Scania goose
The Scanian goose is a large and heavy breed, and some males can weigh up to 15 kg. The plumage is mottled, white with brown-grey areas on the head, neck, back and thighs. The tail feathers are also partly brown-grey.
Geese are alert animals that carefully protect their nests and young, and may therefore seem aggressive if you get too close.
Domestic geese have been kept in Sweden for around 4,000 years, since the Bronze Age. All domestic geese originally descend from the wild greylag goose (Anser anser), which was considered easy to tame.
Geese were highly valued and provided meat, down, quills for writing and arrows, as well as fat. Medieval law texts clearly show their economic importance. For example, a goose could be valued as highly as a pig.
Until the 1930s, geese were a common sight on farms from southern Sweden up to Hälsingland. In the past, there were several different breeds of domestic goose (Anser anser domesticus), adapted to different parts of the country. Today, only two of the old traditional Swedish breeds remain: the Scanian goose and the Öland goose. They are similar in appearance, but the Scanian goose is slightly larger.
The Scanian goose is hardy and well adapted to the wet and cold winters of southern Sweden. With access to good grazing, it grows quickly and has traditionally been kept as a productive farm goose.
A female typically lays 20–30 eggs per year. Each egg weighs around 150 grams, which is roughly twice the weight of a hen’s egg.