Ili geese are mainly produced in the counties and cities directly under the jurisdiction of Ili Prefecture, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and are distributed in Ili Prefecture and Bortala Mongol Autonomous Prefecture. The goose is cold-resistant and heat-resistant, has strong adaptability, is raised extensively, and has low production performance. 1. Appearance: Medium-sized, with a medium flat top, no tumorous protrusion, no pharyngeal pouch under the jaw, a short neck, a broad and protruding chest, a flat oval body, thick and short legs, a long neck and tail, and a body shape very similar to that of the grey goose. The upper body of the gosling is yellowish brown, the sides are yellow, the abdomen is light yellow, the eyes are gray-black, the beak is yellowish brown, the shanks, toes, and webs are orange-red, and the beak is soy milk-colored. The beak of an adult goose is ivory, the shanks, toes, and webs are flesh-red, and the iridescence is blue-gray. The feathers can be divided into gray, flower, and self-colored: (1) Grey goose. The head, shanks, back, waist, etc. are gray-brown, the chest, abdomen, and tail are gray and self-colored, and there are small dark spots. There is a narrow self-colored feather ring around the base of the beak. On both sides of the body and back, dark and light brown are connected, forming a wavy horizontal band like a tile. The tail feathers are brown, with the feather tips being self-colored, and the two pairs of tail feathers on the outermost side are white. (2) Spotted goose. Gray and white, with gray-brown head, back, wings and other parts, and white other parts. It is common to see self-colored feather rings on the neck and shoulders. (3) White goose. The whole body feathers are white. 2. Production and meat production performance The shell weight is about 100 g. Under grazing conditions, it weighs 1231-1375 g at 30 days old, 2767-3034 g at 60 days old, 2967-3412 g at 90 days old, and 3444-3687 g at 120 days old. It can be put on the market when it is close to maturity. Some can gain about 500 g in weight after 15 days of fattening. Farmers mostly use summer and autumn pasture and stubble fields for grazing, and they are fat and strong by October and November. The half-evisceration rate and full-evisceration rate of 240-day-old fat geese are 83.6% and 75.5% for male and female geese respectively. 3. Egg-laying and reproductive performance Yili geese generally have only one egg-laying period per year, which occurs between March and April. Some of them lay eggs in spring and autumn. They can lay 5 to 24 eggs a year, with an average annual production of 10.1 eggs. The egg production varies with age. In the first year, 7 to 8 eggs are produced, in the second year, 10 to 12 eggs are produced, and in the third year, 15 to 16 eggs are produced. At this time, the egg production peak has been reached. After a few years of stability, the egg production gradually decreases in the sixth year, and in the tenth year, it drops to the level of the first year. Female geese are generally raised for 6 to 7 years, and some good ones can be raised for 10 to 15 years. The average egg weight is 153.9 g, and the eggshell is milky white. The shell thickness is 0.60 mm, and the egg shape index is 1.48. The composition ratio of eggs is: eggshell accounts for 11.23, yolk accounts for 31.36, and egg body accounts for 57.41. The sexual maturity of female geese is greatly affected by climate and season. Generally, the geese hatched in the same year will start laying eggs in the spring of the following year, and the male geese will mate for 0, which takes about 10 months. The male-female ratio is 1:2-4, the average fertilization rate is 83.1, the hatching rate of fertilized eggs is 81.9, and the survival rate of 30-day-old goslings is 84.7. Ili geese have nesting characteristics, generally once a year, after the end of spring egg laying. 4. Down production performance Goose down is one of the main products of local people's goose farming. On average, each goose can produce 240 g of down, of which 192.6 g is pure down. Only seven or eight geese are needed to make a national pillow. In 1992, the female parent of the Huoyan goose was introduced from Changtu, Liaoning, and hybridized with the local Ili goose, which increased the egg production and down production.