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

[DaisyMeadow]

Sounds like a wonderful mixed up mess. I noticed you are in the Willamette Valley. I have fun memories of living there for a year about 19 years ago. We were close to Holderead.

I think I can get to Holderread in less than half an hour of driving. Never been, though. Maybe someday...

Love the region. It's the best place for waterfowl as they love the rain, and we get so much of it. One thing I don't love, though, is that the ducks and geese like the muddy, nasty horse pasture as much as the clean puddles in the yard. I just cringe when I see them playing in the water-filled divits of pure recycled horse gold beside the horse stalls in the barn. The creek is just right there! Bird brains!

 

[Anna6]

I had just milk goats, Rhode Island Reds, cats and bunnies when we lived there. I do not think you can visit Holderread. It is closed to the public.

 

[psue]

I am waiting for beignet to finish laying as I type this post. Eggs will be sent out in the morning.

8, You will need small bubble wrap, styrofoam and pine shavings as packing material.

I am pleased to announce my white trio are officially separated. I hope everyone adjusts ok!

yay for egg shipping

Well, I may wind up only keeping a white pair separated instead of a trio. All heck broke out by taking one of the white girls away from her brown gander mate. They called for each other all night and at daybreak, the gander busted out of the pasture with his posse and came a running for his girl. Now my entire African flock is parked in my driveway raising up a fuss because they cannot get the whites freed.

poor Iain, That's why I keep mine separated at night for so long.

Both girls are laying!

For those that have Giant Dewlap Toulouse geese.

I met a women that has Sebastapol geese who told me not to get the giant dewlaps because they can break your arm off or something close to that extend. She also seemed to imply they could be rather mean and appeared to convince me to consider Sebastapols or a smaller geese. Any thoughts on this and why she would say that besides being passionate about the breed she has and maybe wanting to sell some to me?

We have researched geese extensively and both DH and I feel most passionate about the Giant Dewlap Toulouse. We plan and have arrangements in place to hatch eggs the end of this month.

The most aggressive my Dewlaps have ever gotten is to nibble on my boot until I told him to stop .... and that's a 2 year old gander during breeding season.

That is a bunch of hogwash. Dewlap Toulouse are mellow and easy to handle. And if handled a lot as babies, they often do not even change personalities towards their humans during breeding season.

x2

This is my first breeding season with adult geese. I hatched out most of my geese last spring, so this is their first breeding season, too. I have 23 geese in all: Mostly toulouse and embden, but I have some embden-chinese, one african-embden gander, one embden-toulouse gander, one tufted Roman-seb gander, and 3 chinese-toulouse ganders. I do not know my female-male ratio, except for the 7 I know are ganders for sure. Everyone free ranges in the same acreage.

I thought I was doing pretty well by stealthily following the girls to see which ones were making nests where. I noted that the embden-chinese girl was using the nest under the apple tree, and the embden was in the burn pile. These were consistent, and I thought I could mark those eggs by their location. Until Friday, when I let them out and they went to their respective nests, followed by a toulouse, who was first stalking the embden-chinese girl, then 1/2 an hour later stalking the embden girl. Later I found the toulouse in the embden nest. So now I have no idea how many are using each nest and which ones they might be. I had thought that I could at least have an idea of who the mothers of the goslings were, but it looks like I'll just have a generalized, mixed-up mess.

On top of that, on my afternoon rounds today, I checked what I thought was my chocolate muscovy nest, only to find that one of my rouen girls has decided to go broody on it. So I'm not sure whether they are all rouen eggs, or if there are some muscovy eggs there, too. Whatever it is, I think there are more than 15 of them.

And I had a surprise baby goat on Wednesday, which was a full two months after the projected due date from my calculations of her first breeding date.

Nothing like a week like this to make me feel like an utter and complete farming noob! I swear, I do have some idea what I'm doing. Really, I do.

Some days/ weeks are like that.

 

[livininbrazil]

My white African girl is in her new nest box. I'm relieved to see the trio settling in nicely.

I also have my first broody of the year.... a buff dewlap yearling. I highly doubt any of the eggs are fertile, but she can practice for next year.

sounds good.

 

[livininbrazil]

This is my first breeding season with adult geese. I hatched out most of my geese last spring, so this is their first breeding season, too. I have 23 geese in all: Mostly toulouse and embden, but I have some embden-chinese, one african-embden gander, one embden-toulouse gander, one tufted Roman-seb gander, and 3 chinese-toulouse ganders. I do not know my female-male ratio, except for the 7 I know are ganders for sure. Everyone free ranges in the same acreage.

I thought I was doing pretty well by stealthily following the girls to see which ones were making nests where. I noted that the embden-chinese girl was using the nest under the apple tree, and the embden was in the burn pile. These were consistent, and I thought I could mark those eggs by their location. Until Friday, when I let them out and they went to their respective nests, followed by a toulouse, who was first stalking the embden-chinese girl, then 1/2 an hour later stalking the embden girl. Later I found the toulouse in the embden nest. So now I have no idea how many are using each nest and which ones they might be. I had thought that I could at least have an idea of who the mothers of the goslings were, but it looks like I'll just have a generalized, mixed-up mess.

On top of that, on my afternoon rounds today, I checked what I thought was my chocolate muscovy nest, only to find that one of my rouen girls has decided to go broody on it. So I'm not sure whether they are all rouen eggs, or if there are some muscovy eggs there, too. Whatever it is, I think there are more than 15 of them.

And I had a surprise baby goat on Wednesday, which was a full two months after the projected due date from my calculations of her first breeding date.

Nothing like a week like this to make me feel like an utter and complete farming noob! I swear, I do have some idea what I'm doing. Really, I do.

Haha, and you love it!!

 

[livininbrazil]

I do. I call him my "Halfrican." He is the light gray one in the pic. Top pic is most recent.

Middle pic is him with his siblings. He was an oopsie. I bought hatching eggs and was told that they were all embden. Called the gal and said she had an african for 2 days. Must have been the lucky 2 days, I guess.

Oh, that´s one stunningly beautiful bird. Drool. I must try to get an African goose. They cost a packet around here, but I should be able to....totally stunning.

ps I love your ducks, too!

 

[livininbrazil]

Well one thing Sebastopols did not appeal to us. No particular reason but they are not on top of mine or DH's list for geese. Both of us are drawn to the Giant Dewlap Toulouse. I just want to be sure I am not getting a breed that is not compatible or dangerous to my family.

Anna, I don´t think there is a "dangerous" breed, just some individuals that are more difficult than others. A lot will depend on how they´re raised. Choose a breed you like, and get help and advice from those who already have them. And have fun!

 

[Anna6]

Anna, I don´t think there is a "dangerous" breed, just some individuals that are more difficult than others. A lot will depend on how they´re raised. Choose a breed you like, and get help and advice from those who already have them. And have fun!

Very good advice livinginbrazil and we will go with that.

 

[servpolice]

RURU thank you

 

[servpolice]

Daisey meadow that gosling looks really nice! i wouldent mind getting one of those!And are you going to hatch babies this year?! :/