The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: ScotsGirl on February 16, 2014, 10:09:35 am

Title: Confusion over geese!
Post by: ScotsGirl on February 16, 2014, 10:09:35 am
I despair! We had 7 geese, thought only 1 female. Managed to pair up a male and female by accident when we took away 2 males (we thought)  from the group. The odd one out looked lonely so yet went to get another female yesterday....this morning when let out the new one is twice the size of ours, hisses and just watched it trying to climb on back of other.


So the question is, do only opposite sexes attract? Won't a male take on 2 females? I ask this as other male attacked the odd bird. What area housing is required for 4 birds of mixed sex? We had a spare hen house approx one square metre but there was fighting at bedtime.
Title: Re: Confusion over geese!
Post by: shygirl on February 16, 2014, 01:37:57 pm
i kept mine in a stable, as they never like the goose house we bought for them.
i usually sexed them by behaviour, the goose would be shyer than the protective gander. they should be laying soon.
ours was a trio with followers and we incubated the eggs. they all lived together with no bother, must have had a dozen at one point.
Title: Re: Confusion over geese!
Post by: Daisys Mum on February 16, 2014, 03:19:28 pm
I find it incredibly difficult to sex either Ducks  or geese when they are young, at the moment I have a lovely trio of Embdens that I got from Bigchicken last December, I was planning on keeping them but the family have overruled me,they are a bu33er to put to bed at night and the gander is becoming quite aggressive as the days get longer. I have small people around so have to put them first. They will either go in the freezer or I will sell them if anyone is interested.
Title: Re: Confusion over geese!
Post by: bigchicken on February 16, 2014, 04:42:03 pm
I have two left over from Christmas and thought they were both ganders but he has started treading her. I have a pair, looking forward to a goose egg for breakfast and  hatching some for this christmas.
Title: Re: Confusion over geese!
Post by: HesterF on February 16, 2014, 11:08:01 pm
It should all be very obvious in the next couple of weeks I would have thought. Ganders will be attacking all and sundry, geese will be havering in the background. I got a bit confused with where you're at but I don't think you'll be able to keep a mixed flock at this point. If there are geese around, you'll need to split the ganders. I presume you could get away with a bachelor flock as you can with other poultry as long as the geese aren't too close to distract them. So if you want pairs, you'll have to house them separately. Mine were all living quite happily together through the winter but I've split them up now and noticed the ganders were having a bit of a go at each other through the fence today (first real sign I've had this year that breeding season is close).

Trios or quartets should be fine if it's one gander and two or three geese but it sounds like you don't have enough geese for that. I'd have thought it unlikely a goose would be treading another goose so I'd have a big question mark over the new one you've just brought in but I also don't know whether there is any odd behaviour when you introduce a new bird at this time of year.

Hopefully it will all become clear in the next couple of weeks.