American(Buff, Blue, Lavander,etc.)goose thread! Post pics!

[AlwaysForever]

We are picking up our first geese next week! The feedstore is selling straight run so I will be attempting to vent sex after watching the metzer video. Tips?

 

[Pyxis]

We are picking up our first geese next week! The feedstore is selling straight run so I will be attempting to vent sex after watching the metzer video. Tips?

Be careful when you do it. Don't push down around the vent, but rather use a gentle spreading motion. Pushing down is how you can injure or kill them. Just keep the possibility in the back of your mind while you do it that you could accidentally kill them and be prepared to deal with it emotionally if it does happen. I vent sex myself and the best tip is just to be careful and as gentle as possible.

Also know that when you first do it you're probably not going to be very accurate and expect that you may have more ganders than you think. If you see a penis it's definitely a gander but if you don't see one it doesn't necessarily guarantee that it's a goose because you could have missed it

 

[AlwaysForever]

Be careful when you do it. Don't push down around the vent, but rather use a gentle spreading motion. Pushing down is how you can injure or kill them. Just keep the possibility in the back of your mind while you do it that you could accidentally kill them and be prepared to deal with it emotionally if it does happen. I vent sex myself and the best tip is just to be careful and as gentle as possible.

Also know that when you first do it you're probably not going to be very accurate and expect that you may have more ganders than you think. If you see a penis it's definitely a gander but if you don't see one it doesn't necessarily guarantee that it's a goose because you could have missed it

Thank you. The video showed to pull outwards versus pushing, but I wasn't aware it could easily become fatal. We only want 1 breeding pair, so hopefully we can figure this out. Originally we were going to buy a sexed pair ourselves, but 1 was much more expensive (like 90 dollars for a pair plus a minimum order of 4) and metzer can do a smaller order but has a higher packaging cost for 2. By getting them from our feedstore (who I believe got them from metzer) we save almost 50. It would be disappointing to get 2 genders, but we would try again next year I guess and this would be our trial run.

 

[Pyxis]

Thank you. The video showed to pull outwards versus pushing, but I wasn't aware it could easily become fatal. We only want 1 breeding pair, so hopefully we can figure this out. Originally we were going to buy a sexed pair ourselves, but 1 was much more expensive (like 90 dollars for a pair plus a minimum order of 4) and metzer can do a smaller order but has a higher packaging cost for 2. By getting them from our feedstore (who I believe got them from metzer) we save almost 50. It would be disappointing to get 2 genders, but we would try again next year I guess and this would be our trial run.

I know what you mean about the prices - I have three coming to me from Metzer at the end of the month, one pair and one female, and it was $100 for the three. Luckily my friend and I are splitting them - I'm raising them, and then I'm keeping the gander to add to my own flock of geese since I don't have one and she's taking the other two. Still, expensive! Mine are roman tufteds and not buffs, though. My two 'buff' geese turned out to be Canada goose crosses, and they're gorgeous but sterile, so I went with the breed of my other goose for my gander.

 

[YayPoultry]

We have 2 pairs of buffs in their second breeding season. Duchess had made a beautiful nest, and it got co-opted by Nibbles the Silver Appleyard duck. Now poor Duchess seems to be at loose ends and is driving her mate Yelp up the wall. Should we try to get her to sit on some duck eggs?

This is Nibbles.

Duchess, what a cutie!

 

[Pyxis]

Quick possibly silly question. Will a female goose try to mount other females? One of my two buff hybrids was trying to mount my female roman tufted and her sister the other day while they were swimming. She didn't actually succeed, but it made me wonder. I'm pretty sure she's a female. She's no bigger than my other hybrid and when I first got her and her sister I vent sexed them, but they were scared and quite big so it was done quickly and might not have been accurate. I'm not seeing any other gander-like behavior from her. This is just my first breeding season with more than one goose so I'm not sure if this is normal or not.

 

[Penny Hen]

I have two Buff ganders. One was kicked by a donkey and has a permanent limp (Eolis). The other larger one (Hercules) is very protective of Eolis. Eolis is very crabby. He is extremely territorial and often bites. He has even bitten me when I am putting their food out. Perhaps some of his crabbiness is that his leg hurts him all the time making him limp. If any of you know the best way to manage chronic pain with geese let me know.

The other thing I want to ask about is that when they get in the kiddie pool to bathe, Hercules tries to mount Eolis much to his complete consternation. Eolis will struggle and bite him and leave the pool. Would getting them mates help the situation?

 

[JLS]

My female American Buff mounts the 2 female Pekin ducks I own. The 2 female ducks mount each other too. In fact the goose allows one of the ducks to mount her. All three of them are laying eggs. So from my experience with ducks & geese I believe it is normal behavior.

Quick possibly silly question. Will a female goose try to mount other females? One of my two buff hybrids was trying to mount my female roman tufted and her sister the other day while they were swimming. She didn't actually succeed, but it made me wonder. I'm pretty sure she's a female. She's no bigger than my other hybrid and when I first got her and her sister I vent sexed them, but they were scared and quite big so it was done quickly and might not have been accurate. I'm not seeing any other gander-like behavior from her. This is just my first breeding season with more than one goose so I'm not sure if this is normal or not.

 

[Pyxis]

Thanks for the answer! I saw my definitely female roman tufted mount one of the buff girls the other day so that helped ease my mind, lol.

 

[donkeydew2farms]

OK Wilma and molly my buff and blue are sharing a nest one sits during the day and one at night. what problems will I have when they hatch? who will be the mother will they both share ? molly is the younger one I really did not think she would go broody this year but surprise . One of my ducks went broody her eggs are do to hatch soon . well when it rains it poor's ha.