05/03/2026
Ok this is going to be a bit of a long post. But I feel some things just need to be said.
When we move babies, we move them in groups of non related babies. We do this to ensure the health and vigorance of the babies overall and the flock as a whole as you yourself begin to breed. Most breeders will ensure non related, or point you in the direction of someone else who can offer u non related to acompany their own baby in your flock.
Where line breeding a generation of offspring females back to their biological father is ok for 1 generation, and is a practice often used to improve things like feathering, size and or color, inbreeding your flock, sibling to sibling or parent to numerous generations of offspring is not.
When inbreeding consistently, many defects begin to shine thru. A negative impact starts to show in the flock and your offspring year by year. This makes your lines weak. Fertility drops, physical things like crossbeaks and encephalocele can begin to pop up. Over all health of your flock starts to dwindle. It is important that your flock health remains strong.
Your goal as a breeder of these amazing birds is to offer them the best, healthiest lifestyle u can. Produce offspring that will thrive upon hatch and many years beyond.
Please do your homework when purchasing babies. Ask questions. Ask how many generations they run under the same gander. Ask who is related to who and whether they seperate or run a freedom pen with everyone together. Ask questions.
The past couple of years, we've watched a "breeder" in our area push babies out the door. Every year struggling with babies who are without a doubt, product of inbreeding (we know her whole flock, it's lines, who she held back, who were the parents, who hatched with who). These babies, altho many will appear healthy now, are being sold with other sibling babies to "start a flock" in which will produce another generation of in**ed babies with issues arising leaving the new owners questioning why. This is not ok. Not good practice. And honestly, it sickens me to see these babies with defects still being SOLD at full price as part of flocks to be used down the line.
Other results of inbreeding can include:
Reduced Reproductive Fitness: Lower s***m viability in ganders, decreased egg production, and lower fertility rates.
Reduced Hatchability: Higher rates of embryos dying inside the egg before hatching.
Poor Growth and Development: Slow growth rates, smaller adult size, and general "sickliness" or weak immunity, sometimes leading to higher mortality rates in young goslings.
Physical Deformities: Increased risk of structural defects, such as crooked legs or feet.
Feather and Down Abnormalities: Some in**ed goslings can hatch with thin or "hairy" down, lacking the dense, protective covering needed for proper thermoregulation.
Increased Susceptibility to Disease: A weaker immune system makes them less robust and more vulnerable to diseases.
My point is, please, if you have questions, ask. If I can not fulfill your request, message me, I'll happily send you to someone I think may be able to assist you. Someone reputable and with good practice. Someone who knows their lines, where they originated, and who is related and who isn't. Babies should not be born with issues to have to fight thru just to survive.
These guys are not a money making machine. Lord knows the time and money that go into any type of livestock, and sebastopols are no different! They are a threatened endangered breed of goose, we absolutely adore and are diligently working towards perfecting each and every year to make more vigorous babies leading to adults who are hardy and healthy.
I'm not posting this to bash anyone. I am posting in hopes new owners are aware of things before purchasing. Just because u see babies pop up available in random places, does not mean babies r healthy, and def won't mean babies from them will thrive and not have issues. Be aware.
For now im not releasing the name for the individual in our area, if you've bought other goslings local to Elmira ny, feel free to inbox me to see if it is the party im referring to here. I will say her location is near Alpine NY.
