Bumblefoot question…

[DuckDuckPromise]

Hi there! So we recently got 2 white Chinese geese. A little backstory- we used to have three jumbo Pekin ducks, and those poor babies always seemed miserable. I later learned that the jumbos were meant to be meat birds… not pets. Those sweet babies always seemed to have bumblefoot, and could barely walk most of the time! So big!! So the question, are geese “built differently” to where their little legs can support them without CONSTANT bumblefoot and knee/flipper issues? I realize that not all bumblefoot cases come from size, and I know that no one can guarantee NEVER getting bumblefoot or other issues, I guess what I’m trying to ask is, are these Chinese geese MADE TO LIVE like this and suitable as pets/egg givers, instead of solely meat birds?

 

[Goosebaby]

I don’t have Chinese myself but white Chinese are a light breed so I don’t have the same mobility issues of jumbo Perkins. Any bird can get bumblefoot but mobility is a big factor in how prone they are to it.

 

[DuckDuckPromise]

I don’t have Chinese myself but white Chinese are a light breed so I don’t have the same mobility issues of jumbo Perkins. Any bird can get bumblefoot but mobility is a big factor in how prone they are to it.

Much better wording than what I was trying to express! Thank you!!
So this is a really dumb question, but is a Chinese goose smaller than a jumbo Pekin?

I realize one is a goose and the other is a duck, but after seeing our jumbo pekins, they might have well been t-rexes… massive is an understatement!

 

[fowltemptress]

I would think the Chinese geese would be lighter than the jumbo pekins. My geese are heavier breeds than Chinese, and none of them weigh as much in their first couple years of life as my muscovy drakes in their first year. I've read the jumbo pekins are larger than muscovies, but at close to 20 lbs I don't see how a duck can get much bigger than that. Jumbo pekins must be beasts.

 

[DuckDuckPromise]

I would think the Chinese geese would be lighter than the jumbo pekins. My geese are heavier breeds than Chinese, and none of them weigh as much in their first couple years of life as my muscovy drakes in their first year. I've read the jumbo pekins are larger than muscovies, but at close to 20 lbs I don't see how a duck can get much bigger than that. Jumbo pekins must be beasts.

That’s so good to hear! I would hope that they can’t get that big/be able to support themselves if they are rather large.

Oh man, those babies were just crazy. I really do feel bad for them, the ones we had would try to swim, but then unable to get out (all the other lighter weight ducks had no problem) so I would go “rescue” them out of the water and those boogers had some strength in their wings when I’d lift them up! But I’m tickled to hear that geese have a much better chance at life!

Ummm… side note: do these geese fly?