Is my Goose attacking my Gander?

[KariStucki]

I have two Pilgrim geese- one a Gander and one a Goose. They are approximately 1 year old, and live in a mixed flock of Cayuga Ducks and Khaki Campbell ducks. I do have too many drakes, which was a problem in the spring, but I’ve never seen the drakes or ducks go after my gander.
My goose, Hissy, is a bully. She bites my kids, the dog, the other ducks and drakes, and used to attack my African Gander before he died this spring.
However, for the past year, Hissy and Snow, the pilgrim gander, have been friends and paired up. In the last week I noticed that Snow was keeping apart from the rest of the flock, and especially Hissy, when they were out in their fenced yard, and then roaming the 1 acre backyard I have.
He had a spot of blood and some feathers missing on one wing yesterday, and we weren’t sure if he’d had a tussle with a predator- we’ve recently been having some predators roaming around at night. Skunks, raccoons, etc.
But when I let them all out of their house this morning and into their fenced yard he stayed in the house. When I checked on him I found a much larger patch of missing feathers and blood on the same wing.
It’s a predator proof coop and run, so only one of the ducks/drakes or the goose could have attacked him.
What can I do?
I have vetricin spray, and have separated him from the flock. Please help.

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

x2 on @Goosebaby's question re gender. I raise Pilgrims, and unfortunately have encountered more than a few birds colored like females that were actually males. It would be unusual for a goose to be so aggressive toward a gander unless, for example, she had already paired up with a different gander (which doesn't seem to be the case here).

 

[Goosebaby]

Even if they were misgendered, why would the gander be attacking the goose so viciously?
This is Hissy.

Some females can be very aggressive, it’s uncommon, but it does happen. My Dandelion would attack her brothers when she was younger, she grew out of it though, but some don’t.

Their might not be enough room for the gander to get away from her while they’re inside, maybe a larger house might help.
I would also check him out, if he’s feeling under the weather she might be picking up on that and picking on him. Her picking on him will also lead to health issues, stress weakens the immune system.

Worst case scenario you might have to separate Hissy from him or rehome her. It’s easier to rehome a female than a male.
A larger gander might help keep her in line, but you’ll need to get a friend for your current gander then too.
Ganders can get along with each other, even with the presence of a female. they’ll squabble in breeding season more or less depending on their personalities, but they can make it work.
It will never work if the female is hostile towards one of the ganders, she’ll constantly be egging on one gander to attack the other while possibly attacking them herself, and it could end with serious injury or death for the unfortunate gander.


You can try to train her out of her behavior if you have the time to sit with her all day and scold her every time she so much as gestures rudely towards him or anyone else, but that isn’t a guarantee she won’t pick it right back up when her horomones take over in winter.

Considering that Hissy is an aggressive female you’ll either end up with two sets of geese that you have to keep separate during breeding season, or you’ll need to think of other accommodations for one of your geese.

 

[Goosebaby]

Have you seen her posture aggressively at him, head down?

Also has Hissy ever laid an egg? Could she really be a gander?

 

[KariStucki]

I’ve seen her posture at him aggressively, but I’ve also seen her lay an egg- the whole process. So there is no way she could be a gander.

Even if they were misgendered, why would the gander be attacking the goose so viciously?
This is Hissy.

 

[Poultrybonkers]

My goose use to bite my ganders neck...but she did that because she wanted to be mated she also use to grab my drake and try to mate him lol

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

I did get them from a hatchery.
I’ve been wondering why she wasn’t fully gray. Snow, my gander, looks correct, based on what you’re describing FoodFreedomNow.
I’ll get a picture of him later.
Hissy was originally named Gris, the Spanish word for gray, until she began getting aggressive with the ducks, drakes, dogs and kids. She would hiss at everyone, hence the name change.
Could the mixed breed status be part of the reason she could be extra aggressive?

While personalities can vary among individual birds within the same breeds, it's possible that Hissy's behavior could be influenced by genes from another breed. Do you know what other breeds the hatchery offered? I'd definitely contact that hatchery and let them know about Hissy.

Since people often get Pilgrims for their autosexing trait, I'd be concerned about whether Hissy's offspring will autosex correctly (especially the females).

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

Even if they were misgendered, why would the gander be attacking the goose so viciously?
This is Hissy.

Hissy seems aptly named.

Did you get her from a hatchery? Based on her coloring and your knowledge that she is, indeed, a female, she's not correctly colored for a (pure) Pilgrim, which suggests that she's a mixed breed. Pilgrim females are colored similar to Toulouse - primarily gray, but the gray feathering is a bit softer and closer to gray/taupe - with some white around the head/face area. Males should be primarily white with a little gray "accent" feathering, typically around their tails and in a few flight feathers.

 

[Miss Lydia]

My goose did the same with her gander she'd grab his neck. She was mostly the instigator of any breeding around here between them. Thankfully she has never asked my 2 drakes.

 

[KariStucki]

She looks like she could have Steinbacher in her, which is a fighting goose breed, that could explain her spiciness, if not it’s just her personality.

I’ve never even heard of a fighting goose breed. It is entirely possible, from my observations and experiences with her. She is far more vicious, and antagonistic than any of my other geese have been. She will run across the yard to attack the dog or the kids that haven’t come anywhere near her. Without provocation.
Granted, I’m positive that she’s protected my ducks from all manner of possible and potential predators because of it. But she’s also attacked the ducks, Snow, and the other two African ganders we used to have.
I will look into contacting the hatchery. I got the Pilgrim geese for the more mild temperament, and the autosexing traits. I was hoping to have offspring and have a little brood of ducklings and goslings running around my backyard.
But, Snow is absolutely terrified of her. He won’t go anywhere near her. So, I’m definitely not going to get any goslings from their pairing.
Thank you all for helping me try to figure this out!