Geese

Geese were common on American farms of the early 19th century. But Americans never really liked to eat geese; they always had a preference for turkey. Why did they keep geese? For their feathers! The best mattresses and pillows were made from goose feathers. (To be really correct, a goose is a female and a gander is a male, but we are not going to make that distinction here. When we say "goose," the animal could be either a goose or a gander.) Since feathers were what they wanted, they did not kill the goose because that would end the supply after one plucking. Two to three times a year the geese were gathered as they began to molt their seasonal feathers. After the were caught and their head covered with a stocking or cloth, the down feathers of the birds underside were rubbed in the oppisite direction than they layed and the feathers should come right off. They would then let the goose free, and over the warm weather the goose would re-grow its feathers and be all covered again before winter.

The geese in the Historic Latta Plantation photograph are Buff Geese, one of only two breeds developed in America and a particularly non-aggressive variety of goose.