Goose Behavior - what does it mean?

[rainplace]

1. My female juvenile talks at me all the time. (I raised her from 3 days old) She puts her head down and out and does "choo choo choo choo chooo" She does this every time I walk in the yard. If I speak her words back at her she gets very excited. While she's saying this over and over she comes up to me. What does it mean?

2. My male juvenile is also very talkative (i've had him since he was 5 weeks). But he speaks differently. He follows me around the yard a lot more than my female. He does the three word choo though, "choo choo choo," with his head and neck out.

3. Sometimes it seems like he is annoyed with me because when he stops chooing he'll start grazing while making a horse neighing sound.

4. I really don't know what he thinks of me half the time. He's the only one in the flock (mostly ducks) that will follow me instead of the flock. (like if the flock gets spooked and runs off back towards the pen, he'll start that way, look back at me and then head back to me - makes me think he likes me... is that what that means?)

5. But other times it seems like he's trying to establish dominance over me (like last night when it was time to put everyone in their pen, he ran off towards the front yard. When I tried to herd him, he'd snatch leaves on the run, running circles around me. When I stopped he'd come towards me doing that neighing thing. In the meantime all the ducks have turned chaotic, and it certainly felt like Rommy, my troublesome goose, was having a laugh on me. Was he? Or sometimes when I'm laying out in the park, he'll get right in my face doing the "choo choo choo," I do find it a bit scary looking that closely at his serated teeth. Is that a dominance thing?

 

[smileysal]

Awwwwwwwwwww it means he LOVES! you, you're his Momma!!!
Jack does the neck out chirping thing, it's a greeting and as you say if you do it back at them they love it!!!

If I am lying down like you say Jack will come and plonk himself across my neck and go to sleep, it's a comfort thing.

If your boy tries to bite you tap him sharply on the bill and say NO in a firm vooice, it didn't take Jack long to learn what that meant!!!

 

[Cottage Rose]

1. What you are seeing is the customary goose greeting.
Even geese that are separated for a short time will greet each other in this manner.
I'm not sure what they are saying but maybe it something along these lines:
"hello there...do I know you...are you part of our flock... well hello and good day to you"

2. Ganders tend to be more chatty than the females.

3. He's not annoyed with you...he greeted you and
now he's just gone back to what he was doing before you interrupted him.

4. Natural instinct tells him to go with the flock when they run (herd mentality) but since he's a goose and more inclined to be bonded to humans, once he realizes that its a false alarm he wants to go back and be with you.

5. I'm not sure that is a dominance thing vs. a childish rebellious thing.
Do kids ever do what you want them to do?
As for "getting in your face" he's probably just trying to get your attention.
He's still young and needs lots of attention.
When ever I sit down by my ten 4 month old goslings they mob me ...
chatting loudly at me and nibbling, nibbling, nibbling on me until I shove them
away in self defense.
They just won't leave me alone!
They will be come less dependent on you the older
they get but remember, you took him away from his Mom as an infant
and you are now his Mom substitute.
Just wait until the breeding season next spring.
He will forget you ever existed and spend his day
driving you away from his girlfriend.

 

[rainplace]

I was laughing my head off when he was running around snatching a leaf here and there instead of going to bed. It was so funny. I was surprised I got geese since I have always been a little afraid of them. When I got Ranaya, the female, I was hooked. She was so different from my ducks I felt like I just had to get her a friend. Getting Rommy was a good thing because they like to graze a lot more than the ducks. The ducks will just stay in the pond happily floating around and Rommy and Ranaya will be down in the lower yard grazing next to each other.

I find them to be amazing, and I wished I had more land so I could get more! In the meantime I wish I understood everything these two were telling me, they have so much to say...

 

[Cottage Rose]

Geese are indeed captivating and far more personable than a duck or chicken could ever be.

 

[Kim65]

I have a juvenile goose and gander, and find the gander Petey much more "personable", wants more attention from me. Probably because he is male and more bold and pushy by nature.

Geese greet each other with the outstretched necks and chatter, and greet you like that when you approach them.

It's so funny, sometimes my two will be munching on grass and suddenly both necks are stuck straight out and they are chatting at each other like one suddenly had a great idea and the other is saying "Wow! I've never looked at it that way!"

When their neck trembles they are nervous and unsure of something. They are trying to decide whether to defend themselves by running or aggression.

It's not likely your boy will be aggressive with you, his mother, at all until breeding season early next spring. Then, he can't help it and you just have to give him his space until the hormones ebb away.

When something big comes "down" on them, their instinct is to run even if it is YOU. I have to chase mine around too. I approach from the side, get ahead of them, and turn, bent over, so they can see my face. Then I reach out and grab. I do have to repeat this sometimes. The goose will crouch down submissively quicker than Petey will, but once I get them in my arms I talk to them and make sure they look at me and realize WHO has them (not some evil interloper) and spend a moment or two loving on them so holding them is not such a bad thing.

Coming up behind them will definitely cause them to scatter. Try passing them on the side and coming around in front. They instinctively run from things coming behind them, even if it is one eighth their size