"quiet" goose breed for a pet

atsilliker

Hatching
10 Years
Apr 21, 2009
2
0
7
Hi, I am looking to get a baby goose or two. I am thinking of ordering from Metzer Farms.

The three geese species are being debated are toulouse, embden and buff. Which are these geese on average are the quietest and friendliest? Also, what are the approximate sizes of these geese?

-many thanks!
 
Embdens are the biggest, toulouse a close second, and buffs are third. The buffs are supposed to be a very docile breed. I don't know much about toulouse, but I know that every mean goose I have ever seen has been an embden. As for the noise level, I don't think there is such a thing as a quiet 'breed', I believe it is mainly a per bird basis. I have some babies coming from metzers this Wednesday, I can't wait!! Too bad they aren't mine
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Mine will be coming next month, I didn't have enough $$ to stay on the combined order that I initiated!!
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Thanks for the information!

For the moment I'm tempted to get a toulouse and a buff, both males. From what I've read toulouse are pretty docile and sometimes get picked on for this reason. The buff is smaller and also supposedly docile. I'm hoping they'll get along with a male duck in the yard...... Doesn't the fighting happen if there is a female around?

I'm going to be putting up a fence but there is the risk of a raccoon or a cat climbing under or over it. Would these geese as adults be large enough to defend themselves, or at least make enough noise and hold them off for me to come out? This is why I'm a little concerned about size.... I'm wondering if two geese would charge a raccoon.
 
I wouldn't get both males, they would probably still fight when they get to breeding age. Plus they would most likely try to mate each other or your duck, it would be safer and they would be happier if there were girls around. I don't think cats would be a problem, but racoons can get pretty big! I have seen many that were at least 20 pounds, if not more, and that is about as big as your goose would be. At night they would be more susceptable to predators, so your best bet would be to keep them locked up at night in some kind of structure. You can train them to go into a coop at night, the easiest way is to wait to feed them until bedtime, then just lock them up.

I too have read that toulouse are very skittish, but have also read that they are pretty quiet unless they are spooked. But if they are skittish, I would think they would get spooked a lot!

My choice is buffs, simply because they are not that common. Now that spring is here, I have realized they are a bit more common in my area than I was aware, so I might go with the tufted buffs instead. I haven't seen those in my area at all!
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If you are looking for a docile goose go with the Buff. I have owned all the breeds you are considering and Toulouse was the worst offender for hissing & general human distrust. Buffs and Pilgrims are the calmest geese in my experience. I agree with shelleyd that two males are not a good choice for docile yard eye candy. Is there a reason that you don't want females or a pair?
 
I would buy Buffs and I would buy two females. A pair would be OK, but they can end up being not as friendly during breeding season. Raccoons can kill geese. They have trouble getting away! Embdens are noisy and can be hissy. Regular toulouse can be skittish and I've seen them be hissy, too.

We let our geese (dewlaps and sebbies) run around during the day and at night, they go into a totally enclosed dog run with Little Tykes houses for shelter. We put additional kennel panels or welded wire on the roof to enclose the pens and they have a kiddie pool inside, too.

They will march right into the pen at any time they perceive we have food for them. If they realize they aren't being fed, them march back out, wings spread out, honking away. They mostly honk when it is feeding time, if you separate one from its group (they "call" to each other), and when you first let them out of the pens. Otherwise, they are pretty quiet, really.

From what I've been told, buffs are more like the dewlaps, personality wise...docile and easy going.

Good luck. Geese are great!
 
I would NOT have 2 males. I ended up with 2 males of the american buffs once and when breeding season came they almost killed each other. Our buffs are very docile except breeding season when the male is very protective of his girlfriend who is setting now and should hatch out at the end of the month. The africans we have are also very good natured. The chinas on the other hand! We call them our cobra geese. They are mean all year rain, sleet, snow, ice, breeding not breeding (they are terrible, but would not give the pair up for the world, we just learn to live in there world)
We just got a pair of Super africans from Metzer farms and they are great! We are in Wisconsin and they made it just fine from California
 
I have a pair of Buffs from Metzer. Great birds.
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But they're not really that quiet. If they see a stranger, they will raise a rukus. They've been great watchdogs.

Overall they've been docile. The gander was more aggressive during breeding season. I didn't have any problems with him or her, but my husband couldn't come into their area at that time without being charged by the gander. And I definately wouldn't allow a stranger come into their area, breeding season or not.

The gander is about 32" tall and weighs around 15 lbs right now. The goose is smaller of course. They'll be a year old in late May. I have really enjoyed having them. Great personalities, friendly (to me at least,) and beautiful.
 
Toulouse geese aren't quiet and I've never heard of them being bullied. They're a meat goose, bred for rapid growth rather than for a docile disposition. While they have a lot of personality, friendliness just isn't a trait that is specifically bred into them.

My American Buff geese aren't as quiet as my Pilgrims, but they're definitely not loud. I have noticed that geese will teach one another to be loud. If you keep a quiet breed in with a chatty one then the quiet goose will become more chatty. I had this happen when I had a half dozen American Buff goslings raised by a big old Embden male. The goslings picked up on his chatty personality and I ended up selling all of them.

I haven't had any problems with extra males fighting. During the breeding season if I have any males who don't pair up with anyone I put them together and have them help raise the younger goslings. They have always been fine, both with and without goslings. That may depend on the goose itself.

Embdens are supposed to be larger than Toulouse, but I've noticed that both breeds from the hatchery are roughly the same size. American Buffs are a little smaller, being the largest goose in the medium breed category (Embdens and Toulouse are supposed to be in the large breed category).

I wholeheartedly recommend the American Buffs out of your three. They are more personable and require less socializing if you want them to be mellow around strangers. They are good mothers and are still good meat geese if you decide to go that route.
 
Toulouse geese aren't quiet and I've never heard of them being bullied. They're a meat goose, bred for rapid growth rather than for a docile disposition. While they have a lot of personality, friendliness just isn't a trait that is specifically bred into them.

My American Buff geese aren't as quiet as my Pilgrims, but they're definitely not loud. I have noticed that geese will teach one another to be loud. If you keep a quiet breed in with a chatty one then the quiet goose will become more chatty. I had this happen when I had a half dozen American Buff goslings raised by a big old Embden male. The goslings picked up on his chatty personality and I ended up selling all of them.

I haven't had any problems with extra males fighting. During the breeding season if I have any males who don't pair up with anyone I put them together and have them help raise the younger goslings. They have always been fine, both with and without goslings. That may depend on the goose itself.

Embdens are supposed to be larger than Toulouse, but I've noticed that both breeds from the hatchery are roughly the same size. American Buffs are a little smaller, being the largest goose in the medium breed category (Embdens and Toulouse are supposed to be in the large breed category).

I wholeheartedly recommend the American Buffs out of your three. They are more personable and require less socializing if you want them to be mellow around strangers. They are good mothers and are still good meat
 

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