Shetland geese average 12-14 lbs, and lay about 30 eggs yearly. They are a sex-linked color. Shetland geese have a broad back, a well rounded breast. Their bills are shorter that other geese. Both sexes have orange bills which redden towards the nostrils. They have powerful wings and are good flyers.

The gander is white with a few gray fethers and blue eyes. Shetland females eyes are brown or brown and blue mottled. The females are "saddle backed". The shoulders and thigh coverlets are gray. The secondary flights and back can be gray or white. The head and neck can be gray with some white to white with some gray. The body is mostly white unlike the Pilgrim females which are all gray with a few white feathers on their heads.

Do visit the The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy's web site to find other information about the genetic viability of this beautiful little goose in the USA.