The African and Chinese goose thread!!

[Starfire669]

You may have to separate them. Ganders are pretty mean at times! This is breeding season and they know the hen will mate if there is no babies. May be the issue with them. I have seen this in my white Chinese. Its usually the ganders, and some were even aggressive to me. Day old goslings attacking your hands! Grumpy was a real stinker, I would grab him up and hold him the second he would bite. He grew out of it, but now that he is almost grown he is at it again! I bump the chest, firm but not to harm them. If a gander goes to attack mode flogging with their wings, I embarrass them! I will pin the bird upside down and not let them up till they stop struggling.

So even baby goslings are affected by breeding season instinct? Wow. The babies are separated from the older goslings, I will take introductions slow. With the mild rain and cold we had over the past few days I haven't let the little ones outside. In June I will be down sizing my flock of chicks and geese as some are going to my sisters as a B-day present for her husband. Hopefully by that time I can tell who is male and female in the goslings. I also have an aggressive gosling. He is always biting the others and plucking them! He is definately going to her house. If he is that mean now I can't imagine how mean he will get when full grown. With children I can't afford an overly aggressive gander, but he will go with a friend. I have 3 other suspected male goslings that are much nicer, 1 even climbs in my lap for snuggle time! With the 2 female Africans and 1 suspected female white Chinese I should have mates for 3 males. 1 of my goslings is a tufted roman, i am hoping to trade him for a amature vet sexed female white chinese. Unfortunately I have an odd number of goslings, so I will have a trio even though I wanted pairs. But if I am wrong on gender can 2 male ganders get along with no female? As much as I love my sister and her husband, she won't get a female until my ganders have mates. I can always give her 2 female next year if I have a successful hatch.

They look lovely, and they´ll be fine outside now, whatever the weather (within reason!) as they´re preening themselves, using their oil gland...(tiny goslings need the oil that they get from their mums´bodies for protection, so when you´re raising them without mum you have to be very careful as they can easily get chilled, but at this age they´re fine.)
As for feeding, there are a few things to avoid, but you know, generally they know what to avoid...they´ll tend to leave it.  In our chácara there are avocado trees, and the fruits fall and the geese totally ignore them.  the dogs, on the other hand, can´t get enough of it! But the geese eat the grass like crazy, it´s their natural diet, their main staple, and lettuce (romaine is good because it has a good amount of vitB3 which geese do need, as you know), corn, and other fruits go down like treats!  That´s how I move mine around...just wave a bit of something and they come running to wherever I want them!  Mine also like white cabbage.
somewhere on here someone put that you have to be careful of certain lawn grasses, especially one beginning with "k".  

At what age does their oil gland start working? Asking so I can introduce the African girls to water and grazing when they are water resistant. As for my lawn, most of it is weeds, lots of crab grass and stuff in the front. The back is the only spot that has nice grass, that is where I take my goslings to graze for now as I don't want them scared by the cars or dogs walking by on the street. I have no idea what kind of grass is in the back, maybe Bermuda or carpet grass? This is why I wanted to grow edible plants for my goslings. In Texas summer much of my grass will wilt in the heat and I wanted to supplement them from my garden. I am adding romaine lettuce and just hope I can keep up as I have spinach and kale growing where I should have put the lettuce! Guess I have to find another spot to open up for a lettuce patch. I do have oat grass, I planted some sprouts next to the chicken/goose coop, is that ok for them?

 

[livininbrazil]

So even baby goslings are affected by breeding season instinct? Wow. The babies are separated from the older goslings, I will take introductions slow. With the mild rain and cold we had over the past few days I haven't let the little ones outside. In June I will be down sizing my flock of chicks and geese as some are going to my sisters as a B-day present for her husband. Hopefully by that time I can tell who is male and female in the goslings. I also have an aggressive gosling. He is always biting the others and plucking them! He is definately going to her house. If he is that mean now I can't imagine how mean he will get when full grown. With children I can't afford an overly aggressive gander, but he will go with a friend. I have 3 other suspected male goslings that are much nicer, 1 even climbs in my lap for snuggle time! With the 2 female Africans and 1 suspected female white Chinese I should have mates for 3 males. 1 of my goslings is a tufted roman, i am hoping to trade him for a amature vet sexed female white chinese. Unfortunately I have an odd number of goslings, so I will have a trio even though I wanted pairs. But if I am wrong on gender can 2 male ganders get along with no female? As much as I love my sister and her husband, she won't get a female until my ganders have mates. I can always give her 2 female next year if I have a successful hatch.
At what age does their oil gland start working? Asking so I can introduce the African girls to water and grazing when they are water resistant. As for my lawn, most of it is weeds, lots of crab grass and stuff in the front. The back is the only spot that has nice grass, that is where I take my goslings to graze for now as I don't want them scared by the cars or dogs walking by on the street. I have no idea what kind of grass is in the back, maybe Bermuda or carpet grass? This is why I wanted to grow edible plants for my goslings. In Texas summer much of my grass will wilt in the heat and I wanted to supplement them from my garden. I am adding romaine lettuce and just hope I can keep up as I have spinach and kale growing where I should have put the lettuce! Guess I have to find another spot to open up for a lettuce patch. I do have oat grass, I planted some sprouts next to the chicken/goose coop, is that ok for them?

