- Apr 19, 2009
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Wouldn't an African/Toulouse cross be grey or brown?
You said he (the man you got them from) had "African Grey Toulouses" what I am saying is that his "African Grey Toulouses" were African Grey/Toulouse crosses, not that your goose is one. You also said he had them running with pure Pilgrims. Correct? So those African Grey/Toulouse crosses could have mated with the Pilgrim geese to produce the offspring you purchased. So, yes, the African/Toulouse crosses should have been dark -- but those are the geese the man you bought yours from owned, not necessarily what you own-- if one of his African/Toulouse crosses (the "African Grey Toulouses") crossed with a pilgrim to make the goslings you bought they, theoretically could have produced white offspring that are African/Toulouse/Pilgrim. Which would explain Linus' Pilgrim-like coloring and build as well as his knob.
As far as the vent sexing goes, if you're not 100% positive that what you have are Pilgrims then there is also no way to know 100% what sex you have by just looking at them. Vent sexing a grown bird is easier, ime, than vent sexing a baby bird. There's a lot less chance of injuring an adult so you can be more vigorous with your attempts which lessens the learning curve. Even if it weren't easier with an adult no one gets better at vent sexing by doing anything but more vent sexing.
Like I said, unless you're 100% sure you have auto-sexing geese, I would caution you against guessing when you do decide to par down your flock. If you got them from a breeder that was running more than one breed in the same pen there is no way to be sure.
I cannot even count the number of times I've picked a goose out of a gaggle because I was "sure" based on social hierarchy and behavior that one would be a gander only to vent sex and find out I was wrong. Always double check before taking irreversible action.
You said he (the man you got them from) had "African Grey Toulouses" what I am saying is that his "African Grey Toulouses" were African Grey/Toulouse crosses, not that your goose is one. You also said he had them running with pure Pilgrims. Correct? So those African Grey/Toulouse crosses could have mated with the Pilgrim geese to produce the offspring you purchased. So, yes, the African/Toulouse crosses should have been dark -- but those are the geese the man you bought yours from owned, not necessarily what you own-- if one of his African/Toulouse crosses (the "African Grey Toulouses") crossed with a pilgrim to make the goslings you bought they, theoretically could have produced white offspring that are African/Toulouse/Pilgrim. Which would explain Linus' Pilgrim-like coloring and build as well as his knob.
As far as the vent sexing goes, if you're not 100% positive that what you have are Pilgrims then there is also no way to know 100% what sex you have by just looking at them. Vent sexing a grown bird is easier, ime, than vent sexing a baby bird. There's a lot less chance of injuring an adult so you can be more vigorous with your attempts which lessens the learning curve. Even if it weren't easier with an adult no one gets better at vent sexing by doing anything but more vent sexing.
Like I said, unless you're 100% sure you have auto-sexing geese, I would caution you against guessing when you do decide to par down your flock. If you got them from a breeder that was running more than one breed in the same pen there is no way to be sure.
I cannot even count the number of times I've picked a goose out of a gaggle because I was "sure" based on social hierarchy and behavior that one would be a gander only to vent sex and find out I was wrong. Always double check before taking irreversible action.
