Advice Needed on Buff Tufted Goose

[rarely bored]

The local feed store had special ordered a pair of Buff Tufted Geese, only to have the person who requested them back out of the deal. So, when the geese didn't sell, they decided to hold a raffle -- for every $10 or $20 spent in the store you could enter to win a goose. Well, the horses needed hay, so I ended up tossing my name in the hat. Low and behold, today I got the call letting me know I won a buff tufted goose. Ummm, errr, ok. Thankfully I don't have to take the goose if it seems to be more critter than I want to handle, but, I don't want to turn it down due to ignorance.

Currently I have a hand full of chickens: mostly hatchery hens, but slowing adding some nicer quality orpingtons as $$ allow, two cats and an old dog, plus two young boys (10 and 6), and 2 pasture horses on 5 acres. There is a seasonal creek which tends to attract all sorts of wild life (foxes, coyotes, coons, whatever.) My chickens free range the majority of the time, and do ok as long as they are closed in at night (and the neighbor keeps their dogs home - which they have been good at doing since they got to buy a bunch of dead chicks.)

I was thinking my next specie of poultry would be turkey, not goose... so geese have not been on my radar.
The goose is either full size or close to it.

After I post this, I do plan on reading through as many as the geese threads as possible, but would really like some thoughts from anybody who wishes to help me out! lol, what do I need to know in order to make a good decision? Here are some starting questions:
Can it house with the chickens? I assume it won't perch -- what does it prefer to sleep on?? What will it prefer to eat? I'm seeing they want greens, which is great once the rainy season starts, but in the meantime? Should I clip its wings until it likes living with us? Might it be aggresive with my boys? I just dispatched a rooster for that reason, and would rather not have to go that route so soon. What else???

Thank you for any tidbits of information!

 

[rarely bored]

ok, so I'm seeing geese are either loved or not, and they can require a strong hand to keep them in line. Only having one goose is not the best situation, but it can be done. I'm not seeing much information on telling genders apart, which would be nice if I were to get another, since I'm seeing that gander fighting can be harsh.

I'll keep reading the threads... would like more information on mixing chickens with the geese. Hmm, and what does a goose do in the garden.

editing to add: I was really hoping for a little bit of guidance, but it appears none is forthcoming. As a person who doesn't like to post on these kind of vague, clueless op type threads, I do understand why. Ummm, but a basic geese keeping webpage which is approved by BYC members would be nice, but, I suppose I can take my chances with plain old google.

 

[Ragdollcatlady]

Hi,
Our first goose was given to us as a 13 year old with a bad wing and she has problems with her feet. We didn't have anyone but chickens to keep her company so every night we would try to gently herd her to sleep in the bottom of the chicken house on a bed of straw (she does like to sleep on concrete/cement floors I think it's cooler for her old feet). We had to get up early to let her out or she would panic and trample the chickens, but after a few weeks she got the routine and now we have several other geese, including 2 more rescues to keep her company.
Abby isn't tame but she's not mean, we can pick her up when necessary, but try not to to avoid stress. She eats the same grain or pellets the chickens do but as long as we have weeds and grass during the not so extreme weather, she eats almost exclusively that. She does eat alfalfa hay, mostly leaves or softened pellets, since I want her to stay healthy. Your goose would likely pick up fallen alfalfa or strands of hay if its fine grass hay, if she's in the pen with your horses. As far as the garden, they will decimate a young garden pretty quickly, but we have had ours in with half grown pumpkins, corn, and larger plants and they prefer tender young weeds to the bigger plants any day.
They are great guards, they let you know when anyone is coming and let the chickens know when hawks are overhead.
Buff geese are supposed t o be mellow so as long as the kids don't tease her, she should be fine. But if they don't work out, a healthy goose turned into christmas dinner can be mighty tasty.
Hope this helps,
Kat

 

[rarely bored]

Thank you Kat! Your reply is right on with the information I need. I do think I will take the goose and, as you suggest, Christmas goose could be a tasty alternative if the experiment doesn't work out. Next time there is a raffle for a critter, I'll do the research before I win.

Another animal that grazes is always good!



edited cuz I got my tenses wrong. sigh.

 

[tbitt]

Well, when do you go get him/her?

 

[rarely bored]

Today. lol, thanks for asking.

It was kinda funny that I learned of the goose, after I bought some plywood to enlarge my chicken pen.

I'll post a picture after I get him/her. If I do get a her, I'll be asking about egg production since one webpage made the claim this breed of goose lays 160 eggs/year, but yet, that seems excessive compared to other geese breeds.

 

[rarely bored]

Picked up the goose, then spent the rest of the day enlarging the chicken coop. Everyone is tucked away until tomorrow... and I'm exhausted!
So now I have some real questions:

The lady at the feed store said it is a buff tufted... but I'm not seeing any tufts at all. Does that come in later or is that the reason why the person who special ordered them decided not to take them home?

The feed store said they got the 3 when they were very young as a straight run. I took the smallest one in the hopes it is a girl - is that a fairly safe assumption??

The poor things have been living in a 4 x 6 foot dog pen all their short lives, and there waterer was a chicken waterer which they could not wash their face off in... I felt bad for them. Once this gal (?) calmed down enough to splash in the water I had given her, she went to town cleaning herself... very fun to watch.

I'll try to snap a picture soon... was too busy today, and until I can give her a larger 'bucket' her neck is going to look icky.

So far, I think I like her... less flighty than the chickens and seems to have an intelligence about her. When I pick her up she doesn't squirm but submits to the handling, which was unexpected.

Tomorrow I would like to allow her to free range with the chickens... will she fly away?? I'd say she weighs 20 pounds or so.

 

[cdnley]

Hello.

The Tufted Buff has a tuft from day 1. I have one...I named him or her Tuff-t. Here is a pic.

My Tufted Buff is about 20+lbs. They are bred to be heavy and as a meat bird cannot fly. They will try but it is a feeble attempt. Mine is lucky to be able to get 3 inches off the ground on a good day. Here is Tuff-T last month. They were born at the end of May so are about 4 months old now. It has a really nice grey steel blue eyes.

My geese are very close to me. They do not need a tough hand at all. They like to be with their flock and are good leaders. If I round up the geese first the ducks follow within a couple minutes. I have never had a issue with them so far. They like when you talk to them and give them treats. I know you only have the one but maybe you would consider getting a buddy for him or her someday. My 2 geese are BFFs, lol.

 

[cdnley]

I would also wait a couple days before letting her free range. She needs to get used to her new flock. Keeping her with them will help her get used to them until she is comfortable. I know if I introduced a goose to the flock I have now the others would try to chase it and bite it away..the poor thing would be lost. I know that trying to catch a goose or duck when they are running all around sucks! I have a wild mallard that is hanging out with the flock and they still nip at her sometimes...its been a good month now!

 

[goosedragon]

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