The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: harefarm on January 16, 2015, 02:30:27 pm
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I recently took on a mixed flock of 14 adult Embden geese. I do need to sort the geese from the ganders as the lady told me there are only 4 geese.
The problem I have isn't with a gander but what I believe to be a goose, not a gander. (I am still learning about sexing geese). She is the smallest of them all and is aggressive toward all the others, almost constantly squawking and chasing the others including the ganders.
I do have a funny feeling she is a trouble maker.
Any advice would be good.
Thanks in advance.
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What makes you believe it's a goose rather than a gander causing the trouble?
With ten ganders and four geese, had it been a gander, I'd have advised a cassoulet. It's a shame you're so low on females though.
I'm confused as to why you'd want that many ganders anyway. Won't it be bedlam come breeding season, even if you do separate them according to sex?
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The geese were sort of rescued. Someone had them on 2 1/2 acres of ground which very quickly turned to mud early December. They were covered in clay and had lost weight. They had no undercarriage when I got them. They are now like totally different geese.
The person who had them said they all got on fine and said they were mostly ganders. I will shortly have another look as I have just purchased a Gander and can now see the difference and I think she may have been wrong.
It is a goose causing the trouble. She is small and her features are totally different to the gander. She is more like the 5 definite geese I have but smaller.
When I work out what is what with them the ganders will be going as I already have a breeding trio of geese. I wanted the females for eggs.
I may have done the wrong thing but have removed the trouble maker and they seem to have settled down - still noisy but no aggressive chasing around.
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It is a goose causing the trouble. She is small and her features are totally different to the gander. She is more like the 5 definite geese I have but smaller.
Vent sexing geese is fairly easy and in your case i'd say its definitely worth doing.
going by looks alone with embdens is a bit hit and miss even for experienced goose people, I certainly wouldn't be confident sexing them visually.
it can often be a case of just watching their behaviour rather than going by their appearance.
How definite are you about the 5 geese?
From your description, your small troublemaker 'goose' sounds to me like a young gander
They will need sorted soon, they'll be laying in about 3 weeks and mating should be starting very soon if its hasn't already.
Good luck! sounds like you have a bit of a handful with that lot! ;D
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Vent sexing geese is fairly easy and in your case i'd say its definitely worth doing.
Clansman - I thought that you could either sex a goose at day-old or 6 months old, but not in between. Is that not true then?
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Its easier when they are small from a handling point of view but more difficult to sex them.
The older they are easier it is to sex them but the harder it is to hold them ;D
Here's a youtube video of duck vent sexing at different ages, geese are very similar but obviously bigger ;D
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0ulEtGaxKQ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0ulEtGaxKQ)
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totally agree! take a few mins to learn how to vent sex and then you will be able to do all your goslings this spring too! its so easy and doenst hurt them at all! good luck!
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Thanks both, I'll give it a go.
I can just imagine the conversations on Monday morning: "So Womble, get up to anything interesting at the weekend?" "Well, as a matter of fact......" ;D
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Watch you don't take your eye out!
Some drakes and ganders are packing some serious gear in there! :innocent:
http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2001/09/14/366856.htm (http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2001/09/14/366856.htm)
(http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/img/argenduck.jpg)