Normal spring behaviour??

[momma's chickens]

While it is still January, our temps have been in the high 40s and even low 50s the last 10 or so days. I have two geese, Tufted Buff, a gander and a goose. They have a pen and have always been very friendly and sweet. They still are to me but the cat walked through the yard today, same cat on same path as the last 4 months and all of a sudden the gander started hissing at the cat. I was in the pen, they were fine with me in there with him, but the cat set him off.

Also the goose has never really got in the pool before, just drank out of it while the male used to always be in there. Well she has not only started getting in but staying in there for hours, seriously hours. I have taken her out the last two days thinking she can't get out since she has been in there before but hmmmm......

She is also messing around with the hay on the ground but not really doing anything with it.

I have seen no mating taking place but......

 

[amity3520]

Mine are kind of doing the same! My gander has always been a little testy, especially to strangers, but he's started going after my mother and I in the past week too. Not my dad, though. And our goose has started to make a nest in the barn, in an unusual place, not the corner they usually sleep in, but kind of nestled between the feed bin and the wall. When they're outside she just lays in the snow too, and I've never really seen her lay on the ground. Hopefully I'll be seeing some eggs soon!!

 

[momma's chickens]

Hey thanks for telling me about your geese. I was almost sure it was normal but wanted to ask. Appreciate it.

 

[goosedragon]

momma's chickens :

While it is still January, our temps have been in the high 40s and even low 50s the last 10 or so days. I have two geese, Tufted Buff, a gander and a goose. They have a pen and have always been very friendly and sweet. They still are to me but the cat walked through the yard today, same cat on same path as the last 4 months and all of a sudden the gander started hissing at the cat. I was in the pen, they were fine with me in there with him, but the cat set him off.

Also the goose has never really got in the pool before, just drank out of it while the male used to always be in there. Well she has not only started getting in but staying in there for hours, seriously hours. I have taken her out the last two days thinking she can't get out since she has been in there before but hmmmm......

She is also messing around with the hay on the ground but not really doing anything with it.

I have seen no mating taking place but......

Well I don't quite know to say this but it is not uncommon for the goose to be interested in raising a family before the gander is ready. My tufted mainly used the pool to mate because their legs are too short. You may find eggs before any mating goes on (gander hanging back) there have been many reports of early reproductive activity in the East this year. You do the math.​

 

[annette'spets]

Yikes-Goosedragon, you are so right! Yesterday we noticed our Roman Tufted geese in the pool,one pulling on the tail of the other going round and round,flapping the wings-kind of like a MATING DANCE! We have four and don't know which is male or female -want to band them-guess we will know soon. They are young.

 

[goosedragon]

annette'spets :

Yikes-Goosedragon, you are so right! Yesterday we noticed our Roman Tufted geese in the pool,one pulling on the tail of the other going round and round,flapping the wings-kind of like a MATING DANCE! We have four and don't know which is male or female -want to band them-guess we will know soon. They are young.

Young geese sometimes get confused about gender roles I would band on the basis of who lays eggs not who is agressive in the mating dance/act. They will work it out in the long run but first attempts can be confusing.​