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 they 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?

 

[Goosebaby]

Average weight of Chinese geese is about 10lb.
Average jumbo pekins are 10 to 13lbs.

Chinese geese being geese with a more robust skeleton support their weight very well, whereas a duck really was never meant to weigh that much, their bones, joints, and organs haven’t kept up with breeding them for size.

I had two jumbo pekins, the female “Astrid” had to be put down because she kept prolapsing and then she broke her leg. She was a year old, maybe almost two. Her partner Olaf far outlived his life expectancy and made it to about seven when his heart gave out, but he had a very relaxed life after Astrid passed and was pretty much babied, otherwise I doubt he wouldn’t have lived half as long.
They can be sweet ducks but they are a meat breed and aren’t meant to live past the age of about two. Jumbos are pretty much the duck version Cornish game hens, their breeding is unethical imo.

 

[DuckDuckPromise]

Average weight of Chinese geese is about 10lb.
Average jumbo pekins are 10 to 13lbs.

Chinese geese being geese with a more robust skeleton support their weight very well, whereas a duck really was never meant to weigh that much, their bones, joints, and organs haven’t kept up with breeding them for size.

I had two jumbo pekins, the female “Astrid” had to be put down because she kept prolapsing and then she broke her leg. She was a year old, maybe almost two. Her partner Olaf far outlived his life expectancy and made it to about seven when his heart gave out, but he had a very relaxed life after Astrid passed and was pretty much babied, otherwise I doubt he wouldn’t have lived half as long.
They can be sweet ducks but they are a meat breed and aren’t meant to live past the age of about two. Jumbos are pretty much the duck version Cornish game hens, their breeding is unethical imo.

I’m so happy Olaf had such a good life!!!
I had no idea they were jumbos, they were TSC birds, and I’m not sure if you’ve ever gotten any birds from their storefront… but they can be a guessing game! I have had employees respond to my question of “what kind are they?”
With the answer of
“well, that one is a duck, and that one is a chicken!”
So information was a bit scarce!
They were very sweet, but you could tell their little frames weren’t meant to support that much weight!

I’m excited that geese are built for it! Thank you for the info

 

[fowltemptress]

That's interesting. The average weight of muscovies is listed as 10 to 13 lbs as well, which . . . well, okay. My girls weigh 6 to 8 lbs and my boys weigh 18 to 20 lbs and that's all I know. Muscovy sexual dimorphism is something else, I tell you what.

I wish all the meaty birds were always labeled properly; it would save a lot of folks some heartbreak.

 

[Goosebaby]

That's interesting. The average weight of muscovies is listed as 10 to 13 lbs as well, which . . . well, okay. My girls weigh 6 to 8 lbs and my boys weigh 18 to 20 lbs and that's all I know. Muscovy sexual dimorphism is something else, I tell you what.

I wish all the meaty birds were always labeled properly; it would save a lot of folks some heartbreak.

Muscovies tend to naturally be larger than mallard types, better bones.

 

[DuckDuckPromise]

That's interesting. The average weight of muscovies is listed as 10 to 13 lbs as well, which . . . well, okay. My girls weigh 6 to 8 lbs and my boys weigh 18 to 20 lbs and that's all I know. Muscovy sexual dimorphism is something else, I tell you what.

I wish all the meaty birds were always labeled properly; it would save a lot of folks some heartbreak.

Yes!! That exactly!
A nice label that says “if you don’t plan to eat me, maybe look at another birdy!”
Perhaps a bit more eloquent, but along those lines