Are these African goslings?

Who, I'm gone for a minute and there are over 50+ posts on my thread! Mostly about breeders, feed, and dogs! haha!! Calm down guys!


Anyway, the pair are doing good. I have been feeding them the same chick-starter I have been feeding the chicks, and they all seem to be happy and healthy.
It also helps that I moved them from the garage and into a square outside pen where they get lots of grass, a kitty litter box of water, and an old rabbit box turned goose box (though they are slowly rowing out of it).

They are getting so huge! They eat tons of grass when I let them out, and I have to move the pen everyday because they poo so much!

Which brings me to another question, Is it weird if their poop consists of grass? It is like a little turd made out of grass? but this only has happened once; since then they have been pooing normally I suppose. Does this mean I should cut back their grass intake, or what?

Also, when they get older will I have to spend the extra money for waterfowl feed plus layer feed (chickens) or is it okay to just let them eat grass?

livininbrazil said:

Poor Utah lost one of her whites, remember? I hope you manage to get some. There are Africans here, but I´ve never seen one in the flesh, so they´re rare. i´ve never even seen a photo of a white African here. Chinese are very popular here, but then people are frightened of them.

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I still have my original white trio. I had a white goose develop reproductive problems earlier this year, but she recovered 100% and is now broody on 6-7 eggs (hoping she will hatch a white gosling). I lost a brown african to a fox last month. Perhaps you are mixing the two geese up.

TheCorgiGirl said:

Who, I'm gone for a minute and there are over 50+ posts on my thread! Mostly about breeders, feed, and dogs! haha!! Calm down guys!


Anyway, the pair are doing good. I have been feeding them the same chick-starter I have been feeding the chicks, and they all seem to be happy and healthy.
It also helps that I moved them from the garage and into a square outside pen where they get lots of grass, a kitty litter box of water, and an old rabbit box turned goose box (though they are slowly rowing out of it).

They are getting so huge! They eat tons of grass when I let them out, and I have to move the pen everyday because they poo so much!

Which brings me to another question, Is it weird if their poop consists of grass? It is like a little turd made out of grass? but this only has happened once; since then they have been pooing normally I suppose. Does this mean I should cut back their grass intake, or what?

Also, when they get older will I have to spend the extra money for waterfowl feed plus layer feed (chickens) or is it okay to just let them eat grass?

Click to expand...

To answer your original question, they are Africans and you can tell by the shape of their beak, which is rounded at the top to accommodate for the knob that will grow there.

As for food, the best is to have at least 50% (ideally 80+%) fresh grass/dandelions. An all flock raiser is perfectly fine, but the females will need a calcium supplement during laying season. No need to get the expensive waterfowl specific grain. And because they process food so quickly they will poop what they eat, ie brown for grain and green for grass.

TheCorgiGirl said:

Who, I'm gone for a minute and there are over 50+ posts on my thread! Mostly about breeders, feed, and dogs! haha!! Calm down guys!


Anyway, the pair are doing good. I have been feeding them the same chick-starter I have been feeding the chicks, and they all seem to be happy and healthy.
It also helps that I moved them from the garage and into a square outside pen where they get lots of grass, a kitty litter box of water, and an old rabbit box turned goose box (though they are slowly rowing out of it).

They are getting so huge! They eat tons of grass when I let them out, and I have to move the pen everyday because they poo so much!

Which brings me to another question, Is it weird if their poop consists of grass? It is like a little turd made out of grass? but this only has happened once; since then they have been pooing normally I suppose. Does this mean I should cut back their grass intake, or what?

Also, when they get older will I have to spend the extra money for waterfowl feed plus layer feed (chickens) or is it okay to just let them eat grass?

Click to expand...

Hi, good to hear they´re doing well. Don´t cut back the grass, it´s great they´re out eating grass, the most important thing for them.
Poop should be mainly very dark green, looks like lots of grass. When it rains, or the sun dries it, it´ll look like little packages of hay. They need grit to grind it up inside them. This gets out most of the goodness for them, then they poop the roughage. That´s why they have to keep eating the stuff. It´s the best thing there is for them, but most of us supplement it with other greens like lettuce, and fruits. I´d not bother for too long with the chick crumb. After about 3 - 4 weeks they don´t really need it, but a tonic in their water that includes niacin would be a great idea. You could use Brewers´Yeast for this. Mine here, once they pass a month old or so, just graze and they have corn as a treat every day, also various greens, veges, fruits...., Grass is best, but keep an eye on them, as at times, like when the grass is a bit past it, the geese won´t be getting all the nutrients they need, so it´d be good, especially at this time, to give them things like watermelon, pears, lettuce, float peas in a bucket of water, things like that....

Iain Utah said:

I still have my original white trio. I had a white goose develop reproductive problems earlier this year, but she recovered 100% and is now broody on 6-7 eggs (hoping she will hatch a white gosling). I lost a brown african to a fox last month. Perhaps you are mixing the two geese up.

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Oh, yes, I did then. I was thinking it was the white you lost. Sorry you lost a goose at all, but glad it wasn´t the white. Even better she´s on some eggs. Did you leave her with her hearthrob non-white gander? Hope you get a white gosling, too.

I am enjoying the information . I have 2 goslings coming in on Fri. last yr was my 1st with a few ducks.

Yes, I left her with her heartthrob boyfriend, but luckily she is sitting on my other white goose's eggs which should be pure white colored. 99
'

Iain Utah said:

Yes, I left her with her heartthrob boyfriend, but luckily she is sitting on my other white goose's eggs which should be pure white colored.

99
'

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Oh, that´s great. So did she lay any more eggs after she had that problem, then, to go broody? Glad she´s ok, and hope she manages to hatch some whites for you.

She did lay a few more eggs after taking a long break, at least one was soft but fully expelled. She seemed to wander around trying to take over nests that others were laying in. So, I made her a nest and put a couple eggs in it and she went broody. The other white goose goes onto the nest to keep laying eggs, but they are not stressing each other out. Who knows what, if anything, will hatch, but even if she does not hatch any white goslings, at least the laying cycle is completely shut down for the year.

Iain Utah said:

She did lay a few more eggs after taking a long break, at least one was soft but fully expelled. She seemed to wander around trying to take over nests that others were laying in. So, I made her a nest and put a couple eggs in it and she went broody. The other white goose goes onto the nest to keep laying eggs, but they are not stressing each other out. Who knows what, if anything, will hatch, but even if she does not hatch any white goslings, at least the laying cycle is completely shut down for the year.

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That´s great, then. Very pleased, hope you get a little gozzie out of it for her....and you, of course!!