Gosling with Separation Anxiety to Humans

[The Dim Side]

Personally I would aim for the same breed, but that's just in case you ever want to breed them or hatch anything. I don't think it matters to much, though you most likely do want to stay in the same size range so they don't hurt each other.

Great, thank you!

 

[Goosebaby]

Yeah, she isn't doing well with the chicks at all so far, already trying to bully and bite them when nearby. Do you know if that's something that can change over time and age? Or is it a lost cause to try to get them to bond? All are around 3 weeks old. But I'm definitely leaning toward getting her a partner now, though it's convincing my boyfriend that might take some work, lol.

It’s hard to say because their personalities can differ so much, but if she doesn’t like them now it probably isn’t a good sign.

 

[BirdsBeesTrees]

Your gosling sounds like a male.
Don't get mad about this, it's just a suggestion... can the people you bought the gosling from take it back? Or is there someone else you can sell it to that already has some geese?
I think that this situation is not going to turn out positively, with the gosling already showing distain for the chickens.

 

[Bigtom Turkey]

Yup^

 

[3xhhheather]

I was in a similar situation when starting out older goslings and younger ducklings. It took a lot of effort for everyone to get along and even now I have a pen built out to separate the geese from the ducks if they get a wild hair.

If you can, get your goose a friend, they'll be happier to have each other and will still do the things you're probably looking for, like sounding the alarm. Every time I've watched those videos I feel bad for Justin Rhodes guard goose - geese are flock animals, I watch mine talk to each other and communicate with body language that doesn't translate to the ducks.

 

[The Dim Side]

Your gosling sounds like a male.
Don't get mad about this, it's just a suggestion... can the people you bought the gosling from take it back? Or is there someone else you can sell it to that already has some geese?
I think that this situation is not going to turn out positively, with the gosling already showing distain for the chickens.

Sorry, I never saw a notification of your comment! Why do you think it sounds like a male? We can't take it back, but it didn't actually matter to us whether it was male or female. The lady who sold it just said she thought it was a female, but we didn't ask why she thought so. We thought it'd be a bonus to get eggs but didn't super care either way. The downside is that it doesn't want to get along with the chicks, lol. But if we can figure out the sex, then we can get it a partner to mate with, too.

Edit to add: We can keep them separate if need be, as well. The chickens will be fenced off. So the geese shouldn't be able to get to them either. Right now, she (/he) is actively going after them when she can though. But maybe with a partner/flock of her own, she'd ignore them.

 

[The Dim Side]

I was in a similar situation when starting out older goslings and younger ducklings. It took a lot of effort for everyone to get along and even now I have a pen built out to separate the geese from the ducks if they get a wild hair.

If you can, get your goose a friend, they'll be happier to have each other and will still do the things you're probably looking for, like sounding the alarm. Every time I've watched those videos I feel bad for Justin Rhodes guard goose - geese are flock animals, I watch mine talk to each other and communicate with body language that doesn't translate to the ducks.

Yeah, even though I've seen some videos of the single goose being very protective and caring for the chickens, just seeing mine's active aggression toward these chicks and absolute need to be with humans at all times makes me so sad for her. I can't be with her 24/7, and I hate that she's lonely. I agree and think that even if they can't be directly protective of the chickens, being nearby on the land, they can help sound the alarm for aerial predators and such.

I think I've got my boyfriend fairly convinced of getting another one. But Roman Tufteds are really hard to come by. And we would like to breed them if we're going to have a pair, so it'd be nice to know what sex this one actually is, hahaha. But if anyone has any ideas on where to get any Roman Tufteds, especially near the northwestern PA area, I'd greatly appreciate it! And I'm sure the gosling would, too. =)

 

[Leader Bee]

I have two brothers who I raised from 5 days old (not for much longer if the council gets their way, but that's another story) When they were very young, for possibly around the first month or so, they would scream like crazy when I left the room they were brooding in, I didn't even need to leave the room even, as long as I was out of their line of sight they would cry for me.

After their first molt probably, i'm not exactly sure when, they became quite happy to be alone; No more screaming for daddy, which was great because I had to return to work. I was so worried about leaving them...but that's the thing, there are two of them and they've known each other from day one, your gosling is all alone in a land of chickens - Think of it like packing up and moving to china, you don't know the language of the natives, you don't know the culture, you're so isolated and anxious all the time because you have nobody that understands you

 

[The Dim Side]

I have two brothers who I raised from 5 days old (not for much longer if the council gets their way, but that's another story) When they were very young, for possibly around the first month or so, they would scream like crazy when I left the room they were brooding in, I didn't even need to leave the room even, as long as I was out of their line of sight they would cry for me.

After their first molt probably, i'm not exactly sure when, they became quite happy to be alone; No more screaming for daddy, which was great because I had to return to work. I was so worried about leaving them...but that's the thing, there are two of them and they've known each other from day one, your gosling is all alone in a land of chickens - Think of it like packing up and moving to china, you don't know the language of the natives, you don't know the culture, you're so isolated and anxious all the time because you have nobody that understands you

Right, makes a lot of sense. I think it could have helped had she been like a hatchling in with the chicks and grew up from the start. But I think she definitely needs a friend! I found someone with Roman Tufteds about the same age, but it's a 5-hour drive from here. So I need to convince my BF that it's worth the trip, lol. I'm also concerned about how they'd do in that long of a car ride. Do you (or anyone else) have experience in road travel with geese? I also found someone on here who sells hatchlings, which could work, too. I just feel bad that it'd be so much younger than her, and she'd be alone for a while. But maybe we can just get another type of goose around the same age for now? Might be easier to find.

 

[Leader Bee]

I found someone with Roman Tufteds about the same age, but it's a 5-hour drive from here. So I need to convince my BF that it's worth the trip, lol. I'm also concerned about how they'd do in that long of a car-ride. Do you (or anyone else) have experience in road travel with geese?

I live in the UK in Leeds, I got my goslings from Grantham which is about 80 miles away, a 160 mile round trip; When they were 5 days old, they were absolutely fine in a large dog crate for example while I transported them home, now they've grown, I still take them to the park regularly but have to have them stand in the boot with no crate as they simply wouldn't fit - Initially, i had them in the backseat but soon discovered that flapping birds jumping to the front of the car while I was driving was a terrible idea. If you have someone with you, like your BF for example, he could sit with them and hold onto them to keep them calm while you travel. Mine were nervous about being in the car at first but they soon got used to it.