The African and Chinese goose thread!!

[Goosegrrl]

I haven't added any frozen bottles to my small gosling pool yet, but I'm home and change the water for them midday so that it is cool and refreshing. Plus, here in FL it has been raining a LOT, and the goslings seem to like it. They go about their business mowing the lawn in it, and sometimes I catch them under the eves playing in the drips.
Once things heat up again I think I will add some ice to their pool though. They do love to bathe/play in it. They also love to dunk their heads and dabble the bottom for treats, which I find endlessly entertaining for some reason.

The largest of my three, Mokey, has ended up being my little buddy. It actually likes to be held and cuddled, and every time I tell it 'goose goose goose' it responds back with 'chirp chirp chirp' and looks up at me. When I set it down it does not dash away, but will let me pet it a bit more before slowly ambling away. The other two tolerate me holding them a bit, but then when I go to set them down they are all to happy to scramble off. They all still come when I call them and take treats from my hand though. I make it a point to always call them to their breakfast and dinner bowl, and to give treats from hand daily as I don't want them to become too anti-social or standoffish as they mature and mate bond. <--- when I was young I helped on a farm that had non-handraised geese, and doing anything hands on with them was a serious chore, and usually ended up being both mentally and physically traumatic for both the goose and the handler. LOL

My babies are all losing their fuzz, but they are as adorable as ever.
I have grown to love the white 'collars/bibs' that two of them have. Each one with the white has it slightly differently placed so that it is easy to tell them apart, and it should remain so.
I actually can't wait until I figure out their sexes so that I can order some sexed goslings to ensure each of them is part of a pair. These little guys have just been the BEST to raise.

I'm thinking about adding Muscovy ducks to my home flock as well as they act more like geese than ducks. All of the mallard type ducks I've ever been around were... not for me. I found them to be a bit too crazy/flighty acting.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I haven't added any frozen bottles to my small gosling pool yet, but I'm home and change the water for them midday so that it is cool and refreshing. Plus, here in FL it has been raining a LOT, and the goslings seem to like it. They go about their business mowing the lawn in it, and sometimes I catch them under the eves playing in the drips.
Once things heat up again I think I will add some ice to their pool though. They do love to bathe/play in it. They also love to dunk their heads and dabble the bottom for treats, which I find endlessly entertaining for some reason.

The largest of my three, Mokey, has ended up being my little buddy. It actually likes to be held and cuddled, and every time I tell it 'goose goose goose' it responds back with 'chirp chirp chirp' and looks up at me. When I set it down it does not dash away, but will let me pet it a bit more before slowly ambling away. The other two tolerate me holding them a bit, but then when I go to set them down they are all to happy to scramble off. They all still come when I call them and take treats from my hand though. I make it a point to always call them to their breakfast and dinner bowl, and to give treats from hand daily as I don't want them to become too anti-social or standoffish as they mature and mate bond. <--- when I was young I helped on a farm that had non-handraised geese, and doing anything hands on with them was a serious chore, and usually ended up being both mentally and physically traumatic for both the goose and the handler. LOL

My babies are all losing their fuzz, but they are as adorable as ever.
I have grown to love the white 'collars/bibs' that two of them have. Each one with the white has it slightly differently placed so that it is easy to tell them apart, and it should remain so.
I actually can't wait until I figure out their sexes so that I can order some sexed goslings to ensure each of them is part of a pair. These little guys have just been the BEST to raise.

I'm thinking about adding Muscovy ducks to my home flock as well as they act more like geese than ducks. All of the mallard type ducks I've ever been around were... not for me. I found them to be a bit too crazy/flighty acting.

You need to post some pics of these kids before they are grown.

 

[Goosegrrl]

I posted a pic of them a few pages back when I first got them. But... as they are so adorable more pics is always good.

The one standing outside the pool is my sweetie, Mokey.
Just before this I was feeding them treats(green peas) out of my hand.
And one of them was diving down and swimming in a circle like a little shark. I love that. So funny!

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

I haven't added any frozen bottles to my small gosling pool yet, but I'm home and change the water for them midday so that it is cool and refreshing. Plus, here in FL it has been raining a LOT, and the goslings seem to like it. They go about their business mowing the lawn in it, and sometimes I catch them under the eves playing in the drips.
Once things heat up again I think I will add some ice to their pool though. They do love to bathe/play in it. They also love to dunk their heads and dabble the bottom for treats, which I find endlessly entertaining for some reason.

