Gander pulling out goose feathers

rcj

In the Brooder
Jan 19, 2021
9
15
26
Hi, I would appreciate any advice asap! We've had our geese about a year and a half - they weren't a natural pair, but have definitely become one. There was no mating behaviour last year, but that has all changed now. The goose was initially plucking feathers from her breast (we assumed this) and the gander was also pulling her feathers out, which I assumed was normal mating behaviour. However, he has pulled many of her flight feathers out and also some on the front edge of one wing. She looks an absolute mess. He grabs her and won't let go and often tips her over. Infact, the other day, she was left flapping on her back and couldn't get up. She also grabs his neck and holds on, but it's the level of aggression and the amount of feathers she is losing, that's worrying us. Other times, they sit together (they are always together) peacefully. We don't know how old she is, but wondered if she's past laying? We haven't seen any eggs yet. They live in a field with a stream and a wooden shelter we built for them. We have chickens but neither goose is bothered when they are in the field.The gander (Gerald)is huge and very strong and I worry he might injure, or even kill the goose(Gertie). She does seem to try and get away, once he lets go but will be sitting with him straight after.
 
This does seem more aggressive than usual. Usually during breeding season the female loses feathers on her head (from the gander holding on) but I’ve never seen them pull out feathers on the wings. Have you seen Gertie lay eggs? Could there be a chance she is really a he?
If the bullying continues it may need to seperate them until he calms down.
 
This does seem more aggressive than usual. Usually during breeding season the female loses feathers on her head (from the gander holding on) but I’ve never seen them pull out feathers on the wings. Have you seen Gertie lay eggs? Could there be a chance she is really a he?
If the bullying continues it may need to seperate them until he calms down.
Thank you for this. We've never seen her lay eggs, though this is only the first year they have 'paired.' We were told she was a female, but maybe I need to confirm this. She is much smaller than him, so we assumed what we were told was correct. No harm in checking though! The other thing is, this has only begun recently, so we assumed it was just mating behaviour. I will take a walk round the field and see if I can find any eggs. Should she be sitting by now?
 
Thank you for this. We've never seen her lay eggs, though this is only the first year they have 'paired.' We were told she was a female, but maybe I need to confirm this. She is much smaller than him, so we assumed what we were told was correct. No harm in checking though! The other thing is, this has only begun recently, so we assumed it was just mating behaviour. I will take a walk round the field and see if I can find any eggs. Should she be sitting by now?
This is generally laying season “northern hemisphere” but there isn’t an exact time for when they start laying, some lay sooner, some start laying later, Some breeds lay more than others. If a female doesn’t lay at all it can be a sign of some sort of illness, but it can also be that she’s just a late bloomer.
 
This is generally laying season “northern hemisphere” but there isn’t an exact time for when they start laying, some lay sooner, some start laying later, Some breeds lay more than others. If a female doesn’t lay at all it can be a sign of some sort of illness, but it can also be that she’s just a late bloomer.
Thanks Goosebaby. I will separate them tomorrow and give her a break and time to recover. I think he will be quite distressed by this, but can't see an alternative really.
 

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