I have a pair of Egyptian Geese that are not getting along. They are about three years old, and have produced no eggs yet. They are in a pen with no other birds. They have been agreeable up to this point. Now the gander is chasing the goose around the yard and into the coop. He is only content when she is pushed into a corner, and then he lays down next to her. The only change has been a lot of snow, and more time in the coop. Should I be concerned? Thanks for your help! Scott
post #5 of 69/18/11 Rosecomb-Ryan East Indie Crazed Location: Sacramento CA Joined: 4/2008 Posts: 1,442 offline Quote: He has alot of them.. lol Too many.. But do NOT keep them with bantam chickens.. or anything in that matter if they are in a pen. They will kill any birds they can catch in a pen. Mine are in a 2 acre pasture with no other birds. I have had them kill Mallards, Cayugas, and full sized chickens.. I show mine and really enjoy them. Ryan I'd contact Ryan he'd be able to help you. click on his name then you can send him a PM.
Have you sexed them to make.sure they are a pair? If they are use to more space then being enclosed may have him irritated. Even freerange they can get an attitude towards each other at times....but more space the better and a place they can get away from each other.
Don't know how goose behavior might parallel swans............ but when my pair of mutes were starting their first breeding season at age 3, he went crazy after her and she was totally resistant. This became so intense in the course of one day with her smashing into the fence around the pond and running away and struggling all day that in the early evening I went out to check on her up close and found her totally dazed and out of it. I just bent down and picked her up--totally limp with no resistance and she scared me to death! We kept her out of there and in the garage for a couple of days till she recovered. In the meantime, I talked to 2 avian vets, one of whom specializes in waterfowl. Both said that while this is rare, it does happen and she just wasn't ready yet so it really was like he was "raping" her--their word, not mine! They really didn't have any suggestions for me other than to keep her away till recovered and then try her in there with him again. Luckily for us, when we put her back in the pond with him after a 3-day separation, they were fine and shortly after we had our first eggs laid. The two of them have been inseparable ever since--5 years now. Wish I had better ideas, but for now maybe you should get that poor goose away from the horny gander for a while
Thank you for your replies. We have not sexed these birds. I am confident that they are a pair. We purchased them as a pair at a large show, from a reputable breeder. One bird is noticably larger than the other. They have been judged several times. They act like a pair, they have different voices and they do a nice little song and dance each morning. (until this past week.) He has still been roughing her up. She now has some raw patches on her neck. So for now we have removed her from him. We will try a week or two and then reintroduce them. Any other Ideas would be appreciated!
I think a.rest from each other is good. I know my Egyptians can be mean to each other at times....but they have five acres to work it out on....hehe. The female and male will make different sounds.... Their pair bond often seems like a love hate relationship at times...hehe
I'm so sorry to hear that. She may have had something wrong with her that made him act that way towards her...or his aggressive actions hurt something.
