Goslings of 2014 Hatch-a-long

[bibkel]

So 2 days ago we had a freaky rain mixed with hail. It wasn't sleet, the hail stones were visible and damaged a lot of my garden plants. My chicken and geese house was soaked from the sideways rain/hail getting in the through the wire ventalaion around the pen. (in Texas, so heat was main concern building pen, we are not supposed to get snow or hail here!). So yesterday I kicked out ALL my birds from their home, 8 goslings, 7 Wyandottes, 7 Reds, 5 Barred Rocks, 6 Buff Orphintons, and 9 Black Australorps. The pen had been divided with the 7 week olds in 1 half and the 2 week olds on the other separated by wire so the big ones can't hurt the little ones. I sent my hubby and kids to watch the flock while I cleaned the pen. Omg that was a mess, a water bucket had a dent from hail stone, and the hanging feeders were wet, had to throw it all out. After a 2 hour intense clean and dry, cause there were some standing puddles in the run. We then had to get the birds back in. The 2 week old babies were easy, since we had put them in a dog playpen. The geese followed me like they always do, and thank goodness most of the chickens followed the geese. But 8 chickens decided to be stubborn. We tried to lure them with food, nope, we tried herding them, nope, i even brought the geese back out since the chickens follow them, 1 chicken followed. That left 1 option, chase and catch the chickens. So picture myself, my 6'3" hubby and 2 boys chasing 7 week old chickens around the yard, falling on our knees and such. Then my cat decides to watch the excitement, I'm sure she though dinner! So we caught her and locked her up and resumed chasing chickens. One idiot Buff Orphinton decided to make straightfor a dog pen, no one was even chasing it at that point! The dog managed to grab the chick by the wing, i herd the squak and ran over in time to rescue the chick, she only lost a few wing feathers thanks to the chainlink fence. Another chick decided to fly straight at my face when i caught the bird next to it. One of my sons nearly face planted diving for a chicken. We did manage to catch them all and no bird was harmed by it all, though the humans have minor injuries from it. My neighbors had a very good laugh about the whole thing, I'm sure.

I can't fully enclose the pen, the birds would cook in Texas heat, I just hope we don't get another freak hail. The chickens have only been allowed to free range 3 times now and Never all at once. I keep the groups to about 10 and that many chickens follow the geese back to their pen nicely. So they are being trained to go home, it just hasn't sunk in for the chicks yet.

I figured I'd give you guys a good laugh.

I have a clear picture of the chaos! I usually have to chase the two silkies, one is our only roo, and that dummy will run into a wire fence coil on the dog side of my yard. Easy to grab once he is trapped. One thing I noticed is chickens don't seem to get tired from being chased.....which makes trying to catch them an exercise in hilarity for everyone BUT me.
My ducks, if the have to be chased, get tired and slow down so they are fairly easy to catch. I feel bad for them, but laugh anyway at the half hearted attempt to keep running, wings flapping, beak quacking.....at least they are quite still once caught so I can inspect them or whatever the reason was for catching them. Sometimes just to whisper sweet nothings to them! (Does that make me weird, or obsessed? I suppose I am guilty.)

 

[livininbrazil]

That's right. I picked them for their non broodiness when I started out. No one warned me they were addictive!! But that said, I had a black star and a hyline hatch eggs for me last year!

This year's pullets are all crossed with my dorking rooster and then there's the 2 hyline x welsummer hens. Someone has to go broody. Don't they?

Well, my non-broody hens never let the side down....they never go broody!! Oly my brahmas and my orpington crosses. Well, if one goes broody will you try for some more gozzie eggs? (Not moose eggs, psue, that´d be too big for a chicken for sure!!)

 

[Starfire669]

I have a clear picture of the chaos! I usually have to chase the two silkies, one is our only roo, and that dummy will run into a wire fence coil on the dog side of my yard. Easy to grab once he is trapped. One thing I noticed is chickens don't seem to get tired from being chased.....which makes trying to catch them an exercise in hilarity for everyone BUT me.
My ducks, if the have to be chased, get tired and slow down so they are fairly easy to catch. I feel bad for them, but laugh anyway at the half hearted attempt to keep running, wings flapping, beak quacking.....at least they are quite still once caught so I can inspect them or whatever the reason was for catching them. Sometimes just to whisper sweet nothings to them! (Does that make me weird, or obsessed? I suppose I am guilty.)

If your weird or obsessed then so am I! I am always talking to my dogs, cats, chickens, and geese. I often sweet talk the geese when they come for attention! And 1 of my Barred Rocks, who I think is a Roo, will often fly up on my shoulder when I do spot cleaning of the pen, and I talk to him all the time too. My Barred Rocks so far are my favorite chickens, so friendly and trusting they are the easiest to handle. And I absolutely love my geese! I'm addicted! I tell all my babies how beautiful they are and how much I love them and so on. People look at me like I have lost my mind, but I don't care.

