The Roman goose is an Italian breed of

domestic goose A domestic goose is a goose that humans have domesticated and kept for their meat, eggs, or down feathers, or as companion animals. Domestic geese have been derived through selective breeding from the wild greylag goose (''Anser anser domesticu ...

. It is said to be one of the oldest breeds of goose, bred more than 2000 years ago and originally sacred to the goddess

Juno Juno commonly refers to: *Juno (mythology), the Roman goddess of marriage and queen of the gods * ''Juno'' (film), the 2007 film Juno may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional characters *Juno, a character in the book ''Juno of ...

. These are a light weight smaller breed of geese with a tuft of feathers on their head. They are either solid white or spotted white and brown.

History

Sometime in the early 4th century BC, as the

Gauls The Gauls (; , ''Galátai'') were a group of Celts, Celtic peoples of mainland Europe in the Iron Age Europe, Iron Age and the Roman Gaul, Roman period (roughly 5th century BC to 5th century AD). Their homeland was known as Gaul (''Gallia''). Th ...

attempted to sneak into Rome under cover of night, it is said that the honking of Roman geese alerted the

Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

and saved the capitol. In honour of this, the Romans later founded a temple to Juno, to whom the geese were considered sacred. Geese were also revered in the ''

supplicia canum The ''supplicia canum'' ("punishment of the dogs") was an annual sacrifice of ancient Roman religion in which live dogs were suspended from a ''furca'' ("fork") or cross ''(crux)'' and paraded. It appears on none of the List of ancient Roman fast ...

'' annual sacrifice.

Description

These are a light weight smaller breed of geese with a tuft of feathers on their head. These geese are only admitted if they are solid white. No marking is allowed for them to be considered Roman Tuft. Roman Tuft consist of solid white, but some can have brown or tan spots. They show rosy pink beaks and feet or red-orange. All have bright blue eyes. The goose is of medium length and weight and generally long neck. Roman tuft are a generally docile breed and good watch-geese.

Uses

In the modern period, it is kept for a range of purposes such as for meat and eggs depending on location. It is a popular exhibition breed in North America, where it is more commonly known as the tufted Roman goose and possesses a crest. In Europe, it is primarily kept as a utility

meat Meat is animal Tissue (biology), tissue, often muscle, that is eaten as food. Humans have hunted and farmed other animals for meat since prehistory. The Neolithic Revolution allowed the domestication of vertebrates, including chickens, sheep, ...

breed, while in Australia, they are used for both purposes. Crests are optional in Europe and Australia. The breed has also been recommended as a guard goose.

Eggs

Roman geese can live up to 25 years and lay between 25 and 35 eggs per year. An egg takes 28 to 30 days for incubation. If you continuously take their eggs they will lay more than the average amount. These geese will begin to lay early spring. During this time the head gander will become aggressive.

Showing

Tufted Roman geese are also bred for showing. In shows, Roman geese with clean, pure white feathers and a large paunch are preferred, while red feet and read beaks are disfavored. Females have larger paunches, especially during laying season.

References