Agri Vehicles Insurance from Greenlands

Author Topic: Goose advice please  (Read 8057 times)

mojocafa

  • Joined Sep 2012
  • Angus
Goose advice please
« on: January 12, 2015, 11:31:13 am »
I have a trio of buff backed geese, the goose has chosen his gander and they are not being very pleasant to the other gander. What will I do...

... Keep her separated and she can live alongside chickens or try to rehome
pygmy goats, gsd, border collie, scots dumpys, cochins, araucanas, shetland ducks and geese,  marrans, and pea fowl in a pear tree.

HesterF

  • Joined Jul 2012
  • Kent
  • HesterF
Re: Goose advice please
« Reply #1 on: January 12, 2015, 12:00:00 pm »
Are the two pied geese both girls? I was going to say you have to separate ganders in breeding season but then it looks like you've got only one gander and two geese? I'd keep an eye on the situation. In theory you should be able to have one gander, two geese and he should look after both of them. If it doesn't work out, yes, you'll need to rehome her because geese need other geese really (apparently in Switzerland it's actually illegal to keep a solitary goose) so it wouldn't be fair to keep her with the chickens long term.

H

mojocafa

  • Joined Sep 2012
  • Angus
Re: Goose advice please
« Reply #2 on: January 12, 2015, 02:58:32 pm »
Start again... :thinking:

The gander has chosen his goose! And life for the other goose is not good, she is free ranging alongside ducks and chickens but is honking a lot! When with the other two they keep chasing her away!

pygmy goats, gsd, border collie, scots dumpys, cochins, araucanas, shetland ducks and geese,  marrans, and pea fowl in a pear tree.

HesterF

  • Joined Jul 2012
  • Kent
  • HesterF
Re: Goose advice please
« Reply #3 on: January 12, 2015, 07:39:15 pm »
Or get another gander and have two pairs? Would need to have separate houses though....

sokel

  • Joined Jun 2012
  • S W northumberland
Re: Goose advice please
« Reply #4 on: January 13, 2015, 09:23:29 am »
When we have had more geese than Ganders the Ganders have always covered the spare geese and  have gone on the hatch goslings out.
Graham

devonlady

  • Joined Aug 2014
Re: Goose advice please
« Reply #5 on: January 13, 2015, 10:05:51 am »
Have they always been together or is one goose a recent addition? Geese are a bit stand-offish with "strangers" and can take months to accept them, even when introducing a gander to spinster geese!
If this is the case then give them a bit more time, if not then find a friendlier home for her, maybe?

mojocafa

  • Joined Sep 2012
  • Angus
Re: Goose advice please
« Reply #6 on: January 13, 2015, 11:50:00 am »
I got them as a trio about 6 month ago, it's only now that this is happening
pygmy goats, gsd, border collie, scots dumpys, cochins, araucanas, shetland ducks and geese,  marrans, and pea fowl in a pear tree.

shygirl

  • Joined May 2013
Re: Goose advice please
« Reply #7 on: January 13, 2015, 04:18:21 pm »
can you increase the number of geese by hatching out some goslings? it might help.

roddycm

  • Joined Jul 2013
Re: Goose advice please
« Reply #8 on: January 13, 2015, 05:33:42 pm »
how odd! never heard of this before, I have always kept my geese in a mixed flock and they just get on with it! There is the odd squabble but nothing more serious than just establishing the pecking order. I personally would not separate them unless the aggression is really bad... it may just be hormones and deciding who is going to get first dibs on nesting spaces etc... if you keep them apart it will be much more tricky to reintroduce them later on. I hope it all works out!

mojocafa

  • Joined Sep 2012
  • Angus
Re: Goose advice please
« Reply #9 on: January 13, 2015, 07:48:34 pm »
Cheers folks,  will keep an eye on things, will try keeping them together a bit longer
pygmy goats, gsd, border collie, scots dumpys, cochins, araucanas, shetland ducks and geese,  marrans, and pea fowl in a pear tree.

hughesy

  • Joined Feb 2010
  • Anglesey
Re: Goose advice please
« Reply #10 on: January 14, 2015, 11:12:46 am »
Ours are in a mixed flock too. nine geese and five ganders. There's usually a bit of squabling just before the breeding season but they get on fine otherwise. I wouldn't split them up because it will take a good while to get them back together again. Sounds like you might have one goose and two ganders there which would be bound to cause a bit of scrapping.

Clansman

  • Joined Jul 2013
  • Ayrshire
Re: Goose advice please
« Reply #11 on: January 14, 2015, 11:20:10 am »
Yep that may well be the problem, two boys?

Never seen the girls falling out like that


mojocafa

  • Joined Sep 2012
  • Angus
Re: Goose advice please
« Reply #12 on: January 14, 2015, 01:05:16 pm »
No I'm sure I have two girls as they are both buff backed, boys are white.

It's predominately the boy chasing away a girl

Away to do some googling,
pygmy goats, gsd, border collie, scots dumpys, cochins, araucanas, shetland ducks and geese,  marrans, and pea fowl in a pear tree.

roddycm

  • Joined Jul 2013
Re: Goose advice please
« Reply #13 on: January 14, 2015, 01:45:36 pm »
ahh yes that could be the problem! I just thought they had been sexed when you got them! With buff backs both sexes are the same colour so one could be a male. Its pilgrims and west of englands that have white males and the grey/ grey and white girls.

You may well have been sold two males and a female :( I would recommend learning how to vent sex (its veryyyy easy) and this way when you buy young geese or goslings you can just sex them before taking them home!

Youtube has vids on this, it works for ducks too.

HesterF

  • Joined Jul 2012
  • Kent
  • HesterF
Re: Goose advice please
« Reply #14 on: January 14, 2015, 02:08:43 pm »
Aha - so all buff backs are buff backed? I'd assumed they were autosexing like my woe. So the white gander isn't a buff back at all? Where did you get them?

 

Forum sponsors

FibreHut Energy Helpline Thomson & Morgan Time for Paws Scottish Smallholder & Grower Festival Ark Farm Livestock Movement Service

© The Accidental Smallholder Ltd 2003-2024. All rights reserved.

Design by Furness Internet

Site developed by Champion IS