The Shetland goose is a very hardy breed of domestic goose. It was originated from the Shetland Island in Scotland. It is small in stature like some other livestock breeds which are native to this island.
The breed has been used by crofters to graze pastures. And this was done to rid the grass of parasites, such as the liver fluke, to prepare it for grazing by sheep.
鹅have been recorded as being kept on Shetland from as early as the 17th century, although it is not certain that they are the exact descendants of the current breeds.
And as with so many of the other goose breeds, the Shetland goose was very important to cottagers and farms for providing a cheap and reliable source of meat.
The breed has been exported to the United States first in 1997. It is not yet recognized by the American Poultry Association in it’s Standard of Perfection.
Currently the breed is being studied by the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy. Read some more information about the breed below.
Table of Contents
Shetland Goose Characteristics
设得兰群岛的鹅很容易识别的appearance alone, like a few other goose breeds includingCotton Patch和Pilgrimbreed.
The Shetland geese have a head, neck and upper body with gray highlights and a white underbody. While the ganders have entirely white plumage.
The birds usually have a shorter bill mainly due to their natural ability to forage. Their eyes are blue, and the neck are mainly white often with varying amounts of gray plumage.
The abdomen is relatively flat with a single-lobed paunch. The wings are powerful, allowing full ability of flight, and on some farms it may be necessary to clip the feathers of one wing to keep them at home.
Average live body weight of the Shetland geese is around 5 kg. And the ganders on average weight around 6 kg. Photo from The Livestock Conservancy and info fromWikipedia.
Uses
克罗夫特（Crofters）使用了设得兰鹅品种来放牧牧场。它被用来摆脱寄生虫的草，例如肝fl幸属肝fl虫来准备它以通过羊. They are also used for meat production.
Special Notes
The Shetland goose are very hardy birds. They are exceptionally good foragers, and are able to largely sustain themselves through grazing.
The birds generally mate for life and are good parents. The geese on average lay around 30 eggs per year. The breed is great converter of grass to meat, and in the Northern Islands they will forage on seaweed which is not usual for other goose.
它也非常适合作为优秀的后卫鹅。该品种的生长速度相对更快，非常适合肉类生产。他们保留了许多其他自然的本能，并将在非繁殖季节蜂拥而至，并团结起来以抵御掠食者。
但是，在以下图表中查看设得兰鹅的完整品种。
| Breed Name | Shetland | |
| Other Name | None | |
| Breed Purpose | Meat, Weeding | |
| Special Notes | 非常强壮，非常好的觅食者，能够通过放牧，良好的convert依草与肉类，良好的后卫鹅，相对更快，对肉类生产有益 | |
| Breed Class | Medium | |
| Ganders | Around 6 Kg | |
| Geese | Around 5 Kg | |
| 沉闷 | Average | |
| Climate Tolerance | Native climates | |
| Egg Color | 白色的 | |
| Egg Size | Large | |
| Egg Productivity | 每年约30个鸡蛋 | |
| Flying Ability | 好的 | |
| Varieties | 单身的 | |
| Rarity | Critical | |
| 国家/起源地 | United Kingdom |
