The purpose for the goose was to have some sort of fowl that we wouldn't eat. We got two, an toulouse named Tudor and an Embden named Stewart, but Tudor was borne off on a high wind and impaled on our shed. Then Stewart was so very lonely that we got her some ducks. She is a very dutiful duck-mommy. She is quite haughty and aloof in a very goosish way, but if she's, say, being bitten by a horse, it's all damsel-in-distress. One can then carry her to saftey which is wonderful because she is warm and I suspect goose down is the softest material known to mankind.