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Pilgrim Geese

Pilgrim Geese are the only American goose breed that is auto-sexing. You can tell the male from...

General Information

Pilgrim Geese are the only American goose breed that is auto-sexing. You can tell the male from the female goslings the moment they hatch. Male goslings are yellow with a grayish hue while females have darker down and skin. As they mature, males become increasingly white with blue eyes and females become gray with brown eyes.

Pilgrim Geese were developed by Oscar Grow. His wife named them "Pilgrims" after the family relocated on a "pilgrimage" from Iowa to Missouri. They are a very friendly breed of geese. Ours never hiss unless they have a nest or goslings to protect. If their eggs are collected for sale or incubation rather than allowing them to set them all, they will usually lay around 35-40 eggs a year.

Latest reviews

Lovely Friendly Geese
Pros: Beautiful auto sexing Will be your best friends IF >
Cons: some dont like ducks or chickens. and As with ALL geese, keep small children AWAY.
IF you spend time with them you will be accepted into their flock. They will be your best friends and probably give their life to save you from strangers. They will be so happy to see you every time you come out. They will run to you , shouting for joy!
and IF you learn how to show them who is the Alpha , then Ganders will respect you, even during breeding season.
Does this Pilgrim goose seem unfriendly or mean to YOU?
Purchase Price
$25 for each day old gosling
Purchase Date
May 2020
Pros: Cute, clean, calm, stay together, don't wander, don't attack
Cons: Like to beat up chickens, consume a lot, destroy grassy penned up areas, really territorial during breeding season
My pilgrim geese were really sweet and adorable at first, but once breeding season came along I had to get rid of them. Nearly killed some of my chickens.

Now that they have been sold to a place with no chickens and lots of space, I've heard they're really sweet and get along with everyone perfectly. So, if you don't have lots of space, don't get these birds! Probably won't try them out again, I prefer smaller poultry.
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chickenchicksc
chickenchicksc
I own pilgrims they are in my huge back yard fence with my chickens, they have their own house for nesting, they can be aggressive to chicken during breeding season, but once egg hatched, they go back to being sweet, I love them
Pros: Quiet
Cons: Males are aggressive, females aren't friendly
The male that i raised from a gosling bites hard. He hisses and chases me. The female keeps her distance. They are quiet for geese. My african female is very nice.
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Comments

I currently don't have chickens but they do fine with my ducks. As with all geese, it is possible for a smaller bird such as a duck to get hurt during mating season and you must keep an eye on how things are going with mixed birds. I have had to check my Pilgrim ganders feelings towards certain ducks during the mating season, locking the duck in question away from him for a few days till he calms down again. But it will depend on the birds, gander and space they have. Other then a little bit of fighting during breeding season I haven't seen any issues with them and other birds. All year they run with my ducks and only a few times have I had a duck get harassed and only by the gander in the middle of breeding season.
 
Hmm! Good! I don't know if I'd be willing to take the chance...Are they very standoffish or are they territorial? Will they attack during mating season?
 
Neither. He was protective of his mate, me and most of the ducks and later his babies. With the duck he didn't like, he would chase her away trying to biter her when she went into the pen his girl was sitting in. Just like with any animals they make friends and have others they just don't like as much. I just play it on the safe side as I don't want problems. It really will depend on the bird but the Pilgrims are way calmer and sweeter then any others I have had or seen. Even Golden Retrievers dogs have attacked people, its just more unlikely. Pilgrims are geese and will act like geese but like the Golden Retrievers they seem to have a sweeter and more gentle temperament then others breeds of the same species. Like with Golden Retrievers though, I can only say generality's apply. If your wanting a gentle breed of goose then Pilgrims are a great choice. If you want babies then remember that during mating season regardless of the breed problems can appear even with the Pilgrims. If you want geese but you don't care about babies then go for females. They don't seem to have the hormone issues in spring that the boys do.
 
That's strange. We have a female Pilgrim Goose and she is very kind, she is more of a nervous goose though.
 
I've been thinking about adding a couple of these geese to our flock for a while (we only have chickens now). This makes me even more interested in the Pilgrims! Thanks for the review.
 
I bought a few geese (5) and was told that one was nasty. It was a He. He used to attack the previous owner to them and then went the current.
I said I was not worried. He was only young and was protecting his girls. All the other 4 were female. I snapped him out of it very quickly.
Let him come at you, grab his neck and spin him around, slap him on the tail (bottom) and tell him off sending him off with his dignity shattered.
Also you can spread your arms out and go towards him telling him to behave. It shows him that although he is boss of his flock, he is not boss of you.
This has worked for many people. I saw it on TV in an animal show a fair while ago. Try it, it is a game of bluff. Telling him that you are boss.
 
The general information is wrong about Pilgrim geese being the only American breed that is auto-sexing. Cotton Patch geese also are an American breed, and also auto-sexing.
 
Are the hens good at keeping things away? Are they loud? I might get a few ducks, and I want a goose to protect them, but I don't have that much room, so i need a quiet goose. I want a female because i want laying ducks.
 
Are the hens good at keeping things away? Are they loud? I might get a few ducks, and I want a goose to protect them, but I don't have that much room, so i need a quiet goose. I want a female because i want laying ducks.
geese are more of an alarm system., than a guard. they can be attacked by predators too. they will not protect your ducks or chickens. but you will hear them scream loudly so you can run out and chase predators away yourself.
 

Item information

Category
Geese
Added by
tdhenson86
Views
18,225
Watchers
4
Comments
14
Reviews
5
Last update
Rating
4.20 star(s) 5 ratings

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