gander aggression questions

[tielie135]

hi, i recently took in a gander whos owner died and i have been having problems with aggression. he was sweet for the first little bit but today he decided to attack me. tried picking him up and moving him and the second i put him back down he attacked again, i ended up pinning him down and holding him there for quite awhile (i tried for like 5 mins and he would attack again) eventually he calmed down but i really dont know how to deal with this. he seems to have only been around men all of his life and aggressive to girls (which i am) how do i get him to be friendly to me? he goes right up to men and is really sweet to them but it is just me and my mom on the farm and we cant have him attacking. he gets along with the chickens and really loves the ducks, no aggression to any livestock or my dog, just me.
any help appreciated, really want to keep him on the farm he is a wonderful guard goose.

 

[Goosebaby]

hi, i recently took in a gander whos owner died and i have been having problems with aggression. he was sweet for the first little bit but today he decided to attack me. tried picking him up and moving him and the second i put him back down he attacked again, i ended up pinning him down and holding him there for quite awhile (i tried for like 5 mins and he would attack again) eventually he calmed down but i really dont know how to deal with this. he seems to have only been around men all of his life and aggressive to girls (which i am) how do i get him to be friendly to me? he goes right up to men and is really sweet to them but it is just me and my mom on the farm and we cant have him attacking. he gets along with the chickens and really loves the ducks, no aggression to any livestock or my dog, just me.
any help appreciated, really want to keep him on the farm he is a wonderful guard goose.

It’s breeding season so he’s over sensitive and quicker to react to everything, he’ll be calmer in summer.
When he starts coming at you say NO and then pick him up but don’t set him down immediately, carry him around for a minute or two then set him back down, he might turn around and try to be macho to save face if he’s an extra spicy boy but just say NO again, if he doesn’t back down keep picking him up, he’ll learn what NO means and that if he doesn’t behave he’ll get picked up and he’ll begin trying to control his temper better.

 

[tielie135]

It’s breeding season so he’s over sensitive and quicker to react to everything, he’ll be calmer in summer.
When he starts coming at you say NO and then pick him up but don’t set him down immediately, carry him around for a minute or two then set him back down, he might turn around and try to be macho to save face if he’s an extra spicy boy but just say NO again, if he doesn’t back down keep picking him up, he’ll learn what NO means and that if he doesn’t behave he’ll get picked up and he’ll begin trying to control his temper better.

thank you so much! about when is breeding season over?

 

[Goosebaby]

thank you so much! about when is breeding season over?

Well sometimes that’s hard to say, mine are for sure over it when they molt, so sometime in the summer. They sometimes get mellower before that but molting is the absolute end of breeding season for my ganders.

 

[Goosebaby]

Ganders seem to get calmer in warmer weather, I hope that helps.

 

[tielie135]

Ganders seem to get calmer in warmer weather, I hope that helps.

it is really cold here it stays below zero until mothers day. so this can only end well.

 

[Leader Bee]

I absolutely love Goosebaby's responses to goose discipline. I imagine her having worked in a goose primary school

 

[Goosebaby]

I absolutely love Goosebaby's responses to goose discipline. I imagine her having worked in a goose primary school

Pretty much

 

[AKMommaF8]

Thank you, Goosebaby, for sharing your wisdom! While I've had chickens & ducks for years, I'm a newbie to geese.

I do have a question... how on earth does one lift a Toulouse goose? I've only had my pair for about 2 months, & haven't had to do any lifting, but my pair look really heavy... like turkey heavy. At 5'3", I'm really impressed y'all can heft them... though I guess when you're ticked off, they might seem small! (No, I'm not helpless or weak, but they aren't puny birds like my Welsh Harlequin ducks, either!)

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

@AKMommaF8, good question. You directed it to @Goosebaby, so I won't answer it for her. I do, however, want to commend you for asking about the proper way to handle what are, potentially, large and strong birds. If you handle them incorrectly, you may find yourself bruised and battered - I had to grab a goose (I have Pilgrims) to put her back on the right side of a poultry net she'd flown over and she wasn't at all cooperative. She decided to flap her strong wings while I lifted her over the fence and gently set her on the ground...I've done martial arts and it felt very similar to being punched in the upper chest. Later, I sported colorful bruises all over the area. Formidable creatures!

I find my Muscovy more similar to geese than ducks and have been slapped silly by their strong wings, too. Oh, and scratched by sharp nails. Lesson learned? Tuck wings in and keep arms/hands clear of the feet!