The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: StephB on April 17, 2012, 06:21:49 pm
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Hi all,
I started off with two geese, and recently added Boris the Gander.
All seemed fine, no squabbles, but recently the one goose seems to have marks on her head, just above her eyes and some feathers are out and i can see bits of her skin showing. Nothing horrendous, but enough to notice.
I wondered at first if it was from overzealous mating, but the other goose gets attention from boris and doesn't have these marks. All three of them stick together during the day and I have sat and watched them for ages with no signs of arguements etc.
Anyway, I went to let them out this morning and just as I opened the goose house i saw Boris with the white gooses head in between his bill. she shook him off and out they came.
I am wondering now if he is bullying her during the night and if she is not the favourite goose. although I always thought you kept geese in trio's rather than pairs.
Is there anyone out there with Goose experience who could offer some advice, i really don't want to get rid of the goose or the gander. I was thinking of putting the bullied goose in with the ducks at night. They get along together and that would keep her away from him during then night, and they could carry on as normal during the day. Am just slightly worried that it will cause more problems.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks
Steph
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Sometimes geese work in trios but often two pair up and there's a spare one.
The worry about putting her in with the ducks at night is that you make her even more isolated, so that she's on her own during the day too.
If she doesn't seem scared of him, or avoid him during the day, she probably isn't too stressed by it so to be honest I'd leave them together.
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I agree, it's the mating season and they nibble each other. My gander has bald patches around his eyes where one or both of his ladies has been nibbling. The rest of the year it grows back.
So I wouldn't worry unless you see him actively attacking her to drive her away in the daylight, and/or that he's drawn blood, I think it's just the 'night time nibbles' as I call it :D
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My three geese went around together but the gander favoured one girl over the other. The one that was left out went and nested and is now sitting on eggs. It could be that the goose that Boris is bullying might go and start sitting.
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Its also amazing how quickly even nasty wounds on geese/ganders heal up. They really are very very tough creatures, so I wouldnt worry too much. Their idea of being nice to each other isnt that nice really!
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Geese aren't nice to people either - don't get me started again - shoot the lot of 'em ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
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important advice IF ALL ELSE FAILS GOOSE IS VERY TASTY!!!
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They are supposed to team up for life I think, if it continues after this breeding season, perhaps swap your gander, he may fancy the twins next door and vice versa, then everyone's happy ;)
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When we had a similar problem, we split the house in two with a cut-down pallet, making sure that the width of the upright struts were close enough so that a 'head' could not get through to 'nibble'. Whichever faction went in first (single female or couple), we would swing another piece of pallet across so that we could drive the other faction in without mishap and leave the swing pallet in place until we opened up in the morning.
Each 'faction' then got used to going into it's own side after a time.
Having said this, if a pair of geese have mated excluding the 2nd female it is unlikely that the gander will ever happily accept the excluded female and the 'nibbling' will get worse (even if the couple tolerate the single female). We have the same problem at the moment but, luckily and by chance, someone is coming next week to buy the 'excluded' female.
Ideally, I like to keep a trio but I know it just isn't going to work with this gander - he is so smitten by No1 female!
Looks like I'm going to have to buy another gander and another duo of females. And there was I congratulating myself on cutting down the number of geese I was keeping! Sigh.............