GOOSE BREEDING THREAD - for breeding, incubating, hatching and rearing.

Livin, we still plan on imprinting our pets to us individually. Again, the work is not the issue, we're prepared. The ones we keep will be inside pets, and we want them to think they are human, and think we are mom and dad respectively. Since it is fact that the first larger living thing it sees is mom, the second dad, and they will be imprinted as such as long as it's fostered for a period of time. So for the first 48 hours or so, we will be their only contact. After that they'll be able to hang out and play with each other, but will still sleep separated, each with their human for a week and a half or so in order to make sure they are more human geese than geese geese. We've got it all set up so they can see us at night and won't be lonely. I originally got offended because you approached a newbie here (me) with the assumption, or at least the impression that we're out to harm them in some way. Or worse, that we were about to imprint goslings before knowing what it meant for them. When in fact we do everything we can not to hurt animals. Especially the ones we're responsible for. We thought about getting these, and were reading up months before pulling the trigger. The yard, the house, and everything was set up before we got the eggs. We've been reading over a lot of Konrad Lorenz's work and discoveries with imprinting, as well as Nancy Townsend's, and we're entirely committed to taking care of what will essentially be an eternal 2 year old for the next 2 decades plus. The only difference from now and my first posts here, is that I understand how quick the imprint process is, how strong it can really be if done properly, and that geese form more than the parent bonds, they understand siblings as life long friendships too. We're still separating them for a period of time, it just won't be for as long as originally intended. We didn't do it with any from the first 3 because we're afraid we'll want one of the 6 that are starting to pip and felt it wasn't humane to attach them if there was even a little chance we weren't going to commit to that particular animal. Instead of coming off condescending or passive-aggressive, perhaps you could be a little more personable, inviting, helpful, and open minded. There is more than one way of doing things, and your ideas, opinions, and ways aren't the end alls. I invite you to open your mind to the possibility that we're smart enough to know it's serious and totally prepared for the labor intensive duties ahead. I'm looking forward to showing you that our babies will be just fine as super spoiled, well mannered, and well rounded people geese which we intend to thoroughly enjoy for many years to come! :D
Well, it seems I offend you very easily. I´m sorry I answered your original post asking for advice. I´m also sorry OI commented on your other post. I have no more to say.
 
For what it is worth, my most imprinted goose is a 2yo dewlap Toulouse gander that hatched deformed and was raised inside for the first month. He has needed an extreme amount of help from day one to present, so he truly views me as "mom" and is trusting and quite affectionate. However, he has always had a female companion goose to live with from day one.

My next most imprinted set of geese are my original 4 african babies (also 2yo now). Again, they were raised in a group inside spare bedroom and hubby and I both spent much time with them. We moved them into the garage at 3 weeks old and they were adopted by our pair of adult ganders. But we continued to spend a lot of time with them. Not only are they still friendly and social, but they also get very jealous if any of the other dozen geese they free range with try to hang out with me.

Bottom line is this..... if you spend enough time with them and handle them properly, you can raise a group of goslings together and they will imprint and bond with you. Leaving a solo gosling alone for any period of time causes that baby such panic and distress that it would be cruel to separate goslings intentionally.
 
My most human loving goose is my tufted gander and i didnt even raise him. I can carry him around like a puppy, hes heavy so thats not very often. The ones i did raise still like me and will follow me but do not like to be picked up or petted. I spent lots of time with mine. I think it depends on the gooses personality. Like people, some are more friendlier than others.
 
For what it is worth, my most imprinted goose is a 2yo dewlap Toulouse gander that hatched deformed and was raised inside for the first month. He has needed an extreme amount of help from day one to present, so he truly views me as "mom" and is trusting and quite affectionate. However, he has always had a female companion goose to live with from day one.

My next most imprinted set of geese are my original 4 african babies (also 2yo now). Again, they were raised in a group inside spare bedroom and hubby and I both spent much time with them. We moved them into the garage at 3 weeks old and they were adopted by our pair of adult ganders. But we continued to spend a lot of time with them. Not only are they still friendly and social, but they also get very jealous if any of the other dozen geese they free range with try to hang out with me.

