The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: Azzdodd on May 28, 2013, 11:13:10 am
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Bought myself 4 goslings all embden there was 10 to choose from so I chose the 2 largest thinking a they may very well be ganders and 2 smaller ones hoping there female.....my theory is with 4 I should get atleast 1 female? But I just want to know if anyone has tips for sexing them young there about 8-9 weeks old picture should be attached
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I think once they've got to that stage you might be best just waiting to see how they behave as they get older. We were going to vent sex our goslings when they were a few days old but didn't in the end.
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Size might be a help also sometimes the males here seem more upright and the females more dumpy. But since we have mixed breeds, it might just be the different breed influences!
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I think you're supposed to do it at day old (someone correct me if I'm wrong). Try YouTube vids.
I do know someone who has vent sexed older geese. We may have to do it with ours shortly as I suspect that one of my ladies has turned out male. The other male we have is fairly obvious and he has a mark on him so I can distinguish him from the others, but with this other 'possibility' I am having to go on behaviour rather than size etc.
Can I recommend Azzdodd that you get some leg rings if you are going to handle them anyway (save doing it later on), it will be helpful to you next year if you are breeding - just got some myself from Regency Poultry via ebay - make sure you get the big size. ;)
Let us know how you get on.
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That's what I want to know what sort off behaviour will males have that a female won't? Will they just be more domanant like a young cockeral?
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I'm no expert but you can vent sex them at any stage. At a day old they are tiny so you need to know what you are doing and looking for (it's the same as ducks so I had a bit of a head start here). The problem as they get older is they get much stronger, including their vent sphincter, which it makes it harder. I'm pretty certain that an adult goose would be pretty offended at the indignity of it all and let you know about it in no uncertain terms!
I found my easiest to sex at about a week. I'm guessing that yours are already too large to make that easy.
After that I'm useless. I rehomed 2 geese and thought I had a goose and a gander as one was bigger and more protective of the other. The fact that they both laid this spring somewhat put paid to that idea!