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One of the great things about Shetland geese is their coloring. They have auto-sexing plumage.
This means any novice can sex them, even at day-old. If you can sex Pilgrims, you can sex Shetlands. As down covered
babies, the males have an overall yellower tone and clearly pink feet and bill while the females have a gray shadow
about them and grayish tint to areas of their feet and bill. With some of both sexes present, it is obvious which is
which. But even if you are unsure at that age, there will be no doubt when they get their feathers. The males
are white with the possibility of a few gray feathers and blue eyes. The females are white with gray saddle and gray
head possibly with white neck or white on the face.
It is important to note that the sex-linked coloring of Shetlands (and Pilgrims) only works if you keep
the breed 100% pure. If you mix breeds, it won't work! So it is imperative to keep breeders separated if you keep
more than one kind of geese.
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