Geese wandering off

[AppleBrookFarms]

Lately my 4 American buff geese have been wandering quite far from home, we had no problems last year with them free ranging, they stayed by the pond and hung out peacefully with my ducks. I have recently learned I have 3 males, could that be the problem?

 

[3xhhheather]

While I'm not sure about the three males contributing to the wandering, it is just their nature to wander. Mine will stay close by, but if they hear or see something of interest they'll follow it and then follow the next thing they hear/see until I call them back.

With that -- I would worry about your goose to gander ratio. Fighting and overmating are real possibilities without adding more females or rehoming two of the males.

 

[Goosebaby]

One year my American Buff X Toulouse cross gander started wandering, he got the whole flock in on it, they’d follow him like he knew what he was doing. Every day he’d go a bit further and further. One day he discovered a game trail and decided to explore, taking the rest of the flock with him.
Unaware of this I went out to look when I noticed they were missing. I searched the upper yard, the lower yard several times, called and never heard even a burble back. After two hours I was panicking. I searched the whole property several times.
Around four hours later my dad found them down on a road a long way away from the house, confused and lost. They’d followed the game trail all through the woods but forgot their way home and just sat there quietly scared, waiting to be found.

Sometimes their curiosity gets too far ahead of them and they will get themselves into trouble if there isn’t a fence to keep them in.

 

[3xhhheather]

One year my American Buff X Toulouse cross gander started wandering, he got the whole flock in on it, they’d follow him like he knew what he was doing. Every day he’d go a bit further and further. One day he discovered a game trail and decided to explore, taking the rest of the flock with him.
Unaware of this I went out to look when I noticed they were missing. I searched the upper yard, the lower yard several times, called and never heard even a burble back. After two hours I was panicking. I searched the whole property several times.
Around four hours later my dad found them down on a road a long way away from the house, confused and lost. They’d followed the game trail all through the woods but forgot their way home and just sat there quietly scared, waiting to be found.

Sometimes their curiosity gets too far ahead of them and they will get themselves into trouble if there isn’t a fence to keep them in.

Oh my god that breaks my heart, I'm so glad they were okay!

 

[AppleBrookFarms]

While I'm not sure about the three males contributing to the wandering, it is just their nature to wander. Mine will stay close by, but if they hear or see something of interest they'll follow it and then follow the next thing they hear/see until I call them back.

With that -- I would worry about your goose to gander ratio. Fighting and overmating are real possibilities without adding more females or rehoming two of the males. I'm not sure about the three males contributing to the wandering, it is just their nature to wander. Mine will stay close by, but if they hear or see something of interest they'll follow it and then follow the next thing they hear/see until I call them back.

With that -- I would worry about your goose to gander ratio. Fighting and overmating are real possibilities without adding more females or rehoming two of the males.

I'm concerned too! I really thought I had at least 2 females, I will be rehoming at least one of my males and adding to my flock soon as well. I was hoping it was all the extra testosterone getting them in trouble. Hopefully once there's more grass and food around the pond they'll stick around more, I've had them in their pen when they can't be supervised.

While I'm not sure about the three males contributing to the wandering, it is just their nature to wander. Mine will stay close by, but if they hear or see something of interest they'll follow it and then follow the next thing they hear/see until I call them back.

With that -- I would worry about your goose to gander ratio. Fighting and overmating are real possibilities without adding more females or rehoming two of the males.

 

[AppleBrookFarms]

One year my American Buff X Toulouse cross gander started wandering, he got the whole flock in on it, they’d follow him like he knew what he was doing. Every day he’d go a bit further and further. One day he discovered a game trail and decided to explore, taking the rest of the flock with him.
Unaware of this I went out to look when I noticed they were missing. I searched the upper yard, the lower yard several times, called and never heard even a burble back. After two hours I was panicking. I searched the whole property several times.
Around four hours later my dad found them down on a road a long way away from the house, confused and lost. They’d followed the game trail all through the woods but forgot their way home and just sat there quietly scared, waiting to be found.

Sometimes their curiosity gets too far ahead of them and they will get themselves into trouble if there isn’t a fence to keep them in.

So glad you found them! So far we've been lucky and always been able to find them but I will be much more careful with them!

 

[Goosebaby]

Oh my god that breaks my heart, I'm so glad they were okay!

It was scary but thankfully nothing did happen, they didn’t wander much after that so they learned a valuable lesson, stinkers

 

[Ms Ellen]

The gander ratio problem is why I bought sexed goslings only. Last year my geese wandered off. They sometimes wander into one neighbor's yard where we can see them and we call them back but this time they decided to walk through the woods (they never go into the woods) to another neighbors house where they just sad on her lawn unsure how to get home. My neighbor came to get me when she found geese on her lawn. There are 14 of them. I can't let them graze on the front of the yard now without supervision.

 

[AppleBrookFarms]

I'm concerned too! I really thought I had at least 2 females, I will be rehoming at least one of my males and adding to my flock soon as well. I was hoping it was all the extra testosterone getting them in trouble. Hopefully once there's more grass and food around the pond they'll stick around more, I've had them in their pen when they can't be supervised.

Update. I rehomed 2 of my boys yesterday, and aside from a few really sad cries from my remaining gander everyone seems much happier. He's finally realized how nice it can be to have a female around haha, the two that left went to a great family with a pond and two lonely females so it was a win win for everyone !