The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: Jethro Tull on June 07, 2021, 06:41:55 am
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We have been putting our Emden goose eggs under broody hens these last few weeks (most take two quite happily, though one sat on four for 32 days and successfully hatched them all). Result is about 10 more goslings than we will need. Can anyone suggest how we should sell them locally and privately. I have been advertising them but without success.
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The market is flooded with home hatched birds at the moment. Unless you are an established breeder and well known in the area it is often tricky to shift surplus stock. If you want to sell them locally try putting an ad in your feed store or local shop. Photographs will help too.
Meant to add, make sure the purchaser knows what they are taking on if they haven't had geese before. Maybe offer to deliver them so you can see what sort of set up they have and whether they actually have enough space for the geese once fully grown. And don't be afraid to withdraw from the sale if you are unhappy with anything. Better to hang on to your babies for a little longer than worry you've sold them to the wrong home.
Well done with the success of your hatch by the way.
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Just checked where you are as we are wanting to get a few geese (to grow for for Solstice / Christmas) in a month or so. But Bedfordshire to North Cornwall is a bit too far!
Around here, FB smallholder and local groups seems to work well. But you have to do it in a way that doesn't fall foul (sorry, couldn't resist) of their rules...
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I agree that an ad in the local feed store is likely to be successful. There seems to be a shortage of goslings this year. None of our usual suppliers are able to sell us any at all. If I saw your ad in my local Mole Valley Farmers I would be round to your place like a shot!
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Thanks for 3 helpful answers
Back in the day we lived near Crediton, neither North Cornwall nor Somerset would have been outlandishly far.
However I am slightly troubled by Richmond’s post which suggests that on this side of the country things may be different
What I would really like is an old fashioned butcher to take them off my hands, two by two, as they reach maturity.
Meanwhile I will try an ad in the feed shop.
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Jethro, you may be perfectly ok in Bedfordshire, but Norfolk is a poultry heavy county, and always has been. Lots of big farms round here rearing flocks of geese for the commercial market, but also a lot of smaller private sellers too. Same goes for chickens - loads and loads of backyard sellers putting their surplus stock on the free ad sites right now.