The largest of my three, Mokey, has ended up being my little buddy. It actually likes to be held and cuddled, and every time I tell it 'goose goose goose' it responds back with 'chirp chirp chirp' and looks up at me. When I set it down it does not dash away, but will let me pet it a bit more before slowly ambling away. The other two tolerate me holding them a bit, but then when I go to set them down they are all to happy to scramble off. They all still come when I call them and take treats from my hand though. I make it a point to always call them to their breakfast and dinner bowl, and to give treats from hand daily as I don't want them to become too anti-social or standoffish as they mature and mate bond. <--- when I was young I helped on a farm that had non-handraised geese, and doing anything hands on with them was a serious chore, and usually ended up being both mentally and physically traumatic for both the goose and the handler. LOL

My babies are all losing their fuzz, but they are as adorable as ever.
I have grown to love the white 'collars/bibs' that two of them have. Each one with the white has it slightly differently placed so that it is easy to tell them apart, and it should remain so.
I actually can't wait until I figure out their sexes so that I can order some sexed goslings to ensure each of them is part of a pair. These little guys have just been the BEST to raise.

I'm thinking about adding Muscovy ducks to my home flock as well as they act more like geese than ducks. All of the mallard type ducks I've ever been around were... not for me. I found them to be a bit too crazy/flighty acting.

They certainly are precious, I adore goslings!

There are several good threads that can help you choose if Muscovy are right for you. I will always keep them!.
Going a bit off topic, Muscovy are truly awesome, nothing like mallard derived breeds. I have a hen, Huey that often flies on my shoulder for a snack. I keep several duck breeds. If it was only my choice, It would only be muscovy.This is my favorite girl Huey, in broody mode..look close for a surprise in one of her pics!




Face caruncles are normally redder but she has been broody. Not as messy, quackless and huge personalities. Lots of colors, patterns, my guys are all cheerful and pleasant. I have around 15 adults and lost count of ducklings lol. Quiet trills, whispers and haahaahaa sounds. Good fliers, mine roost on the barn roof, trees etc. Drakes don't fly once matured & are excellent as a table bird, or just pets. Hens need a wing trimmed if you want them grounded. Eat a ton of bugs, I could go on for hours, adore them

 

[Goosegrrl]

I've been around the Muscovy ducks in the parks here in central FL(they tend to be everywhere here, and trimming the ladies wings will be especially important to keep them at home), and all over the canals in Miami when I've visited there for fishing. I adore the hissy, chirping, tail-wagging and that even the wild ones tend to be so calm and personable. I saw on of the most gorgeous drakes I've ever seen down on the canals. So big, and so glossy black with the oil slick colored sheen to his feathers... and his caruncles were even black. Gypsy face I think they call it. If I could have snagged him and brought him home with me I would have, but I had a couple more days in a hotel and I doubt the maid would have been very understanding about a giant, wild, muscovy drake in the shower.

Unlike many people I actually like the caruncles... except that I checked with one local breeder of "show quality" muscovy(black, blue, and white) local to me and the amount of caruncle on them was just absolutely out of hand. More like a deformity on the big males rather than a nice shot of red decoration.

I read one of the muscovy threads on this board in it's entirety, and learned a lot about keeping and breeding them. Including a good bit about color genetics. Once my bigger coop and pen gets built in the back pasture off the barn I'll be progressing to the buying some stage instead of just ogling them.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

I've been around the Muscovy ducks in the parks here in central FL(they tend to be everywhere here, and trimming the ladies wings will be especially important to keep them at home), and all over the canals in Miami when I've visited there for fishing. I adore the hissy, chirping, tail-wagging and that even the wild ones tend to be so calm and personable. I saw on of the most gorgeous drakes I've ever seen down on the canals. So big, and so glossy black with the oil slick colored sheen to his feathers... and his caruncles were even black. Gypsy face I think they call it. If I could have snagged him and brought him home with me I would have, but I had a couple more days in a hotel and I doubt the maid would have been very understanding about a giant, wild, muscovy drake in the shower.

