Geese ID

[marinica]

Heya.

Those are my 3 geese, ~6 months old.

Any ideea what breed/sex they are ?
I'm almost sure the two smaller on the left are males, they are the most agressive, the one on the right is bigger than both, but is calmer. if they are 2m/1f, it is safe to break them and give a male away, and keep only a pair ?

Thanks !

 

[M-H-Fielding]

Heya.

Those are my 3 geese, ~6 months old.

Any ideea what breed/sex they are ?
I'm almost sure the two smaller on the left are males, they are the most agressive, the one on the right is bigger than both, but is calmer. if they are 2m/1f, it is safe to break them and give a male away, and keep only a pair ?

Thanks !

They look like amarican geese to me, not sure about the gender.

 

[Isaac 0]

They are Toulouse geese. Could you post a video of them wandering about? That will help us determine the sex.

 

[Goosebaby]

Two Toulouse “production type, not exhibition.” The smaller ones look like first or second year goslings, the big one looks like an older gander but I may be wrong.

 

[Goosebaby]

Two Toulouse “production type, not exhibition.” The smaller ones look like first or second year goslings, the big one looks like an older gander but I may be wrong.

It could be female, it’s easier to tell by voice.

 

[marinica]

They are Toulouse geese. Could you post a video of them wandering about? That will help us determine the sex.

thanks, will do later this week.

Two Toulouse “production type, not exhibition.” The smaller ones look like first or second year goslings, the big one looks like an older gander but I may be wrong.

I got all three from the same shop (were 4 initially, but one died no ideea why, i just found her dead ).
I atached a picture from may 23 2020, all were the same size/age. Probably 7 month old now, not sure how old they were when i bought them. (top 1 month i think, if not 2 weeks)

 

[marinica]

I made a movie with them in their shelter for the night, during day are free to roam in the yard.
In the beginning the larger one is in front, smaller ones are in the back. "boci boci" is a call they are used to hear when i want to "talk" with them or call them.

The larger male, 2 smaller females ? i read a lot today about them knowing that are Toulouse, still not sure.

 

[Goosebaby]

Now that I know they’re technically still babies that makes it harder, especially because they still have baby voices, their voices will deepen in the next few months and it will be easier to tell between male and female voices. Ganders will have a much louder honk, females will have a deeper chatter.

The largest seems like it could be a gander to me, it is noticeably larger and taller which is more typical to ganders, I had one enormous female once but usually girls are smaller. Ganders also tend to be more willing to stand between you and the female(s).
The smallest looks like it could be female, it behaves more like a female, though they’re still young at this point so it’s hard to say.
The other could be a more dominant female, “I have a few of those” or it could be male.
At this point it looks like you have one gander and two girls but like I said, it can be hard to tell until they’re older.

All I can do I guess is compare them to geese I have and have had.
I had one enormous female, she was taller and heavier than all but one of my ganders, she was a fluke I think so it’s possible but more rare to get a super sized girl.

Of the geese I have now the ganders are always taller, some of the ganders are taller than the others.
I have two ganders and two girls about the same age as yours, the smaller of the two gander goslings “Roxberry” is the most dominant and bossy of the two boys, and the other “Helios” is already the tallest in the flock, but he’s also the most docile goose I’ve ever known, his sisters are feistier than he is so temperament isn’t always an indicator of male or female which can make things confusing.
Of the girls one is very shy and likes to keep out of everyone’s way, but her sister is bold and always investigating everything and everyone.

I hope this information helps you determine who is what in your flock.

 

[marinica]

Thanks, was a great read. Basically i will know for sure in the spring i hope.

One more question, in the begining i wanted a pair. What is a good number/sex to keep problems away ? (agresive betwen them and myself/family). For now they dont have any issues with me, they lightly bite my kid ass . kid is youg, 5 years old, but if it takes a broom or even a stick with him like i told him, they dont go near him, so they agresive behaivor is really low i think.

i was thinking :

3 males -> i will give them away if i can (i dont have the heart to butcher them), start again.
3 females -> probably the same ? or is ok to buy another 4 gooslings and hopefully at least one is a male. In that case i can keep them togheter (goslings and older ones) ?
2 female, 1 male -> ideal situation, i can keep all 3 of them.
2 males, 1 female -> give one male away.

 

[Goosebaby]

It depends a lot on personality, all geese are different so their flock dynamic can differ.

Generally 2 females and 1 male is ideal, most of the time you won’t have issues.

2 males and 1 female, one male might end up being chased off, bullied, and alone
or you might have two males that get along fine with each other and the female “I have this situation going on with three of mine.” The ganders occasionally do squabble but it isn’t bad, if it does become too bad you will have to rehire one of the males.

3 females will do just fine together, you’ll still get eggs without a gander, they just won’t be fertile.

Regardless of what they end up being it won’t change their potential aggressiveness, females can be and are aggressive too, and children are a favorite target, I think because they’re smaller and move around a lot. The best I can advise is that your child continue to carry the broomstick around, especially when breeding season comes for the geese.