Double post...please delete

[Jbently28]

So my local chicken swap was this past Saturday. I decided last minute just to go because it was a beautiful day and just wanted to get out, so why not go check it out. We always have vendors come from all over the state with a wide variety of poultry and livestock. My husband had his eye on some lavender guineas. So we stood there for a while talking with this sweet lady about her farm. I looked down and noticed 2 of the sweetest little 3 week old goslings. I had been very interested previously in getting a goose to help protect my flock of chickens and ducks since we have had problems in the past with raccoons and possums. She had one that was a tufted Roman and another that was either African, Toulouse, or a mix of the 2. While we were standing there talking, someone else bought the tufted. I asked to hold the other one and instantly fell in love. So of course, the little one had to come home with me. I'm so excited to have the addition to the flock. This is my first experience with geese and I'm already loving it. It follows me around everywhere and loves to snuggle on my lap. I had it out in a large dog kennel most of the day yesterday since it was in the high 80's. I was actually pretty surprise with how accepting my 7 week old anconas were. I even opened the kennel and a couple of them shared the litter pan pool with it. I of course put it back in a brooder come evening time. I'm hoping this will be a pretty smooth integration. Does anyone have any experience with ducks and geese together? And does anyone have any thoughts on which breed it may be?

 

[DuckyDonna]

@Miss Lydia has both!

 

[Miss Lydia]

What a precious little gosling. Look to be African or mix with African. They really aren't "guard Geese" unless you want it to give up it's life for the rest of the birds because they have no way of defending themselves Raccoons or other predators with teeth. Mine are just as scared as the rest of the birds when something is amiss. My geese and my ducks and chickens live pretty well together except during breeding season when geese get ornery and drakes and ganders will fight. My geese do have their own house.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I will give you this information. https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/reasons-why-you-shouldnt-keep-just-one-goose.1220102/

Any news on your ducklings?

 

[Jbently28]

What a precious little gosling. Look to be African or mix with African. They really aren't "guard Geese" unless you want it to give up it's life for the rest of the birds because they have no way of defending themselves Raccoons or other predators with teeth. Mine are just as scared as the rest of the birds when something is amiss. My geese and my ducks and chickens live pretty well together except during breeding season when geese get ornery and drakes and ganders will fight. My geese do have their own house.

Yeah the lady told us that it looked like it definitely had african in it. I was really wanting it as more of an alarm for predators I guess you could say. My husband has already started building it it's own enclosure to be in at night, which would also double as a seperate pen during mating season. We wanted to wait to find out the gender and then get it a sexed mate.

 

[Jbently28]

I will give you this information. https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/reasons-why-you-shouldnt-keep-just-one-goose.1220102/

Any news on your ducklings?

I found an exploded egg yesterday morning. My husband was able to help me get under there to pull out the rest of the bad eggs. All of the rest of them had either internally pipped or were very close to it. Mama didn't come out to eat this morning like she normally does so hoping for some babies this morning. I'm guessing she has been sitting on a staggered clutch. I even found a random chicken egg that she has been sitting on, but it was unfertilized. I'm definitely making sure that she is never able to lay under there again. It has been a complete nightmare!