Broody toulouse goose

[griddles]

My geese are free range at this point, four were given to us last year and we dont know if their is a male. Anyway, one has begun disappearing all day and night, I followed her and she has a beautiful nest (12 eggs) about 50 feet back in the woods. First, can/should I move it closer to the house? Second, is there any other way to know if I have a male? One of them on occasion will hiss at me but not always. Any advice would be great!!!

 

[eggchel]

What type of predators do you have? Do your geese normally stay out at night unpenned? If you move the nest it may cause her to abandon it but she is certainly more vulnerable on the nest. That is a tough decision.

The males are usually slightly larger than the females and have slightly thicker necks and legs.
With mine, I noticed that the males seem a bit more aggressive and are more likely to turn and hiss and honk while the females move away from someone who approaches.

As for fertility.... with very large breeds, their fertility is greatly increased if they have water at least 18 inches deep for breeding.
Also, the loose feathers and skin of the toulous can interfere with successful mating so even if you do have a male, you may not get fertile eggs. Plucking or trimming vent feathers may help.

It is possible to learn to vent sex geese, but large geese like toulous would be quite a wrestling match.

You could try candling the eggs after the goose has been steadily sitting on the nest for at least 7 days. Just wear long sleeves so when she bites (and twists) she only has a mouth full of fabric instead of skin. I learned that the hard way while reaching under a broody goose.

Pictures probably wouldnt help any in determining sex, but I'd sure like to see them, LOL.

chel

 

[griddles]

Thanks for the information, I think I will leave her for now. Now I am wondering about the others, see I was planning to pen them all up this week and would still like to do this. Do you think this will upset her? Is that stupid? At this point she comes back every evening and they go swimming together for about 20 minutes and then she goes back. I love having them out but they totally destroy my flower beds and gardens. I was thinking of waiting until she hatches her eggs then putting her in a seperate area next to them until the goslings are older. I AM SO EXCITED!!!!