Chinese Goose 430369 223243616 2008-07-03T05:57:41Z Steven Walling 1957748 copyedit [[Image:Anser cygnoides (fl).jpg|thumb|250px|A Chinese Goose in [[Florida]]]] The '''Chinese Goose''' is a [[breed]] of [[domesticated goose]] descended from the wild [[Swan Goose]]. Chinese geese differ from the wild birds in much larger size (up to 5-10 kg in males, 4-9 kg in females), and in having an often strongly developed basal knob on the upper side of the bill. The knob at the top of the beak is more prominent on males than females. By 6–8 weeks of age, the knob is already pronounced enough that it can be used for sexing. Chinese geese are a close cousin of the [[African Goose]], a heavier breed also descended from the Swan Goose. Chinese Geese appear in two varieties: a brown similar to the wild Swan Goose, and white. While many domestic Chinese geese have a similar body type to other breeds, the [[breed standard]]s as defined in the [[American Poultry Association]]'s [[Standard of Perfection]] and other sources call for a slimmer, taller fowl.<ref>Ekarius (2007)</ref> Chinese geese are among the better laying breeds of geese. A female Chinese goose can lay 50–60 eggs over the course of the breeding season (February to June), although there are reports of Chinese geese laying up to 100 eggs during that time.<ref>Buckland & Guy (2002)</ref> ==Footnotes== {{reflist}} ==References== * {{cite book |title=Storey's Illustrated Guide to Poultry Breeds |last=Ekarius |first=Carol |year=2007 |publisher=Storey Publishing |location=210 MAS MoCA Way, North Adams MA 01247 |isbn=978-1-58017-667-5 }} * {{aut|Buckland, Roger & Guy, Gérard (eds.)}} (2002): Goose Production. ''FAO Animal Production and Health Papers'' '''154'''. <small>ISBN 92-5-104862-2</small> [ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/005/y4359E/y4359E00.pdf PDF fulltext] * {{cite web |url=http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/Geese/BRKChinas.html |title=Chinese Geese |work=feathersite.com |accessdate=2008-07-02 }} ==See also== * [[List of goose breeds]] [[Category:Geese]] [[Category:Poultry]] {{poultry-stub}}