Bottom line is this..... if you spend enough time with them and handle them properly, you can raise a group of goslings together and they will imprint and bond with you. Leaving a solo gosling alone for any period of time causes that baby such panic and distress that it would be cruel to separate goslings intentionally.
That was so sweet of you! What was his deformity? It sounds like you've got a bunch of friendly geese who like their human friends, and a gander who loves you. We're fostering something stronger. Ours will have each other as friends after a week or so, but they will both feel they are more human than they are geese. I know it's a huge undertaking, and that they can't be left alone for even a moment. They think they are getting left behind, or that mom has died if they're alone. It's a terrible shock, and torture for them. We will in no way be doing that. We are keeping just 2 as inside pets. We won't have a gaggle or groups of geese, just the two, each of them imprinted on me and him as mom and dad. We have the time, money, commitment, space, and schedules to accommodate the time they need and make sure they feel safe and secure. I go to school and work from home, and my partner is an author who also works from home. We've set up clear plastic bins in the bedroom, each with their own heating pad, food, water, and blankets, each within view of their respective "moms" because we know they'll have a fit overnight. There will always be one of us here throughout their juvenile time, and once adults, we'll never be goe without them for more than a few hours. By then they'll have each other as pets.
 
My most human loving goose is my tufted gander and i didnt even raise him. I can carry him around like a puppy, hes heavy so thats not very often. The ones i did raise still like me and will follow me but do not like to be picked up or petted. I spent lots of time with mine. I think it depends on the gooses personality. Like people, some are more friendlier than others.
You´re absolutely right there, 8geese. Of my latest goslings, (all stayed with mum, but I picked them up every day, etc), there are 2 that especially seek out my company. Always the same two that come up when I´m doing something and start tugging on my clothes. I´ll have to keep those two, whatever they turn out to be!
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You´re absolutely right there, 8geese.  Of my latest goslings, (all stayed with mum, but I picked them up every day, etc), there are 2 that especially seek out my company.  Always the same two that come up when I´m doing something and start tugging on my clothes.  I´ll have to keep those two, whatever they turn out to be!  :lol:

Haha! You can always find them a mate no matter what they turn out to be. Thats what i had planned to do with the ones that i picked out. DH was just worried they would be ganders which meant more girls which also meant more goslings and more favorites and a never ending cycle and enormously growing flock. I think he pictured the whole place knee deep in geese lol good thing my picks were girls.
I do have limits, 25 to 30 im well under that for this coming season.
 
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Haha! You can always find them a mate no matter what they turn out to be. Thats what i had planned to do with the ones that i picked out. DH was just worried they would be ganders which meant more girls which also meant more goslings and more favorites and a never ending cycle and enormously growing flock. I think he pictured the whole place knee deep in geese lol good thing my picks were girls.
I do have limits, 25 to 30 im well under that for this coming season.
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Sounds like me!! I have 28 geese now, but some will go to new homes. Others I just can´t part with..and I bought 2 new geese, too, to go with two of this year´s ganders..
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So far, hubby´s great with it all. Well, we have the space and they help him keep the grass down!
 
Is this little guy ok? He's acting just like the others have, but he has what looks and feels like a fleshy sack from the bottom of his beak to the beginning of his neck. He's been the only one like this so it's alarming.



These two were the first to hatch from the 6, the other one doesn't have the puffy part.
 
Is this little guy ok? He's acting just like the others have, but he has what looks and feels like a fleshy sack from the bottom of his beak to the beginning of his neck. He's been the only one like this so it's alarming.



These two were the first to hatch from the 6, the other one doesn't have the puffy part.
What are you feeding them? can you gently open it's mouth to make sure it doesn't have some crumble lodged under it's tongue? Do they have water along with their feed at all times?
 
We are feeding chick starter, no meds, that's labeled for geese. Yeah, we keep water right next to the food. These 2 were hatched earlier today though, and he looked like that while still in the incubator. I noticed something was different as soon as he came out of the shell. Not flopping around, just read that might happen when a baby is sick.
 

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