Aggressive goose handling advice - I know it is breeding season

[NOVAHorses]

Alright, well it looks like my sweet little goose (always pushier than my gander) has decided it is breeding season and I am no longer welcome in her stall. She is starting to hiss and even spread her wings out occassionally. She has nipped a few times (not biting hard enough to leave a mark, but letting me know she is serious). I just picked her up and held her like a baby (on her back) for a little while to let her know that biting me wasn't a good idea. My gander is very sweet natured, but when I stole his girlfriend he started hissing and carrying on (although he never actually did anything). When I put the goose down she went back to him and they had a long "talk" about how I abused her. My gander went right back to being sweet, but she was trying to chase me out of the stall (although she did back off everytime I turned around after I "babied her." I understand they will get aggressive during breeding season and I am alright with that, but I'm not trying to let her know that it is alright to be an "attack goose" - What should I be doing and how much should I allow her to "get away with" during the breeding season?

 

[newduckie]

one of my females is aggressive all the time. the other 4 females are very docile. the male is very quiet and gentle. None of mine are friendly enough to come up to me. They are pretty standoffish.. except my mean one.. she will hiss and try to get me. she bruised me once and now I will grab her and have a talk and she will hiss at me mostly and keep a distance.

 

[goosedragon]

Quote:
Well you have to live with them so you get to draw the line. I drew it at leting my goose warn me away from the nest. She could get between me and her nest and throw a hissy fit if she wanted to. But if she advanced on me and tried to nip or wing whip me I would stand her down. Just so I didn't tempt her or make her think she won I would back out of her presence like she was the Queen. (turning tail or fleeing is the action of a beaten goose and usually results with the winner chasing and pulling tail feathers).

 

[tnchickenut]

goosedragon is right. I don't own any geese right now, but have history with them and even the most aggressive I simply don't fear and stand them down. Its the same with any animal, really. Be the "top dog". Do you ever watch Ceasar Millian - the dog wisperer? I basicly do the same with geese and it works. At least it always has with me. Even with the "wild" geese at the duck parks. There is gaggle of 3 at a large pond/small lake near me... I have watched them chase and attack many people. When they come at me, I just go at them. Trick is stepping towards them, and KNOWING you are the alpha. That gaggle has learned to not even try to get aggressive towards me... while they still chase and attack others

Point is, you turn and give in... you lost.

 

[NOVAHorses]

Thank you! That really helps - so far I don't think I've given in (although I still start leaving their area by backing out and staying facing them - I wasn't sure how much leeway I should give them during breeding season. My gander is a real sweet heart, but my goose has been a little testy from day 1 - I will definately keep working with her and I'm sure we will make it through breeding season

 

[kristen2678]

I don't have geese...YET, but I've read similar things to the advice given here. Stand proud and tall and don't turn around until the hissing goose has moved on. I think that was in Holderreads goose book.

 

[NOVAHorses]

The biggest problem I'm having is the geese really can't "move on", because they are confined in a stall at the moment - I'm torn between challenging them and just letting them be, but I do need to go in the stall to take care of food/water/cleaning so it is an inevitable confrontation.

 

[goosedragon]

Quote:
Well the goose I was talking about was in the back of the stall too. What I told Mama-to-be in goose language is that the back of the stall is YOUR space The rest of the stall is OUR space and outside the stall is MY space. Feed and water was delivered to the space just outside the stall. I would supply straw just inside the door. BTW she would make the gander leave the nest area to poop. the nest area was pretty clean, cleaner than when they just lived in there. They got shut in there at night but the door would be open durning the day with the gander acting as door guard to keep out the ducks and other geese and make a token effort with me. I never quite figured out the rules but certain geese (females) were allowed to come and and sit and "talk" with her when she felt like it. the other gander was NOT allowed in the stall and she or the gander would would clear everybody out when she left the nest to feed etc. If I didn't happen to see her out and about, I would enter the stall to check on her. That is when she would have her hissy fit and I knew she was ok. It helps if you can think like a goose. I could never get into my ducks minds (if any). As for being testy,Mama-to-be, wasn't the same goose as she was when she was non-broody. The high point of testy was when see left the nest with goslings following her, she would have a cow if you even even looked at the goslings in ways she didn't approve of. and she did NOT approve of cameras!

 

[newduckie]

These are very entertaining. Love reading the accounts.. My goose was hissing and acting like she wanted to get me and I leaned over and said..... come on you ol' grump.... you think you are soooooo tough... just show me how tough you are... and she did, she bit my arm and left a heck of a bruise.. Never did that again. Now I let her know who is the boss.

 

[runamuck]

Yep its started here, Wandisamo the magnifico has once again taken to trying to get into it with me. I have what I like to call the Grumpy gander hold it starts with me getting hold of his neck up under his jaw line and keeping him at arms length he will usually then try to get me with his wings in his killer wing attack which I rotate around him getting behind him and hooking my legs inside of his wings and trapping them on the outside of my legs making it impossible for him to get a good flap going and hurting himself and me

At this point he has about 2 minutes of attempting to bite me which he cant in this hold he settles down and decides that maybe he should be a good boy and not try to kill his mommy who loves him

After hes settled down and behaved for a few minutes I let him go he walks away ruffling his feather due to the indiginty of being man handled

This gander is my sons showmanship gander and is wonderful the rest of the yr.... He flips him and everything

The ladies will allow me to che

ck eggs when on nest well dot and trixie will....... We will see how last yrs girls do this yr