Howdy! My favorite thing to do on here is look at photos folks put up, so I thought I'd return the favor by posting a few photos of Buff goslings I received from Metzers recently, along with a tidbit on what i think of Metzer so far and a few things I'mdoing to help the goslings adjust. With that, introducing Tex, Missy, and Dakota; I figured since their breed was developed in America, I'd name them all after states.The first photo was the day I received them, in the next photo they're still under a week old, and the next two pictures were taken a couple days ago, around 4 weeks old. My husband is amazed at how quickly they grow, and has demanded I take daily progress pictures with the next batch of geese I have coming in.
These guys are super personable, and have gone far in convincing the man he may like geese after all (he comes from a land of wild Canadian geese, and apparently that experience left him bitter). Tex in particular is a lap hog, and will hover by your side hoping to be picked up. I'm worried this will translate into trouble when he's older and hormones are flooding in, but it's hard saying no to a goose.
My previous experience with geese was with Ideal, and I don't know what they sent me but it certainly wasn't the Pilgrims I ordered. I loved those birds, but they had to go during a massive life upheaval, unfortunately. This go round I went with Metzers based on reviews and some stunning pictures of birds other people have received from them. I was happy with Metzer's packaging and the two little cups of gro gel they sent with the goslings, and so far Metzer has been quick to reply to my emails and were great on the phone when I wanted to adjust my future order. These goslings were a lot bigger than the ones I got from Ideal, but that may be a breed thing. One of the Metzer geese came in with a bloody wing (I suspect her mates were chewing on her) and she took longer than the other two to find her footing and recover from the trip, but they're all healthy and happy now. One thing that you can probably see in the last picture - Missy has a sunken area on both sides of her face that have been there since I day one. It makes her look skinnier, like an underfed model, so I'm calling her my little 'heroin chic' bird. Has anyone seen this before? She acts perfectly normal, so I assume it's a cosmetic thing.
My little gaggle is on Purina flock raiser for now, which they eat very little of since they stuff themselves to their ears on dandelion and clover. I think getting them outside on grass as quickly as possible is important, and I've been exposing them to mower, gun, and chainsaw noises, flapping tarps and towels, and things of that nature. I know they're a prey species and everything in the world is a jump scare to them, so I'm hoping exposing them early to a lot of things that go on around the farm will help with keeping them from having a panic all the time. I do raise a fuss when they're near my dogs, as I don't want them to ever be comfortable with dogs around. I've learned the hard way what happens when poultry get complacent with a sweet dog and are suddenly confronted with a dog with a strong prey drive.
Edited to add: how about that goose bum on the last picture? They have the cutest little pooter holes! People tend to look at you like you're crazy when you talk about such things in real life, but being crazy doesn't make it any less cute!
Last edited:
