In yesterday's paper the Living section had an article about a Justin Pitts outside of Hattisburg, MS, farming heritage breeds of animals. He has Pineywoods cattle, Gulf Coast sheep, Mulefoot and Guinea hogs, Spanish Goats and Cotton Patch geese. Some of the big name chefs here in N.O. have decided they like the Guinea hog flavor and are starting to serve it. I had heard of most of the breeds, but had never heard of Cotton Patch Geese, and they are not on the Animal Livestock Consevancy list. Does anyone here know anything about them?
Deborah

They mysteriously "appeared" within the last few years as a supposed old landrace breed from the South. The Society for the Preservation of Poultry Antiquities has had articles in several newsletters. They are dimorphic, and similar to the West Of England and the Shetland, with males white and grey like a Pilgrim, while the hens are gray saddlebacked. Look again, because ALBC has jumped on the bandwagon and listed them.

I love a rare breed success story as much as anyone, where some relic population of a thought to be extinct, or nearly so, breed is found somewhere having been kept going for years unnoticed by the outside world. I'd love to believe that this was the case with this cotton patch goose, but I wish someone could answer two questions for me. Why, in over 30 years of keeping and researching all manner of domestic fowl, have I not once come across the breed name of "Cotton Patch," and why has not one article written, including the ALBC write up, offered a single printed reference that even mentions the breed by name prior to the past few years?

Not 100% sure, but my grandparents used to tell me how the cotton farmers would put a 100 or so geese in the fields to keep the grass eaten down and would not harm the cotton. All geese eat grass. I have Toulouse, white Emden and saddle back Pomeranians. They wander my pasture grazing, just like the cows. So I would guess any goose could be a cotton patch goose.

Don't call the ALBC, because if you are not a member you won't get any information out of them. I have never heard of anything as arbitrary as an association that promotes the continued conservancy of rare breeds, but does not give out information about these breeds to interested parties who inquire and desire to become involved. Sounds like they do not want them to have champions and it is PLAIN RUDE!

I joined ALBC a few years back. Sent in my dues. I received ONE newsletter. JUST one. Nothing after that. Nada. Zip. Maybe all their files and records were destroyed in some calamity?

There is also the New England Heritage Breeds Conservancy. Nice website.

The Virgin Komi Forests in the northern Urals are recognized as a World Heritage site. How do I know? I accidentaly did a search for "ural Heritage."

Some woman once asked why there was not any Cayuse horse registration asso. She got shocked when she learned "a cayuse horse" in the Northwest was just a derogatory term for a cull.

I have done a little bit of research on these "cotton patch" geese because I was interested in getting my hands on some. As far as I can tell cotton patch geese are any kind of geese turned out in the cotton patch.

Just found this bulletin board today. The primary reason for my post is to respond to some of the question regarding the "Cotton Patch" goose and to attempt to set straight some of the erroneous statements made. But first I would like to address two other posts made.

"Don't call ALBC" by chris. I have been a member of ALBC for near twenty years. Prior to joining they sent me fact sheets on a number of rare breeds I was interested in. Granted these were not fancy full color productions, but were apparently mimeographed. I am looking at two of these, not only did they send them but made quite extensive notes on both about the breed and where some might be found for sale. Information was what I sought and the information presented on these sheets would not have been any better in full color. ALBC did later offer a paperback book that had color photos of the breeds that were on their conservation list at the time. Also, many breeds have Breeders Associations that will provide information on the breed they represent. Then there is the internet where information may be found including but not limited to websites of rare breed conservation organizations, like ALBC, as well as websites of the Breed Associations.

"Sent in my dues. I received ONE newsletter. Just one. After that nothing." posted by Vickie. As I said before I have been an ALBC member for many years and I have failed a few times to get my newsletter. However, in every case except one it was my fault. I had failed to pay my dues on a timely basis or had changed my address and did not notify them. I work for the postal service and know that things do sometime happen to cause mail not to be delivered. I know from experience that in every case when I did my part (pay dues, provide them with my address, or just notify them that I did not receive a newsletter for a reason unknown to me) ALBC ALWAYS sent me a replacement. They are not mind readers, however, and depend on the member to let them know there is a problem. Vickie gave absolutely no indication that she brought the matter to their attention, so they were not aware of the problem and therefore not given the opportunity to resolve the matter.

