Confused goose or confused gander????

[Sasa]

I have a two year old Buff Sebastopol that I was told is a hen (hard to use 'goose' when they are all geese so I say 'hen') who I was told was a very broody girl. "She" is a big girl who ended up fighting seriously, bloody, with a large, Giant Dewlap Toulouse hen who had done that last year with another hen, so I re-homed the Toulouse.

After that the Sebastopol took up with a small, white two year old Sebastopol gander and follows him everywhere, 'she' is extremely protective of him like a Mom with her gosling, she dotes on him and fusses over him, 'she' hisses at me when he comes up for petting, continues the whole time I'm petting him, and then chases me away when I am done. 'She' is very energetic and wound up and vocal, neurotic would be an accurate description. She and the gray Sebbie did watch a Pilgrim gander at their first home kill the other Sebastopol gander there, I don't know if they are traumatized by that. I think that animals tend to let things go and move on.

My two year old gray Sebastopol gander is that way (nervous and wound up) too but is gradually relaxing and I know he is a gander from his posturing, and from the fact that he actually mates with his girls. The white Sebastopol gander also postures, was mating at his last home and tries to mate here. He tries with my big Embden girl but I think he's too small for her. He tries with the Buff Sebbie 'girl' and 'she' ducks out from under him and tries to get on top of him. I just saw her 'mating' or trying to, with a Toulouse hen. I don't know if she is mock-mating because her man isn't making contact because she dodges him, or if 'she' is a really a confused 'he'. Or is she maybe gay? it happens. The two who are for sure the ganders look like ganders all the way, this 'hen' usually walks and talks like a hen but sometimes stands tall and is bossy like a gander. She was raised with the gray gander but they have absolutely no interest in each other at all which is a shame because they are close in size and would make beautiful goslings. The Buff Sebbie has not laid any eggs this season. All the rest of the hens have.

I am confused by this beautiful bird...

(the camera washes out their color so she looks much lighter than she really is)

 

[CelticOaksFarm]

the goose doesnt look buff in either lighting. You can always send off for DNA gender IDing, or vent sex the bird to know for sure.

 

[Sasa]

I am not concerned about naming the color correctly. She is beige, that's all I'll call her in the future so no one gets upset with me. I am only concerned about behavior.

 

[Sasa]

Like I said, the camera washes the color out, it does not matter what lighting they are in THIS camera washes the color out. But "beige" it is from now on.

 

[CelticOaksFarm]

very odd since the grey looks very grey and like many others in picture. Deffinetly worth DNA gender ID if you dont know for certain, or wait for eggs

 

[kimberly35042]

Hi Sasa -- what a dilemma! Is it possible she is broody? I have a couple neurotic broodies right now.
She also seems to be maybe lavendar? Hard to tell in the lighting. Good luck to you and your little cobra

 

[Miss Lydia]

That maybe true, My goose has been playing around with being broody but boy has she been moody and tempermental too. you may have hit the nail on the head, so to speak,.

 

[Sasa]

I was told that she was a very broody girl but she has not laid any eggs at all. Maybe she's too wound up to do any laying and might calm down next year. She was calm until hormone season hit, then she went nuts. She is crazy about my white Sebbie boy but doesn't let him mate, whenever he tries she turns around and gets on top of him so he leaves the pool.

 

[Sasa]

I did the genetic testing and...it's a gander! All I can think is that he was so traumatized by watching the Pilgrim gander kill the white Sebastopol gander at his last home that all he wants to do is protect the White Sebastopol gander I have here. Oh well, as long as he's a happy bird

I have seen photos of Buff and Lilac side by side and this boy is not a Lilac, he looks just like the Buff photos I saw so I am going with that, not that it actually matters... ;-)

 

[RURU]

Glad to find out that your buff is a gander because it sounded like gander behavior. When I look at the picture of this gander you know it looks like a cream which is lighter color then a Buff. Good luck with him and hope he settles down after his trauma seeing another Sebastopol gander killed. How awful. But gander will fight to the death in the breeding season...