For many consumers, the origin of their traditional St Martin’s or Christmas goose is of great importance. Animal welfare, regional sourcing and transparency begin right from the production of the hatching eggs. Dr Theresa Bormann (from the Wermsdorf goose breeding farm and a member of the Waterfowl Working Group within the Fokus Tierwohl network) explains what is important in the animal-welfare-oriented rearing of breeding geese, and also how geese, as waterfowl, differ fundamentally from other poultry species.