Do you have to have a pair of Geese?

[Shelbycobra]

Some people have told me if I do not get my baby Sebastapol gosling a mate, eventually he will get depressed or mean. He has 5 ducky friends, 10 chicken friends and comes in everynight to watch "Comedy Central" with the family. He is only 9 days old. I have heard conflicting reports. Some say if he does have a mate he will get mean. What experiences have you had?

Thank you,
Renee

 

[chixie]

I have a 4 month old goose that lives with my ducks and chickens... his best friend is my pekin duck( the only duck i have close to his size) ... so far not had a problem with being mean he just doesn't need me as much as used to... he wants to be a duck instead of human... lol

 

[Calebs Acre]

I think that temperament has everything to do with the breed of the goose and the individual goose. Some male geese can get testy during breeding season if they have no mate, but not all. I don't think you'll be able to tell much about whether this will be a problem or not until they are old enough to breed, which could be as old as two years in some breeds.

As far as companionship, I think you have that covered! Between human and fowl, he has quite a nice family.

With that said, I have all of my geese paired up, so I have no personal experience, but this is a topic I've discussed with many people who have been very successful with single geese. I hope you join them as it sounds like your family really loves this goose!

 

[jessi]

Geese need emotional bonds, whether it's with other geese or other species. I started "goosing" 15 years ago when I rescued a goose who had been abandoned from the parking lot of a grocery store. He became deeply attached to me, and very lonely when I went to work or put him in the barn at night. The next spring, he actually fell in love with a white five-gallon bucket. (He was a white goose, about the same size). He had to sit by that bucket all the time, and made cooing sounds to it. This told me he was extremely happy and HAD to have a mate!

When I finally found Rosie, he went wild. I have never seen any being so full of joy. He has been a happy little goose ever since, and I have had them now all these years. We don't have ducks to be their friends, so I let them keep their first set of goslings (3 more geese thus added to the family). Every year, we sell or give away any babies, and the family remains the core group of 5. They graze on my lawn and take care of most of my mowing.

Ganders don't get mean when they have a mate, they merely get protective during breeding season. That isn't meanness, it's the survival instinct. They will bite if they perceive someone as a threat. To avoid that, don't do sudden, surprising movements when you're in their territory and don't walk in holding strange objects they're not used to without explaining and soothing them as you enter. Be especially careful in breeding season.

The more room the geese have, the less problems you will have, as nesting territory is often the issue. Respect their needs for space and their sensibilities, and you should do fine having two or more geese.

 

[Windchyme]

Quote:
If he is an aggressive goose at breeding season (are you even sure it is a boy at this age?) he will be that way no matter what. The only difference being is he will not have a goose as his mate, he'll pick a duck or a person or....LOL a bucket. How he is going to be when the hormones start running is how he is going to be and there isn't a whole lot to do to change it. He will bond with and watch over the ducks, but I'm not sure how happy that will make him ultimately, I can't imagine my geese with only ducks to be their friends. Geese don't require a mate but they absolutely do need to have a flock to bond with and that can be chickens and ducks or another goose the same sex (yes in bird thinking two birds makes a flock)- doesn't have to be opposite sex. They absolutely DO get depressed if they don't have their flock needs met appropriately. Geese and most birds cannot be kept as single birds if you want them healthy and happy. If I were you I'd get it a friend if it is still possible to do so. There may be no more goslings to be had and in that case it will just have to wait until next spring and make due with the ducks in the meantime (which isn't the ultimate but it's a heck of a lot better then nothing I guarantee).

 

[Calebs Acre]

jessi:

What a touching post. I loved it. When you said that he bonded with the bucket, it make me think of Wall-E and while I am NOT a kids' movie person, I adored that film! That is so great!

 

[goosedragon]

Again I would like to remind the board that the fall is a good time to get young adult geese. People that have carried too many during the summer when there is a lot of graze see their feed bills go up as the weather cools and don't want to carry so many hungry mouths through the winter. kids go back to school or off to college so they have to do their own chores...Shipping costs are expensive on adult geese but if you can find what you want within driving range you can sometimes get some great deals!