Fighting Ganders and broodies geese all mixed together, can it work?!

[Mayfiel511]

Sorry for the long post but we are newbies and really need advice. We have 3 male and 7 females in our Embden and Toulouse free range flock, all under 1yr old. We have 1 very broody Embden goose that stays on her nest, and at least two others, 1 Toulouse and 1 other Embden, that sit often on 3 of the 4 nests in their large mobile coop (approx. 10 x 12). The other females would force her up by pulling at her then lay and/or sit themselves. So with the two nests they created, I created two more and separated eggs into them because the one that was most broody couldn't cover all the eggs the girls kept laying. I have since found 2 goose eggs and 1 chicken egg kicked into the middle of new coop but 3 of the 4 nests are being used I think. I have to bring food and water to the most broody gal and stand guard to keep the others from eating her food because I'm not sure that she is getting off the best much at allall. She hisses and bites me and calls for the others if i get too close but after a few mins. They realize that I am protecting her while she eats and then settle down and just stand next to me until I leave then go after her food, though she tries to fend them off from her food while still on the nest. We likely have about 30-40 eggs between the 4 nests. 2 of the ganders have already been badly hurt by other males and have to be separated out at night, when possible their mates stay with them. The biggest and most gentle gander of the flock has healed well but will not go into the coop, and the one that used to pick on him is now the 2nd injured gander, having been badly hurt by the Toulouse gander. His wing feathers were so badly ripped out that here was actual flesh on the ends in the coop. I'm hoping he will heal well since he is walking, eating and drinking normally. These attacks seemed to be the worst at night in the coop and the vet says they aren't going to stop fighting so I'm still trying to work out how to get the ganders to get along as they do better when they free range, otherwise I may have to cull. I cannot have 3 goose coops, and the 2 isolated genders cannot go together. I'm sooo hoping we to get goslings this year, but Oh the DRAMA of mating season! LOL.
1) Is there any hope of these males coexisting?
2) should i move the broodiest goose somewhere else?
3) What's the likelihood of actually getting goslings in a communal setting like this and will they be safe?
3) If have to cull or sell how do I choose which ganders to keep? The big Embden isn't a very good defender but has 3 mates, the smaller Embden is now injured though he stands guard for his female quite well (the very broody one, I'm not sure if he has another one), and the Toulouse is the only of his kind and seems very defensive against other birds and may make a good protector for his 2 mates. Can 1 or 2 ganders handle so many females or should I sell/cull them as well?
Sorry for the long post but what do you think?

 

[DiYMama540]

Sounds like if they can't get along you're going to have to play musical geese for a while. Separate them out with their mates, and the flock mates they can get along with.
Also, I would block the most broody off from the rest of the flock, unless she has a favorite gander, he could be left with her.
I understand not wanting multiple houses, but that may be the only solution. Is there any way you can temporarily divide their existing house, with some plastic fencing or something?
As for culling or rehoming, that's a decision left to you. You know your situation and resources better than anyone else. Were they all getting along ok before mating season? If so, hopefully it won't be long before we all return to peace and harmony, but in your case it will be a bit longer while there are goslings around.
Sorry I can't be more help...I don't have a big flock of geese, but others around here do and hopefully they will chime in with how they keep the peace!

 

[Miss Lydia]

@Iain Utah @servpolice @Gray Farms @MasterOfClucker

 

[Isaac 0]

I would definitely isolate the victim birds before some serious damage is inflicted, Whichever one to separate is your choice, you have the best idea on who is getting along and who is not, use your best judgment. Fighting may die down in a couple of months, but is not going to be a guarantee. If it were my birds I would likely rehome the males causing the most trouble, Spending months on end trying to get males to get along can be a very tireless task, two Ganders can easily mate with seven females and produce some "Well-tempered" offspring. Do you have a plan for the goslings? You will likely get more ganders.

I think your broody goose would be best alone in her coop/run, Having goslings in this kind of set-up would not only be hard to do but could result in serious injury to the goslings. It is hard for me to give you an exact answer since I know very little about your exact setup and each birds personalities.

 

[Gray Farms]

If it were me and in your situation I'd sell two of the males. Sounds like over half the females are setting and 1 male will be able to cover the rest for fertility. You could potentially end up with 60 or more goslings you know. Do want that many?

 

[Goosebaby]

You definitely can’t have fighting ganders in a confined space, eventually they’ll kill each other if they can’t get away.
The majority of my flock are ganders, some get along just fine, others can’t be together without attempted murder. As yours are only a year old it’s hard to say for sure how the flock dynamics will turn out, ganders can learn to be friendly with each other but if yours are that violent already it doesn’t bode well.
I’ve had geese share a nest just fine with each other, but with such a large group of girls not everyone is going to be besties and no doubt there’s bullying going on. For the brooding girl, for her sake as well as the goslings it would be better to limit access of the flock to her other than a protective gander or who ever is willing to share the nest without trying to push her off. With such a big mob as you have any goslings that do hatch will likely end up getting crushed by squabbling girls or raging ganders.

 

[jspeese]

I've never had good luck with birds of any kind sharing a nest. Eggs inevitably get pushed out, broken or chilled. I may get a hatch, but rarely as good as if each bird had built a separate nest. Most often a complete bust. Ganders can be terribly aggressive to each other during the brooding season, which starts in late winter and runs through the spring. The weaker gander can literally be bullied to death. After the brooding season, everyone often gets along fine as if nothing had ever happened. Unless you're into geese in a big way, I'd keep the dominant gander and find homes for the rest. And keep the Toulouse and Embdens who are broody and find homes for the rest. I've found that one happily mated pair will give me all the goslings I need or want. My favorite breed is the American buff. They are calmer, make outstanding setters and mothers. A pair or perhaps a trio of them would give you all the goslings you'd ever need. And having just one or two would solve the nest sharing problem.

 

[Mayfiel511]

OMGoodness! I hadn't even thought about the fact that I'll likely have more gander goslings, but the 2nd generation will largely be for consumption/sale so a little less of a problem but I definitely don't need or want 40 geese ( 3 of the ones I have already were sent by accident). Now that I think of it, I had to separate them when they were goslings for pulling feathers ( I checked my old videos and yep it was the same Toulouse male) but once they were out of the brooder and onto the field all was well. It started again this winter, presumably due to mating season. In any case I do think 1 or indeed 2 of the males will need to go. Just need to decide which one. I'll let you know how it goes. You all are wonderful thank you!

 

[jspeese]

Another thing to keep in mind is not to break up the matings if you do rehome some. If it were me, I'd keep the goose that is your best setter and mother and her mate, and maybe some of the others he mates with, and rehome the rest.. maybe the gander who gets picked on and his mate. Geese can resent the casual transfer of mates and may not accept another if theirs is taken away.

 

[Wandrang1985]

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