[arborexplora]

Hello, we have 7 Chinese X geese (2 ganders and 5 geese). We are looking to dispatch one of the geese for the Xmas table (don't want to kill one of the ganders in case anything were to happen to the remaining one). However a farmer friend has advised against it stating 'if young kill one the rest will mourn and die too!', there can't be any truth in this, is there? 
 

[Sylvia]

Absolutely none. Take the goose away quietly, make sure the others are out of sight and dispatch quickly. The others won't notice her gone. Only if they are left completely alone will they pine.

[Hermit]

I presume you mean kill a youngster. There should be no problem, thats what thousands of other folk do. I think breeding pairs miss a mate definately, geese are very loyal to each other. I have always been told that if you leave the youngsters with their parents then they wont breed again until the youngsters breed which could be a couple of years. We kill all youngstock anyway.