Oie Normande
.jpg) Goose | |
 Gander (crested) | |
| Conservation status | |
|---|---|
| Other names |
|
| Country of origin | France |
| Distribution | Normandy |
| Classification | |
| APA | no[3] |
| EE | listed, not recognised[4] |
| PCGB | not recognised[5] |
| |
The Oie Normande is a French breed of goose originating in the historical province of Normandy in northern France. It is an auto-sexing breed: ganders are always white, while geese are grey-and-white. Like most other domestic geese, it derives from the wild species Anser anser.[6]
There are two sub-types, with and without a crest. The crested variant may be called the Oie de Bavent; it is gravely endangered – a total of thirty (female) geese were found in a census in 2014.[7]
History
The Normande was bred in the historical province of Normandy in northern France.
It is recognised by the national Fédération Française des Volailles of France, and is listed but not recognised by the Entente Européenne d'Aviculture et de Cuniculture.[4]
Its conservation status was listed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in 2007 as 'endangered',[1]: 48 and was listed in DAD-IS in 2026 as 'unknown'.[2] The most recent population data dates from 1994, when the total number was estimated to be between 100 and 1000 birds.[2] The crested variant is particularly endangered: a total of thirty (female) geese were found in a census in 2014.[7]
Characteristics
It is not a large goose: body weights are some 4 to 5 kg for geese and 4.5 to 5.5 kg for ganders.[8]: 22 [7] It is an auto-sexing breed – the gander and goose are immediately distinguishable because they are of different colours – and is the only French goose with this characteristic.[9]: 46 [10]: 69 [11] The gander is pure white, with orange-yellow bill and legs, while the goose is grey with white belly and breast, and often with patches of white elsewhere on the body.[12]: 38 The bill is short and strong, the eyes are blue.[8]: 22
The birds may be crested; crested examples are considered a separate sub-type.
Use
The Oie Normande is reared as a roasting bird. It is a rustic breed which forages well and can be left to run free.[8]: 23 [10]: 69 The eggs weigh about 120 g.[8]: 25
References
- 1 2 Barbara Rischkowsky, Dafydd Pilling (editors) (2007). List of breeds documented in the Global Databank for Animal Genetic Resources, annex to The State of the World's Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. Rome: Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. ISBN 9789251057629. Archived 23 June 2020.
- 1 2 3 Breed Data Sheet: Oie Normande / France (Goose (domestic)). Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed August 2026.
- ↑ APA Recognized Breeds and Varieties: As of January 1, 2012. American Poultry Association. Archived 4 November 2017.
- 1 2 Liste des races et variétés homologuée dans les pays EE (28.04.2013). Entente Européenne d’Aviculture et de Cuniculture. Archived 16 June 2013.
- ↑ Geese. Poultry Club of Great Britain. Archived 9 November 2018.
- ↑ Gérard Guy, Roger Buckland (editors) (2002). Annexe 1. Souches d'oies (in French); in: Production des oies, FAO Animal Production and Health Paper 154. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. ISSN 0254-6019, ISBN 9251048622. Archived 27 May 2025.
- 1 2 3 Oca di Bavent: Arca del Gusto (in Italian). Bra, Cuneo: Fondazione Slow Food per la Biodiversità Onlus/Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity. Accessed August 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 Alain Fournier (2005). L'élevage des oies et des canards (in French). Paris: Artémis. ISBN 9782844163486.
- ↑ Chris Ashton (2012). Keeping Geese. Ramsbury, Marlborough: The Crowood Press. ISBN 9781847973368.
- 1 2 Jean-Baptiste de Panafieu (2008). Des oies et des canards (in French). Gulf Stream Éditeur. ISBN 9782354880149.
- ↑ Liste des variétés canards, oies, dindons, pintades reconnues en France, Janvier 2025 (in French). Fédération Française des Volailles. Archived 15 August 2025.
- ↑ Gabriel Lissot (1946). Oies et canards (in French). Paris: Flammarion.