Unlike many people I actually like the caruncles... except that I checked with one local breeder of "show quality" muscovy(black, blue, and white) local to me and the amount of caruncle on them was just absolutely out of hand. More like a deformity on the big males rather than a nice shot of red decoration.

I read one of the muscovy threads on this board in it's entirety, and learned a lot about keeping and breeding them. Including a good bit about color genetics. Once my bigger coop and pen gets built in the back pasture off the barn I'll be progressing to the buying some stage instead of just ogling them.

When I first saw them, I was not too sure about the caruncles. I got my first 4 scovys 3 years ago and had no idea there were so many duck breeds. It was a duckling.. After the caruncles came in, I started looking up what they were! Its really grown on me, but I breed away from "too much" where its interfering with vision. I recently replaced my lavender drake, Prior fella was so heavily covered on face and neck, he could barely see. It made him bottom of the pecking order, so he went to a "pet home". He was 3 years old and a real friendly sweet guy. I have one solid black drake that's got mostly black caruncling, its really attractive and unusual.
I keep chocolates, blacks and lavenders, pied and barred also. There is so much variety in them! I have never had a human aggressive bird, even taking the ducklings from them. If the hen is penned I let them raise their own, usually my blacks. Have had some pick really bad locations for babies and have had to take the ducklings, like the goat pen! Glad my Oberhasli are gentle and understood they were babies.
I have hatched hundreds of pekin, cayuga, swedish, rouen and other mallard type ducks, not one had near the human social personality muscovy do.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Look at that duckling so adorable. Muscovy is the only breed of duck I've ever had and I love them to bits. They really do have great personalities. If I lived in Florida I would have an awful time seeing all those Scovys I'd be wanting to bring them all home. What's funny is I was born and raised in Florida and never saw a Scovy till I moved here in the mountains. and we lived here 9 years before a couple across the river brought some home and they were being picked off by predators and 3 escaped to the mountain river between us. So of course I fell in love with them and adopted the only drake who survived still have him he was 11yrs in March. I would love to have a few more breeds but I don't think I will add any till all my Scovys are gone on. I am not letting them reproduce though which is a job in it self. I have a Scovy who has been sitting on nothing for about 50 days now. I cannot bring myself to eat them or sell them knowing they will be eaten. Just me.

This is Ernie my very first Scovy, he is 11 yrs old I also have a duck who is 11 her 2 sisters died of old age.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I posted a pic of them a few pages back when I first got them. But... as they are so adorable more pics is always good.

The one standing outside the pool is my sweetie, Mokey.
Just before this I was feeding them treats(green peas) out of my hand.
And one of them was diving down and swimming in a circle like a little shark. I love that. So funny!

Aren't they beautiful, and boy do they grow fast. I love watching mine swim under water then leap out of the pool run around and leap back in. They make me laugh daily.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Look at that duckling so adorable. Muscovy is the only breed of duck I've ever had and I love them to bits. They really do have great personalities. If I lived in Florida I would have an awful time seeing all those Scovys I'd be wanting to bring them all home. What's funny is I was born and raised in Florida and never saw a Scovy till I moved here in the mountains. and we lived here 9 years before a couple across the river brought some home and they were being picked off by predators and 3 escaped to the mountain river between us. So of course I fell in love with them and adopted the only drake who survived still have him he was 11yrs in March. I would love to have a few more breeds but I don't think I will add any till all my Scovys are gone on. I am not letting them reproduce though which is a job in it self. I have a Scovy who has been sitting on nothing for about 50 days now. I cannot bring myself to eat them or sell them knowing they will be eaten. Just me.

This is Ernie my very first Scovy, he is 11 yrs old I also have a duck who is 11 her 2 sisters died of old age.

What a gorgeous fella

He looks like my favorite drake. I will have to post more pics! I have a brown chinese raising 10 scovies, they are almost her size lol. Just love them!

Chocolate pied


Lavender pied and broody


Barred



Barred lavender and chocolate


Keeping this barred lavender drake, he is just too sweet!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Do you keep all your Scovy ducklings jchny? such gorgeous colors they come in. I had 1 chocolate duck and lost her to egg laying problems, I sure do miss her.

That pic of your Chinese with her ducklings is so precious. I should let my geese hatch some Muscovy's maybe then they would like ducks.