be avoided. Unlike other breeds of geese, Pilgrims are bred for personality as well as color and body type. Keep this in mind when sorting through your goslings. Never keep a Pilgrim that attacks others and, if at all possible, avoid Pilgrims that hiss and posture. The only time when this sort of behavior is even remotely appropriate is when a pair is defending their nest site or goslings. At that time unruly behavior becomes slightly more forgivable, although still undesirable.
Older geese that are purchased who are aggressive should be watched carefully. If they mellow down then it is safe to assume that they were never handled by the previous owner and could still produce fine offspring. If you notice that the goslings, even when hand reared away from the adults, are skittish and aggressive, then remove thems from the breeding program. If this becomes a problem with multiple goslings attempt to isolate the parents to see if the problem is coming from a single pa ir.
Having said all of this (and all of what is to come), Pilgrims are in dire need of more genetic diversity. I feel it is perfectly acceptable for a new breeder to work with what he has so long as he makes an effort to keep the best offspring and does _not_ sell inferior stock as breeders. Goslings that don't make the cut can be sold as pets, raised for meat, or sold as "barnyard geese" to people who have a mixed breed flock. Make sure whoever purchases the offspring knows why they are being sold to keep them from trying to use the individuals as part of their own breeding program.
Color
Female Pilgrims are a light grey color with a white abdomen, similar to the Toulouse. Around the bill and eyes are white patches that show up when the gosling is a few months old and will continue to lighten as the goose becomes older. Usually the white markings will form "spectacles" around the eyes. White markings on the neck are discouraged, but occasionaly occur. At times a white Pilgrim female is thrown due to the autosex genes. These females should not be used for breeding Pilgrims - period. They will not throw autosex offspring. In addition, avoid females that have white wing feathers, as they will most likely produce white females.
As goslings, females should be a uniform olive grey color with a dark bill. Unfortunately, they look identical to Toulouse goslings, making it difficult to know what you have until 2-3 months of age when the white markings begin to show up around the face. At birth you will be able to see stark, bright yellow in the wings where white feathers may grow in (a soft yellow is normal at the wing tips). These females should be kept from breeding any breeding flocks since they usually throw white female offspring.
To the left is a four month old female Pilgrim who is developing spots of white on her face. Typically white specks will appear around the bill before the white "spectacles" begin to show. Fully feathered female goslings that do not show any signs of white around the bill at all are probably Toulouse. Those with excessive white markings could be a sexlinked cross that will not produce autosex offspring. Sexlinks are created when any grey and white goose is crossed. The resulting offspring are sexlinked for a single generation.
Ganders should be pure white with a grey saddle on the back that is concealed by their wings. Grey spots will occasionally show up throughout the body and should be avoided. Many Pilgrims available today have very noticable grey patches on the wings and tail. As a general rule of thumb, the less grey you can see when the gander's wings are close to his body the better. His eyes should be blue. Any ganders sold to you without any grey on them at all should be firmly avoided, as they are more than likely Embdens or will not produce sexlinked offspring. Embdens also have blue eyes - the grey saddle is the best indicator of what you have.
The picture to the right shows the grey saddle on a young Pilgrim gander. His tail feathers will probably stay grey, but may turn white after his first molt. Official standards require that the tail feathers are white, but some breeders prefer to leave a little grey showing somewhere on the gander so you can tell he is a Pilgrim even at a distance.
As goslings, ganders should be a bright yellow color with pinkish/peach bills, looking identical to an Embden gosling. Unfortunately, this means that it is difficult to tell what you have purchased until a few months of age when the grey markings appear.
Due to how rare the breed is, it is becoming harder and harder to tell the difference between males and females at birth with some strains. Select the darkest females and lightest males in the brooder and tag them. These individuals should be looked at closer as future breeding stock.
Body Type
The head should be trim and the crown slightly flattened, lacking a dewlap or any sagging skin at the throat. The bill is a bright orange color without a knob or discoloration, both of which are a good sign of cross breeding. Young Pilgrims may have a lighter, pinkish colored bill, that some individuals are slow to grow out of.
The neck is average in length and thickness, looking proportional to the body, similar to the Embden and Toulouse. Avoid individuals with long thin necks, both due to poor conformation and the risk of having been crossed with a Chinese or African.
The body is full and plump, with a smooth, keelless breast. While extremely difficult to get in any breed, having two fatty lobes on the abdomen that are of even length is desireable. Coming across individuals with mismatched, single or even no lobes at all is not a sign of mixed ancestery. Young Pilgrims will take a while to develop lobes, and then may take even longer for those lobes to balance out.
Being categorized as a medium sized goose, Pilgrims weigh between 12-16lbs when full grown. Females tend to be a little smaller, averaging around 12-14lbs while ganders are closer to 14-16lbs.
The production and exhibition body types for Pilgrims is identical, making it easier to raise a flock for show, pet and meat without sacrificing type or disposition.