I'm waiting to finish the next roll of film and get it developed. I really wish I could get a good digital camera. The animals (and life in general) have kept me too busy to get online here.
They are getting HUGE. I don't notice it much, day by day, but I used to put them all into a largish shoe-box sized box and carry them. Hehe, I couldn't STUFF two of them into a box that size now.
They are much MUCH larger than my chicks, who are several weeks older. To tell you the truth, they don't look tiny beside the ducks, though they are smaller of course.
We have lots of animals around too. Two houses over there is a horse, some cows down the hill, roosters scattered around, and I hear a very upset donkey from time to time. There are lots of others around too, but those are the ones I hear. I'm just afraid Baka (my runner duck) is the most annoying of all ... I know she drives US crazy!
Geese are in an outside pen now during the day. They are too big to stay in a brooder, and they get too bored there. Everyone free-ranges around them, and they are used to the ducks and chickens coming by. They have almost stopped eating feed, at least during the day. The weeds and grass interest them MUCH more. I think I'm going to have to keep moving their pen around to keep them with fresh weeds, much faster than I had to move the chickens' baby pen.
They have such personalities. The black marked ones are sweet, and make the cutest noises and want to rub their heads on my arms. One of them eats my hair every chance he gets.
The yellow one ... well, he likes attention. But he can be MEAN to the other babies! I have to separate him into another brooder, because if he wakes up at night and there is no water, he started ripping tufts of feather-fuzz from the dark ones, making the poor things scream. And if I pay attention to the dark marked ones, he will sometimes try to bite them and get to me. I think he'd be fine as a single goose, but as part of a group he's a bit of a challenge. They seem to get along fine if they are out in the pen though.
Oh, and they are like the ducks were. The chicks put on adult feathers so quickly, but goslings keep the baby fuzz. No sign of adult feathers at all. But those stubby little wings are getting a little longer. They hop and flap their wings sometimes ... like they want exercise. I wonder if it's "practice" for those muscles for flying.
They are something else, and really very quickly becoming my favorites. I think Raiden (the kitten we found last year) is still my favorite (which is weird because I'm not a cat person really, but this little guy acts like a dog and makes the rounds with me while I do my chores, and pops out running on two legs to "attack" me sometimes) ... but the geese are catching up -- quickly! I even like them better than the dog, LOL.
(Geese / gooses ... I'm with you, greyfields, I call them "gooses" too. "Geese" just doesn't sound right, but I guess I can't overcome the habit in writing. But you're right. They're gooses! They know it too, LOL)
trish
