Gaggle of Chinese Ostracizing a Roman Tufted - Help!

[SarahTsu]

I am new to geese. I recently got a gaggle of 5 from a farm that no longer had room for them. One is a Roman Tufted and the rest are Chinese (1 gander and 3 geese?). I don't know if the Tufted is a goose or a gander. From what I understand they are a year old and all were raised together as goslings. After getting them home - I am noticing the group of 4 Chinese keep away from the Tufted one. Two days ago they attacked and cornered it - the Chinese gander especially. Tufty is very gentle and didn't fight back. I am now housing it separately for it's safety. I am baffled by this behavior. Could it be triggered by the other geese laying eggs? Or do different breeds not like sharing the same space? I am thinking of pairing the Tufted with another one of its breed so it won't be so sad - but don't know to get another Tufted goose or gander? The poor thing has the saddest blue eyes around! It's swimming and eats grass, but not the regular feed of corn and pellets. I love them all, but don't know what to do. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

 

[SarahTsu]

Thanks islandgirl ! I will try to keep more Thieves on hand and use it as you've mentioned, since vinegar alone doesn't kill germs.

 

[SarahTsu]

x2

More Juhy ... Enjoy

 

[SarahTsu]

Found this site of a farm in Oregon that ship adult geese! They have some Mini geese varieties. No available Embden now
http://www.holderreadfarm.com/index.htm

 

[SarahTsu]

Do geese normally open their mouths in a way that looks like a hiccup? Juhy opens her bill and pulls up from her throat like she hiccuped. Tula is doing the same thing, too. They have water in front of them, but aren't dunking or drinking. So, it's probably not a dry throat or something stuck. I haven't spent enough time with the rest of them to notice if all are doing this. Wondering if this is part of normal behavior.

 

[Orpington Crazy]

You want to store the eggs with the air pocket upwards which is normally pointy end down. I have a few that it is hard to tell so we just candle them to see the air pocket mark which end that is then plop them in a carton. Making sure to turn them 3 to 5 times a day to do this we put a book under one end then move it to the other end until the next go. Hope this helps

Alyssa


Edited
This is how we do chicken and duck eggs.

 

[Miss Lydia]

UPDATE to all - mystery of Tufted Roman solved! Turns out he is a gander. Upon arrival of the Toulouse goose around mating season, he has paired up with her.

As of the first week of February they are an official pair ... That explains why the poor thing was being attacked and chased out by the Chinese gander (the illness could have been an ancillary issue). Thank you all for your time to help in his recovery. Bracing for the bad weather headed toward southern Cali and prayers for safety for all of you in the path of bad weather! 2 pics of the new couple below:





.

They are a lovely pair, Jehy looks so proud!

 

[Day Creek]

Good advise serv, I was concerned the Roman maybe stressing out being separated for them and causing her to start getting sick.

I had to separate my Roman from my African (gremlin goose) and they do like to eat together so I placed their food dishes right next to a mesh divider so they felt like they were still eating together but gremlin couldn’t attack.

 

[servpolice]

You do have one Chinese gander and 2 Chinese geese and in fact a roman female.
The Chinese gander usually doesn't mind females of other breeds so I think that the Chinese never even seen the roman tuft so they show who is dominant. See after a week if they still pester her if they continue then remove her and get another gander (a Embden gander will scare those Chinese away) but put the roman female and the other gander separated from the Chinese for atleast two months so they bound and become mates for life. And maybe you can have goslings if you want because roman tuft geese are excellent brooders and mothers.
Hope it helped.
Ask questions if you want I would love to answer and keep us bycers updated.

 

[SarahTsu]

Thank you for the assessment and advice. I tried putting the Roman back with the rest and she seemed eager to join them. She was not welcomed however. On a close inspection it seems that there is also a Pomeranian in the mix. It's the brown and white stockier bird in the background among the four. (She makes cute, cartoon like 'ga ga ga ga' sound). The Chinese gander did not pester her and she kept Roman company when being chased. So on a whim we placed the Roman and the Pomeranian together in a separate coop. They are sharing a separate pool and are calm. There is no more fighting, but the two separated birds keep looking over the fence toward the 3 they were with all this time. Concerned about their lack of appetite - they're not eating regular feed. It being winter, all the more worrisome. Want to follow your advise on getting an Embden gander. I am totally new to this with no experience in mixed breed raising. Wondering if the Roman and Pomeranian geese can be paired with a different breed gander? Or do I need to get a gander of each kind for the respective geese?