Starfire, I have a feeling Jchny thought the young ganders are actually older than they are.
Aand two ganders may or may not get along...mostly don´t, moreso at breeding time when they´ll both want to mate, and neither wants to be mated! Can end most likely will end up in a fight, but apparently there are exceptions.
hy don´t you just use up the spinach and stuff now, don´t have to wait for it to grow, eat it sweet!

, then you´ll have space for the other things you want to cultivate.
As for the oil gland, you´ll see it...with yellow-fluffed little things, it´s a bright yellow dot on the back, just above the tail. This shows the oil is being produced. As they get better at preening, they´ll pass the bill over this, and put it over their fluff/feathers.
You can let tiny babies go in the water no problem, the important thing is that you dry them best you can, and get them under a heat source to dry out well. I had mine with constant access to water during the warm part of the day, from day 2, out in a run on grass, in the sun, but with a shady area, the shade temp being about 75 - 80F. They did fine, then I´d bring them in as it got cooler in the afternoon (it was winter, gets down to freezing at night!)

 

[Starfire669]

I have been pulling the spinach and kale to eat, I feel like a rabbit after the past 2 days! I hope to have a spot opened by the weekend and will keep at it till most of it is gone. I'll probably not want to look at spinach for a long time after this!

I know the spot your talking about, my mean gosling stripped another bare right by that spot and I thought it was infected! I washed the gosling and wrapped his tush overnight, oops, lol. That was about 3/4 weeks ago, and I did not medicate the area. I thought to keep it clean and deny the bully gosling access to it. It is supposed to get mid 70s today and back into the 80s tomorrow, so the girls will get pool time tomorrow.

 

[livininbrazil]

I have been pulling the spinach and kale to eat, I feel like a rabbit after the past 2 days! I hope to have a spot opened by the weekend and will keep at it till most of it is gone. I'll probably not want to look at spinach for a long time after this!

I know the spot your talking about, my mean gosling stripped another bare right by that spot and I thought it was infected! I washed the gosling and wrapped his tush overnight, oops, lol. That was about 3/4 weeks ago, and I did not medicate the area. I thought to keep it clean and deny the bully gosling access to it. It is supposed to get mid 70s today and back into the 80s tomorrow, so the girls will get pool time tomorrow.

 

[Starfire669]

I am so glad I found this site. Most people think I'm crazy because of how much care I poor into my animals. Here I can say I bandaged a goose's butt and no one blinks or thinks I'm nuts! And you guys are so helpful and supportive. I love you guys and this site!

 

[livininbrazil]

I am so glad I found this site. Most people think I'm crazy because of how much care I poor into my animals. Here I can say I bandaged a goose's butt and no one blinks or thinks I'm nuts! And you guys are so helpful and supportive. I love you guys and this site!

If we just share our experiences to try to improve things for our geese, then that´s going to help all of us.

 

[Starfire669]

How much room does a goose need for a night time enclosure? I am planning on building a goose enclosure separate from the chickens. It's just for night time so they are safe from predators, otherwise they will be loose in the yard. So how much space do they need? And can 2 pairs bunk together or will the ganders fight?

 

[pamsmithtulsa]

How do you know they are ganders? Just curious as everyone said it is almost impossible to tell?

 

[livininbrazil]

How much room does a goose need for a night time enclosure? I am planning on building a goose enclosure separate from the chickens. It's just for night time so they are safe from predators, otherwise they will be loose in the yard. So how much space do they need? And can 2 pairs bunk together or will the ganders fight?

I don´t know what others have, and mine don´t get put away at night, but if I were to do a shed for them, i´d have at least 2yds per goose. During most of the year your males should be fine together, but in the breeding season you´ll want to kep them in separate units.

How do you know they are ganders? Just curious as everyone said it is almost impossible to tell?

Hi again, Pamsmith. Mostly it´s a guessing game as to sex except for some particular breeds. Most of the time we have fun here guessing. You can delve about in their reproductive area, but you have to be careful and it´s not easy to do.

 

[Marty1876]

IF anyone is interested, I have a pair of White African Dewlaps, the very last two, for sale. They are laying, but there is still time to get them and have them lay and hatch for you! Parents were successful show birds (but I have already made an arrangement for their sale)

PM me if interested