Danish landrace goose (

Danish language Danish (; , ) is a North Germanic language spoken by about six million people, principally in and around Denmark. Communities of Danish speakers are also found in Greenland, the Faroe Islands, and the northern German region of Southern Schle ...

:'), or Danish goose, is a

landrace A landrace is a domesticated, locally adapted, often traditional variety of a species of animal or plant that has developed over time, through adaptation to its natural and cultural environment of agriculture and pastoralism, and due to isolatio ...

variety of

goose A goose ( : geese) is a bird of any of several waterfowl species in the family Anatidae. This group comprises the genera ''Anser'' (the grey geese and white geese) and '' Branta'' (the black geese). Some other birds, mostly related to the ...

native to

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

Description

The Danish goose is available in two variants, gray and gray mottled. It is a medium-sized goose, with a weight of about 6 kg when fully developed. The beak and legs of the Danish goose are a sharp orange colour and the eyes are blue. Interbreeding often results in brown eyes though. The gray mottled variant is also referred to as white, as only the head, back and inner wings are grey coloured, while the rest is brightly white. The Danish goose has only one ''køl'' below the belly. The goose is considered a hardy bird and the breeds' main productional strength is its ability to produce a low-fat carcass with a lot of meat. It is a slow growing bird however, with small clutches and a low reproduction rate. Therefore, the Danish goose has fallen out of favor in modern agricultural production.

History

The Danish goose was bred from wild animals in ancient times and is thought to have emerged from Scandinavian wild

grey geese The waterfowl genus ''Anser'' includes the grey geese and the white geese. It belongs to the true geese and swan subfamily (Anserinae). The genus has a Holarctic distribution, with at least one species breeding in any open, wet habitats in th ...

. From archaeological remains we know that the Danish goose was a popular poultry of the

Vikings Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and ...

and was in fact the most popular poultry and only goose bred in Denmark up until the end of the 17th century, when a land reform changed the agrarian practices. Apart from the meat and eggs, the Vikings used the feathers from this goose breed as steering feathers for arrows. A Danish educational site (about animals) for school children. The Danish goose also used to provide downs and feathers for

quill A quill is a writing tool made from a moulted flight feather (preferably a primary wing-feather) of a large bird. Quills were used for writing with ink before the invention of the dip pen, the metal- nibbed pen, the fountain pen, and, eventual ...

s. Goose is traditionally served for dinner on '' Mortensaften'' (St. Martin's Day) in Denmark.

Conservation status

At the end of the 20th century, the Danish landrace goose was on the brink of extinction, but a dedicated breeding program helped the species survive. There are still limited numbers of Danish landrace geese to this day, however, with only about 50 herds registered as of 2006. Several breeding populations can be found at open air museums, where the public can experience and interact with them.

References

Sources

Grå og Gråbrogede Danske Gæs/Goose (domestic)/Denmark
European Farm Animal Biodiversity Information System (EFABIS) * Hans Jacob Schou
Dansk landgås ligner den vilde grågås [Danish Landrace looks like the wild grey goose]
danske-dyr.dk
De danske landgæs [The Danish landrace geese]
Foreningen gamle danske husdyrracer

External links