Anyone want to split an order? 72565 I need Geese!

RiverOtter

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Nov 4, 2009
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It seems Cackle is having a bad goose year. But my DD really had her heart set on a pair of Africans. My problem is, 1) we have a budget and 2) I can't order a bunch of goslings or ducklings just to keep her geese warm. Not that I'd mind having them, but we ordered 50 chicks that the geese were supposed to be shipped with (Cackle sent lovely, healthy chicks btw, not one loss, no runts or poor doers) and we are kind of full.

If there is anyone within 50 miles of 72565 that is ordering from Metzers or anyplace that still has African geese available, I'd love to split an order. Well, anyplace but Holderreads, I can't afford geese from there I'm afraid. Not that we'll be doing much breeding or any showing.

Can anyone tell me what Ideal's Africans look like? I could get a pair from there without having to order too many more birds, but they say on their website that the Africans and the brown Chinese are basically the same bird and they have the same weights listed for them. I don't need show quality, but we would like actual Africans.

Thanks for any help!
 
They will, but then there is a minimum order charge and a (separate) small order charge And then the shipping fee. Which brings it over $50 for just two geese. That kinda blows my budget right out of the water.

Anyone? It doesn't have to be Metzers, anywhere that has Africans.
 
I have just a few goslings but they are already up to 2 weeks old and express shipping would be a killer. I have 4 white africans and 1 brown african this time....browns are $15 and whites are $25. Shipping with box usually runs $60-65 lately.

Try Brian Hauger of Hauger Waterfowl. I know he ships and is also a supplier for Strombergs. His phone is (507) 828-5415. He has white, buff, and brown africans in huge numbers.
 
Thanks for the info destiny_56085
I looked at your website and that is a very reasonable price for such lovely birds, but that shipping is a killer
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Honestly, the birds from Cackle were going to cost 9, and then shipping to me was only 12, and that was with a bunch of other birds. And that was as much money as I can spare for it this year. Which I'm afraid means splitting a hatchery order with someone else or waiting till next year and trying again to get them shipped with my meat birds.

For our little farm, buying the geese at all is kind of an indulgence, because we're not planning on eating them and generally the only things here that get away with being fed and not eaten are the dogs and cats! But someone STOLE (and I know for a fact it was humans and not predators) 14 of DD's 4H chickens and she was heartbroken. So I told her that we were making a poultry order this year and she could pick something from the catalog. She looked through every page and said "Momma, I know you meant chickens but please can I get geese?"

I just really hate for the poor kid to be disappointed twice and was really hoping to find someone else who only wanted a few of something. I'd have been looking earlier in the season if I'd known. Cackle held on to our order till it was clear that they just couldn't fill it and then sent the rest. They tried, but you can't MAKE them lay.
 
No problem. I thought you were looking for purebreds that actually looked like they should. Very few of the large scale hatcheries have true africans. You see alot of the production africans (compare production reds to true rhode island reds) that have no dewlap, the keel doesn't go down to the ground, and almost look half chinese. Holderreads is awesome but more expensive again. Brian Hauger has good ones and bought out most of Brian Schulte's stock. I wouldn't even touch something from most of the other hatcheries if you want something true to the breed. Find a reputable breeder around your area that shows waterfowl. They can probably point you in the right direction to avoid shipping costs.

The USPS is really going nuts with the shipping charges. I ship out chicks or started birds every monday and have really noticed the jump in prices over the last 2 years. Only the large scale hatcheries can get by with shipping priority mail it seems like. Even that is only guaranteed within 10 days. Anything alive would be dead by then if it got held up somewhere. Express mail is usually guaranteed within 2 days (sometimes 3 now). They are adding on 'live surcharge' fees that are $5-8 that we have never had before. What used to cost $35 to ship is now in the $45-55 range depending on how far you are. They are also cracking down on health paperwork that accompanies shipments.

The thefts are nothing new this year. Keep your lofts locked and get a guard dog, game cams, etc. I had about $3,000 worth of birds stolen on April 28th. Whoever it was knew this breed very well because they only took certain birds of very high quality. Linda Quattrone from IN was hit for over 40 birds on April 18th. Premier Silkies was hit on May 14th. There are some very messed up people with no morals anymore. If they can't buy something from you legally, they just come take it when you are gone now.
 
Oh, I'm sure that one day we'll get into quality show birds. For now I'd be happy with "starter geese". DD is 9 and I didn't know that apparently she's been longing for geese since she was 6 (so she told me now) and is very active in 4H. I just wanted to get her something affordable for her to have for a couple of years while we find out if she really wants to get into them.
Though I'm sure she will and when she wants show-quality geese she can save and help pay for them. She loves those big, floppy dewlaps
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She thinks they look stately and grand. These first geese will spend their lives pets, so they just have to be friendly, heavy (not half Chinese lightweights - that's why I don't want to go with Ideal) and look as much like Africans as our beagle looks like an AKC champ beagle, y'know. The only reason we wanted a sexed pair is because we feel they'll be happier that way, not for breeding. Especially as if we do end up getting more geese, they would be show quality and we'd keep them separate. I'd hate to see lovestruck geese calling to the opposite sex from across a fence!

Yes, shipping is getting insane. And I'm so sorry to hear about your loss! That's terrible. Did the police do anything? It frustrates me that if it's livestock stolen, the police are like; it's just some birds, but if it was someone's rusted out truck worth half the value they'd look for it! Whoever stole our chickens did it while un-wiring a gate trying to get to some more valuable things. Happily, we've moved (part of why money's tight this year) to somewhere we are free to install much better fencing. And I have gotten a pup, my old Thunder who passed was a great guard dog, but the beagle only yowls in excitement to announce friends. Strangers he could care less about, they probably don't have biscuits
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The new pup is just a mutt, but is shaping up well. And since it's OURS, the new fence is getting padlocks. Sigh, not that that stops people these days, just slows them down.

I found someone who knows someone who used to keep nice Africans and still might. Wish me luck!
 

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