Do I need a gander? Will she love my ducks?

[MrsRabbit]

Questions:

Can one goose be happy with two ducks? If one goose will not be happy with two ducks, will two geese be happy with two ducks? Or is a gander a necessity for true goose tranquility? What steps should I take to facilitate this state of domestic harmony? (Two ducks and 1 or 2 geese)

Backstory:

I had three female Ancona ducks and lost one to a raccoon. They are friendly, but not imprinted on humans. They sleep in a dog crate in the house at night and have free range of a fenced in 1/4 acre by day and a pen under the deck for when we need to keep them confined which, since the raccoon incident, is unfortunately whenever we can't be out there with them. I would like to get another bird so that we can have a trio again and I am thinking I would like to get a goose so that it'll at least make a ruckus when that raccoon comes around.

There is a local breeder of Cotton Patch geese and I am a fan. My ideal situation in fantasy land would be to get a female CPG gosling (about 2 weeks old) who would bond with my Anconas (4 months old) and they would all live happily ever after. But I don't know if the birds would cooperate with that plan.

My husband is concerned about the aggression of a gander, especially during breeding season and would much prefer if we don't have to deal with that. But I have read that Cotton Patch are mellower than others. Mellower... by comparison to what? And aren't those Cotton Patch ganders gorgeous! And how guilty should I feel about keeping a breed like this and not breeding them? And is a girl goose going to be as effective a watch dog as a boy goose?

I really want to keep the size of my flock small so I can enjoy them in my yard without the associated mess and destruction of a large flock. (They are my gardening buddies) So one goose is ideal. Two geese is pushing it but possible. If a goose and a gander are my best option for happy geese, I might have to abandon the idea and see if our Ancona breeder has another baby for me unless my husband can be convinced that he won't be subject to abuse by a gander.

I am a professional dog trainer (I currently have no dogs and don't want any. I do board them sometimes.) and feel pretty confident that I have what it takes to dominate a sassy gander. Alas, the husband is more the sensitive artistic type.

 

[flockman]

Geese are at most a deterant for predators not protection. Geese also do much better with their own kind. You could get 2 girls and they would be fine. No gander is necessary.

 

[MrsRabbit]

I don't expect them to protect. Just make noise. The ducks just go still and quiet when a predator is around. Or an airplane...

 

[MrsRabbit]

After talking to the breeder at great length I have more questions!!

She said that her geese and ganders are pretty much even when it comes to aggression and that they're all fine until breeding season and she thinks the ganders would be better without a goose around to trigger them but that the geese will probably still get crabby because they'll still be laying.

So she suggests ganders.

I realize she's trying to sell off excess ganders but I do think she's sincere. I'm just not sure she's correct.

She has two little boys who have a similar beak deformity to one of my ducks, which makes me love them AND makes me feel less guilty about keeping a rare pet and not breeding it. They've been alone together now for a few weeks as all their siblings have been sold. She doesn't want to split them up because the last one will be lonely and her mama geese don't want anything to do with them. I am so tempted to take them. I have a weakness.

She also has a widowed adult gander that she thinks would get along fine with the ducks, as he lived with the chickens for awhile after his wife died. He is now playing 2nd daddy to the new clutch her goose is brooding and the boys are getting along fine. I am less tempted by him.

My husband is still at work, has not been privy to these discussions, and remains terrified of ganders.

 

[livininbrazil]

After talking to the breeder at great length I have more questions!!

She said that her geese and ganders are pretty much even when it comes to aggression and that they're all fine until breeding season and she thinks the ganders would be better without a goose around to trigger them but that the geese will probably still get crabby because they'll still be laying.

So she suggests ganders.

I realize she's trying to sell off excess ganders but I do think she's sincere. I'm just not sure she's correct.

She has two little boys who have a similar beak deformity to one of my ducks, which makes me love them AND makes me feel less guilty about keeping a rare pet and not breeding it. They've been alone together now for a few weeks as all their siblings have been sold. She doesn't want to split them up because the last one will be lonely and her mama geese don't want anything to do with them. I am so tempted to take them. I have a weakness.

She also has a widowed adult gander that she thinks would get along fine with the ducks, as he lived with the chickens for awhile after his wife died. He is now playing 2nd daddy to the new clutch her goose is brooding and the boys are getting along fine. I am less tempted by him.

My husband is still at work, has not been privy to these discussions, and remains terrified of ganders.

Well if they have deformed bills maybe it won´t hurt so much when they pinch!
Yes, she wants to find a home for them, and no, geese aren´t as bad as ganders. Geese aren´t likely to fight, two ganders may well do when it´s breeding time and neither wants to be underneath!
Cottonpatch ganders are not likely to be extremely aggressive, hubby should be ok. i have auto-sexing breed here, and they´re no problem. But they´re also only small, and in not being very aggressive, I don´t know how much of a deterrent CPG´d really be. To be honest, I´m not sure that any goose is a deterent...we´ve had folks on these threads who´ve lost goslings from right beneath the goose!

Also, they may try to mate your ducks, some feel it´s no problem, others get worried about it.

 

[lina500]

I can't help much, but we got a couple of goslings when they were a week old and our three ducks were about six or seven weeks old. At first they were aggressive towards each other, but after a week or so they accepted each other and now all five of them travel as a pack around the yard. So they do learn to like each other if you introduce the geese when they are small.