Author Topic: Geese - trio or just pair? (Read 2506 times)

macgro7 · « **on:** November 14, 2016, 05:42:19 pm »

I have a trio of this year's West of England geese. Not sure wether to keep all three or get rid of one female.
The issue I'm thinking of is when they go broody females might fight - I've had that before and none of the eggs hatched as one Goose went broody and the other one kept laying in the same nest and pushing the broody away...
Does anyone have a better solution than keeping only one female and removing the other.
I mean... I wouldn't say no to a roast goose lol

Steph Hen · « **Reply #1 on:** November 14, 2016, 08:22:20 pm »

Any way you could separate them a bit if one goes broody again? Seems like a shame to eat a laying goose and its maybe handy to have one continue laying while the other sits/broods, if you like eating and selling the eggs? Or twice as many babies if they both go broody and you can get them to sit on different nests?!

macgro7 · « **Reply #2 on:** November 14, 2016, 09:06:02 pm »

They are this year's goslings so not laying yet but definitely two girls and a boy. Maybe I could put some pallets up to divide their sleeping quarters into two nests... hmmm....

Penninehillbilly · « **Reply #3 on:** November 14, 2016, 10:43:30 pm »

I used pallets to separate mine, made a pen outside their pen. once broody, first one was happy to use a different door and outside area. If you don't want to keep her I would advertise her quickly, getting a bit late to pair up with another male. Whatever you do don't eat her, I'm sure she would sell easily :-).
Are they all from one hatch ? Related ?
It was lovely when one of mine hatched some, all 6 adults protected babies :-).

macgro7 · « **Reply #4 on:** November 16, 2016, 12:52:30 pm »

I think they are related. It is likely the male is their half brother as females are correctly coloured (saddle back) and the male is mostly grey with a white patch on his breast.
So if anyone has a nice young West of England gander I'm willing to trade!