Now to Cotton Patch. Mysterious appearance. Remember that American Livestock Breeds Conservancy (ALBC), then known as American Minor Breeds Conservancy began in New England and later moved their headquarters to Pittsboro, North Carolina. There were a number of breeds that they did not know about at the time, but after becoming aware of their existence and after some study were placed on the ALBC Conservation Priority List, often making their appearance in the "study" category. Some breeds stayed in this category for years, the Gray goose has been there for seven years as an example. If a breed is to be placed on the list it must make an appearance at some point, no mystery here. Just because one has never heard of a breed before doesn't mean it didn't exist. My grandfather raised cotton but didn't use weeder geese in his cotton patch. In fact I never knew of anyone who did in our area and I had never heard of using geese in the cotton patch to eliminate weeds.

I did notice that Deborah capitalized the words, "Cotton Patch Goose" so as to make it a proper name. This is the name that is being used for this breed of goose now, but it is a historical fact that they have long been referred to as geese of the cotton patch. To many they were simply geese because they knew of no other breed other than the one they and the neighbors kept. They were geese. Now with modern communications it is common to come across the names of other breeds so for clarification as to which goose one was talking about it was necessary to give it a name - Cotton Patch was chosen. The persons who have maintained these geese for many, many years still just call them geese. If Pigeon had attempted to research Gulf Coast Sheep or Gulf Coast Native Sheep prior to the mid 1980s nothing would have been found either. However, references were made to the sheep along the Gulf Coast at times in publications more than a hundred fifty years old. These sheep were called piney woods sheep, woods sheep, native sheep, common sheep, just sheep and sometimes scrub sheep. They were given the name Gulf Coast Native Sheep and later the name was changed to Gulf Coast Sheep to facilitate ease of discussion and to make clear which sheep one was referring to.

Very little was written about geese back then (which is not the case with sheep), so it can't be said with assurity which breed(s) were used to weed cotton. However, not just any goose would do the job. "Large blue geese were considered poor and would not be kept because they would not eat enough grass to justify keeping them." Not just any goose is a "cotton patch" goose. Highly likely dimorphic (sex linked coloration) English goose breeds were brought to the deep South as settlers migrated here from Virginia and the Carolinas. Also likely that French settlers to the deep South brought geese with them. Some French breeds are also dimorphic. There is strong evidence that French geese played a role in development of geese of the cotton patch, at least in some areas, maybe not in others.

To correct one other error, or at least to expand upon the statement made by Pigeon. Cotton Patch ganders (males) in both solid and pied (saddlebacked) varieties are white, maybe an occasional gray feather. The solid variety goose (female) is gray with some white feathers and more or less white on her face. The pied (saddlebacked) variety goose has a lot of white over her head, neck and body but always with the gray saddle on her back. She might also have some gray on her head and neck.

All geese are not Cotton Patch Geese (even if they might eat weeds) in a cotton patch. This breed does need champions and by that I mean persons with a deep devotion to preservation of the breed, not those who want to have some because they are rare. If you think you are the type person who would be devoted to the Cotton Patch Goose for the long term let me know. We will have breeding stock for those persons. Sometime in the not so distant future we hope to have a website devoted to these Geese of the Cotton Patch.

I've been a member of ALBC for awhile and I have never had a problem getting my newsletter. I've been behind in my dues a couple times and still received it. The people associated with it have always been very kind and thoughtful.

Anyone desiring more information on the breed of goose know as Cotton Patch should post their question on the Cotton Patch Yahoo Group at http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/cottonpatchgoose/

Another good source for information and for buying geese is site and the ranch that raises them www.flipflopranch.com

They bought Tom Walker's entire breeding flock when he retired.