Goose questions

[sherieb]

So I just picked up a pair of goslings last night at our local farm and ranch store. The clerks said they didn't know what breeds the goslings were but after some research last night they look like either Toulouse or African geese. I did see one thing where it said if they had a curve where the beak meets the down then they are African.

My main questions are...how do you tell what gender they are? Also my mom had a pair of white geese many years back, it was a goose and a gander named Bonnie and Clyde. Anyway Clyde was the devil...the only person he wouldn't attack was my mom. Now my mom is concerned about having geese again because she doesn't want the grandkids to be hurt by them if they turn out aggressive like Clyde was. I have seen several difference of opinions...is it better to handle them a lot to make them tame or to be more hands off?
They are also very noisy...which isn't a concern really, I just am worried something is wrong. They are constantly chirping and then they do their alarm chirp almost all the time.

Thanks in advance for any advice/suggestions. I will post pics of them shortly...

 

[sherieb]

 

[larkflying]

Those are cute fuzzy babies! You'll have a lot of fun with them!

There's lots of detailed information on this forum, but some thoughts are . . ..

a) There probably isn't a way to tell if they are boys or girls until they grow up unless you are really curious and can find someone who knows how to vent sex, or a blood test can do it as well -- don't know anything more about those methods though. As they mature it will become obvious in about a year at the latest-- ganders are taller, heavier, and more protective, geese are smaller more delicate and reserved. . . so eventually you'll find out. My largest gosling ended up as my smallest gander though, so you can't always tell by size alone.

b) Whether you handle the goslings or not, at breeding time the males get very opinionated, to say the least. Sometimes it is just hissing -- sometimes it is ruffling, and charging. They are very intimidating . . . you should never let a small child into the goose pen between January - May -- or whenever they tend to breed in your area. Geese are big bullies, and will randomly attack, especially if it is a smaller / non threatening person. My geese leave me alone -- we've had discussions about why that is a good idea -- and my older daughter alone except for some hissing -- but they will try to attack my smaller children. We did minimal handling, and the male that we handled the most is probably the worst about attacking smaller kids. However, one of the ganders had a hurt leg when he was a few months old, and got a lot of extra treatment, and he is only agressive to animals. So it is hard to tell. Also it depends on the breed as well . . . some are harder headed than others and need more "discussions."

c) Be sure to check out the Raising Geese 101 post -- the goslings might be cold if they are not doing a happy twittering thing -- be careful not to overheat them, but they do need a source of heat even if they are in the house . . .Make sure they have greens and water that they can't play in . . . and check out basic gosling care -- that should answer any other questions that come up!