Chinese Geese a Good Choice?

[brodysam]

Are chinese geese a good choice for pet flocks? I was thinking of adding one or two to my duck pen. Someone locally has some for sale, but they are adults. I've done some research on the internet, but would like to hear from folks who own them.

 

[goosedragon]

Quote:
They were my starter geese. I moved on to other breeds because mine were very loud and slightly aggressive (the people that gave them to me did not spend any time with their birds and I think that was part of the aggression problem) If you do go with geese of any breed please get at least two. A lone goose hanging out with a bunch of ducks is lonely and unhappy. It knows it is missing something even if it doesn't know what it is. By instinct they are flock animals and much more family oriented than ducks. Good Luck!

 

[brodysam]

Thanks.

 

[greyhorsewoman]

We have one brown chinese and one toulouse. The brown chinese is extremely LOUD and will occasionally go after strangers (though she loves all of us and will even sit in my lap). We got a couple more youngsters last year and the noise level became unbearable. We processed the 3 youngsters last fall and just have the original two.

The Toulouse is not nearly as loud and more laid back. By choice, I would not pick Chinese for a pet flock.

 

[brodysam]

Ok, thank you.

 

[DiVon80]

If you want pets! You really need to get tiny babies. Rear them close to you. You'll be happier with the out come. I am raising baby Africans. My husband even plays w them. They are a week old today. I have them in a lg clear rubber made type container so they can see us, I keep them in the kitchen. As they get older there is lots of poop(Warning! HA!). I put down newspaper with papertowels ontop for traction. This can be picked up often. I give them lots of greens,waterfowl starter with sprinkles of parakeet grit. Oh they loved boiled egg yolk and spinish. Even some whole wheat noodles. Just a lil info.

 

[brodysam]

Thanks so much!

 

[Chickies-duckies-etc]

I agree that the chinese, either brown or white, can be extremely, ear splitting loud, but also, if handled as goslings can be very friendly. I have some that will come up, talk, talk and want to be held.

They also look so elegant with their long necks. They are referred to as the swan goose.

Other breeds. may not make noise as much, and some of their talk is softer, but they also are capable of extremely loud output of noise. Some of my ganders do a loud "fog horn" blast that you just do not want to be too near them when they let loose.

Geese = loud, interesting, messy, fun, friendly, loud, messy, no grass, messy, loud, fun.

My first flock of white chinese were like dealing with a bunch of 2 year old human kids. So much mischief..........

 

[jessi]

China geese are more shrill than other breeds and some people are bothered by all their noise, but they are the most beautiful breed of goose in my opinion. I think the personality depends more on the goose than on the breed. Geese in any breed can be aggressive, especially in the mating-and-baby season, and especially ganders. You just need to give them plenty of territory and stay out of their space in the breeding time.

I strongly agree with the poster who said "never have just one goose!" They are one of the three most intelligent birds (the other two are parrots and crows), and they have big hearts and strong emotions. They really can suffer from loneliness. Two geese and a bunch of ducks would not be a bad combination, if you have room for them all to exercise and graze. They need plenty of space to be happy. Mine have access to my whole yard, and get put into a shed at night for safety. I have 5 geese and a large lot and there's enough grass that they haven't destroyed it. They are my organic lawnmowers, but like kids with sandwich crusts, they tend to ignore the edges.

To the lady who is feeding her goslings egg yolks ... you might want to be careful. I've read that geese who are fed eggshells learn to eat their own eggs. I wonder if eating egg yolks could cause the same thing.

 

[Lund121671]

I my self have chinas and WOULD NOT recomend them for a PET flock. Mine were hand raised with TONS of interaction and are the worst geese I have. I however LOVE them and would never part with them EVER. They are great foster parents to all of our waterfowl babies. Yes, they are very loud, but are so easy on the eyes with that long arched neck like a swan. I have africans and american buffs. They are all agressive during mating and child rearing, but the africans FOR ME are the most easy to work around. These are just my thoughts.