The American Buff goose is a breed of domestic goose from United States. It is descended from the wild Greylag goose, which is found in Europe and the Northern Asia.
It is named for it’s body coloration. Whether it was bred independently from a mutation with grey geese or from buff imported stock from Europe is unclear. It may have developed from buff mutations in flocks of gray geese, or it may have refined from buff colored stock imported from Europe.
The breed is mostly raised by the small farmers, and it is known for it’s calm and docile disposition. Today it is an extremely rare poultry breed, and is listed as critical on the conservation priority list of the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy.
The American Buff goose breed is also included in Slow Food USA’s Ark of Taste, a catalog of heritage foods in danger of extinction. In the year of 1947, the breed was first recognized by the American Poultry Association. And entered the British Waterfowl Standards much later in 1982. Read more information about the breed below.
American Buff Goose Characteristics
American Buff goose is a medium sized breed with a lovely apricot-fawn color. The buff colored feathers on it’s back and sides are edged with creamy white color.
Abdomen of these birds is nearly white. Their feet and bill are of orange to reddish orange in color. And the hard nail at the tip of the bill is a pale pink in coloration.
Their eyes are of brown color. Their legs may be of fade to pink color during laying eggs, or when green grass is not available. Their neck is of medium long with deeply furrowed feathers.
They have a chunky body with little or no evidence of a keel, a slightly arched back, and two rounded fatty lobes on the abdomen.
Average mature body weight of the American Buff ganders is around 8.2 kg. And the mature geese on average weight around 7 kg. Photo and info from Wikipedia.
Uses
American Buff goose is a dual purpose breed. It is raised for both eggs and meat production.
Special Notes
The American Buff goose is well known for it’s relatively calm nature, and the breed is of docile temperament.
These birds are good parents and take good care of their goslings. Their good behavior make them ideal for general purposes.
The breed is very good for both meat and egg production. The geese on average lay about 15 to 25 eggs per year. There is also a tufted variety of this breed.
And the tufted variety has a tuft of feathers on the crown of their head, and it was created by crossing American Buffs with the Tufted Roman goose by Mrs Ruth Books over many years of breeding and selection.
However, review full breed profile of the American Buff goose in the following chart.
| Breed Name | American Buff | |
| Other Name | None | |
| Breed Purpose | Meat, eggs | |
| Special Notes | Hardy, well known for it’s relatively calm nature and docile temperament, good parents, take good care of the goslings, ideal for general purposes | |
| Breed Class | Medium to large | |
| Ganders | Around 8.2 Kg | |
| Geese | Around 7 Kg | |
| Broodiness | Good | |
| Climate Tolerance | All climates | |
| Egg Color | White | |
| Egg Size | Large | |
| Egg Productivity | 15-25 eggs per year | |
| Flying Ability | Average | |
| Varieties | Standard and Tufted | |
| Rarity | Critical | |
| Country/Place of Origin | United States |