 

[psue]

Poor Starfire, I think we've all been there at one time or another. Lucky for me the geese and ducks all go "night night" when I open their night gates and have my stick. I'm short and that old hoe handle works wonders at making my arms longer for guiding the birds.

or just as a reminder by keeping it between me and the boys during breeding season.


OH! the 4th Dewlap egg has pipped.... now if someone would just come out of those eggs....

Did I mention.... waiting is the worse part?

 

[8GeeseALaying]

Sounds like we are going to see new baby pics really soon then

 

[Starfire669]

Poor Starfire, I think we've all been there at one time or another.  Lucky for me the geese and ducks all go "night night" when I open their night gates and have my stick. I'm short and that old hoe handle works wonders at making my arms longer for guiding the birds. or just as a reminder by keeping it between me and the boys during breeding season.


OH! the 4th Dewlap egg has pipped.... now if someone would just come out of those eggs.... Did I mention....  waiting is the worse part?

The geese never give me trouble about going back to their pen. I call and they come running, it's very sweet and somewhat funny. The chickens are the problem, I am just starting to let them out for some free range time now that they are big enough to not tempt my outside cats. I let them out in groups of 10 with the geese, and then I'll call the geese who run to me with the chickens frantically chasing the geese back to the pen. I am using this as a why to train the chicks and it seems to be working well. I then pull another 10 chicks and send them off with the geese and repeat. The problem was having all the chickens out because of how wet the pen was. I didn't want them getting bumble foot or getting in my way as I cleaned. So out they all went, I am very lucky the vast majority followed the geese home. The main offenders were the silver Wyandottes, because they don't trust me yet, and the Buff Orphingtons because they aren't quite big enough to be safe outside. After only 3 free range trips though, the Reds and Barred Rocks did a wonderful job going home, so I have hope the rest will follow soon.

Good luck and photos Please! I love seeing baby goslings!

 

[psue]

The geese never give me trouble about going back to their pen. I call and they come running, it's very sweet and somewhat funny. The chickens are the problem, I am just starting to let them out for some free range time now that they are big enough to not tempt my outside cats. I let them out in groups of 10 with the geese, and then I'll call the geese who run to me with the chickens frantically chasing the geese back to the pen. I am using this as a why to train the chicks and it seems to be working well. I then pull another 10 chicks and send them off with the geese and repeat. The problem was having all the chickens out because of how wet the pen was. I didn't want them getting bumble foot or getting in my way as I cleaned. So out they all went, I am very lucky the vast majority followed the geese home. The main offenders were the silver Wyandottes, because they don't trust me yet, and the Buff Orphingtons because they aren't quite big enough to be safe outside. After only 3 free range trips though, the Reds and Barred Rocks did a wonderful job going home, so I have hope the rest will follow soon.

Good luck and photos Please! I love seeing baby goslings!

glad your chickens are learning... I keep mine currently in large enclosed pens till I get more of the yard fenced.

Picture will arrive once the babies do. As 3 of my Dewlaps came from Iain Utah and several folks that have been around for awhile have watched my Embden gander grow from long before hatch

 

[Starfire669]

glad your chickens are learning... I keep mine currently in large enclosed pens till I get more of the yard fenced.

Picture will arrive once the babies do. As 3 of my Dewlaps came from Iain Utah and several folks that have been around for awhile have watched my Embden gander grow from long before hatch

Can't wait to see fuzzy butt pictures!

 

[Starfire669]

The pen is mainly for night time lock up, once they are full grown. We have stray dogs and cats that would love to catch a bird. The plan is to let them out during the day for free range, when someone is home, then lock them in at night for safety. Their pen, is actually roofed and fulling enclosed with wire all around, during summer we leave it open due to heat, in winter we will put panels up over the wiring to help keep them warm. So I'm not sure if you would call it a coop, run or pen, but it is their home lol. we also ran an extension cord to it, and have heat lamps in there.

 

[Iain Utah]

WAIT.. you can get "moose eggs"???? How big does that bator need to be?

2 ext pip yesterday and another this morning... but they are taking their sweet time hatching

Oh, and Napoleon want to go broody

Poor Starfire, I think we've all been there at one time or another. Lucky for me the geese and ducks all go "night night" when I open their night gates and have my stick. I'm short and that old hoe handle works wonders at making my arms longer for guiding the birds.

or just as a reminder by keeping it between me and the boys during breeding season.


OH! the 4th Dewlap egg has pipped.... now if someone would just come out of those eggs....

Did I mention.... waiting is the worse part?