In praise of geese - Telegraph Although hardy, easy and great fun to keep, geese need to be visited regularly - though the temptation will be to spend too long watching their antics, because all poultry are great time wasters. Geese live for up to 20 years, so adopting a flock can be quite a commitment, but long-term connections can be hugely fulfilling, providing you with entertainment, camaraderie and lifetime membership of the flock. All you need to know about keeping geese Geese can see in the dark and doze with one eye and half their brain alert to predators, but they still need protection from foxes and dogs. Their ideal home is a shelter within a netted pen, leading to a paddock. Be warned, geese are master escapologists and lighter breeds may need their flight feathers trimmed. It is possible to keep geese without a pond, and although not as aquatic as ducks, it would be hard to deny them a small pond at least, as they love to paddle and preen and the larger breeds need the extra buoyancy for mating. Geese are hardy; house them for protection and easy egg collection rather than comfort. Make sure the floor is kept dry with a thick layer of straw or corrugated cardboard bedding, or the occupants will develop arthritis. Geese are herbivores, needing large amounts of good grazing supplemented with mixed corn, windfalls and proprietary goose pellets. Clean water is essential for waterfowl. For more information see gooseclub.co.uk and waterfowl.org.uk, and also Keeping Geese: Breeds & Management by Chris Ashton (Crowood Press). Chinese A light, stylish, shapely goose with swanlike appearance, that lays up to 100 eggs a year and sits well. The only breed suitable for the garden, as it concentrates on grass, leaving your plants to flourish. Some strains need protection from the cold. Available in white with an orange beak or handsome grey/brown with a black beak. Roman A small, chubby, pure white goose (12lb/6kg), a first-class beginner's bird with pinkish orange legs, bill and webs. Neat, active and nippy, excellent for smaller orchards or paddocks, the females have impressive fertility with strong maternal instincts. Pilgrim A charming bird with upright stance, as if standing on tiptoes. Taken to America by the Pilgrim Fathers. The gander is pure white and his lady is grey with a black-and-white back and a white bottom. The young are easy to sex (males yellow and females grey) and easy to raise. Docile, quiet and possibly the most reliable with children. Brecon Buff A larger goose (18lb/8kg) that lays well. Bred in Wales in the Thirties, both sexes are buff coloured with milk chocolate markings and unusual pink accessories. Friendly, with a docile temperament, this is the best layer of the heavier breeds. A good forager that does well in colder climates. Eschew the transatlantic turkey and dine on traditional goose meat this Christmas from local pasture-reared geese. Order now - for stockists see geese.co.uk. Go to goodmansgeese.co.uk for cooking instructions, recipes and mail order with overnight delivery; welshgoose.co.uk for slow-grown luxury birds; wildmeat.co.uk for wild waterfowl, game and butchery classes.