Goslings of 2014 Hatch-a-long

[Miss Lydia]

Missy won´t protect them much at the moment, but she will once she´s adopted them, and it won´t take long. Would the duck have really hurt it? Just be out there with them all as much as possible, it´ll come.
It´s amazing how they´ll grow in a week! I´m sure they´ll be doing a lot better with Missy in a week´s time. How is Sam with them?

Sam seems kind of indifferent to them most of the time, but he's going through molt so not feeling his best.

Missy won´t protect them much at the moment, but she will once she´s adopted them, and it won´t take long. Would the duck have really hurt it? Just be out there with them all as much as possible, it´ll come.
It´s amazing how they´ll grow in a week! I´m sure they´ll be doing a lot better with Missy in a week´s time. How is Sam with them?

Missy wants them to follow her so yesterday when she started calling and walking back up to the house we went along so she'd think the goslings were following, she is very interested just not being protected, I have no idea if the duck would have hurt Babe [dh named these] But she is much larger and heavier, she was probably teaching the upstart to respect it's elders.

I just can't let them out there without knowing Missy and Sam will come to their rescue. We're enjoying having them in the house believe me, they are the sweetest things. They even try to bully the dogs now, which we don't allow since our 3 Dachshunds would love to have them.

 

[8GeeseALaying]

The one that raised 3 last year for me after i hatched them, wont take my Lavender gossie this year. I wish she would since hes the only gossie im hand raising. I kept it and the paint gossie but i lost it 2 wks ago so hes been by himself

 

[servpolice]

Iain we will have to wait a while to tell the sex :/ lets stick to female at the moment

 

[Miss Lydia]

I am having so much fun watching these 2 goslings, at 2 weeks they think they run the house put theie heads up like they are going to run the dogs off, it's hilarious.. Now we were all outside and Missy went with us for grass, you have to know where we live to visualize how hard it is to get grass to grow on the side of a mountain with chickens. ain't easy so I have designated areas where I have sown grass seed that I try to keep the chickens off of, anyway, I'm sitting there watching Missy and the 2 kids munching away on grass and Missy walks over and grabs Babe across the back, scares the poor thing half to death, Have ya'll seen any of your mama gooses do this? I don't think her intention was to hurt it but sure isn't helping to form a bond either.

 

[Starfire669]

Sam seems kind of indifferent to them most of the time, but he's going through molt so not feeling his best. 
Missy wants them to follow her so yesterday when she started calling and walking back up to the house we went along so she'd think the goslings were following, she is very interested just not being protected, I have no idea if the duck would have hurt Babe [dh named these] But she is much larger and heavier, she was probably teaching the upstart to respect it's elders.    I just can't let them out there without knowing Missy and Sam will come to their rescue. We're enjoying having them in the house believe me, they are the sweetest things. They even try to bully the dogs now, which we don't allow since our 3 Dachshunds would love to have them. :/

When I put new babies out with the flock, I don't see the bigger ones trying to hurt the younger. I do see the bigger guys chase them off and if the babies don't run, then they get a bite on the butt. I always monitor to ensure a smooth integration, and have yet to see anyone actually try to injure or kill a new baby. Bully and teach them who's boss, yes all the time. But after a couple weeks everyone is happy and order restored. But I don't start integrating until they are close to a month old, that way the babies have some size and aren't easy pickings. My last pair of female goslings took forever to integrate, the older 6 geese did NOT want these newbies in their flock and harassed them. Those babies are about 2 months old now and finally fully accepted. For whatever reason, Snow was the biggest meanie, I would have though he would be happy with more females in his haram, but nope. Cream ended up being their champion and always tried to protect the 2 babies from the chickens and ducks, just not Snow. The ducklings, after only a week of integration are already fully accepted. So it makes no sense how these guys think. I just watch and monitor and come running if I see bad behavior. Eventually all will be well. But all my babies are 18 weeks old or younger, I don't have true adults yet and that could be part of why things work the way they do at my house.

 

[Iain Utah]

I am having so much fun watching these 2 goslings, at 2 weeks they think they run the house put theie heads up like they are going to run the dogs off, it's hilarious.. Now we were all outside and Missy went with us for grass, you have to know where we live to visualize how hard it is to get grass to grow on the side of a mountain with chickens. ain't easy so I have designated areas where I have sown grass seed that I try to keep the chickens off of, anyway, I'm sitting there watching Missy and the 2 kids munching away on grass and Missy walks over and grabs Babe across the back, scares the poor thing half to death, Have ya'll seen any of your mama gooses do this? I don't think her intention was to hurt it but sure isn't helping to form a bond either.

Yup, sure have seen geese do this. I have not had any babies hurt by my geese, but it seems scary. Hitch and Spirit were like that for the first few days their foster goslings were with them. I kept them in a separate brooder pen in yard, thinking once I saw attitude change then I'd fully integrate. But then, while I was at work, the wind blew open the brooder pen and when I came home, the goslings were all tucked under Hitch's wing. I never could get near the goslings again.

On the other hand, the trio of dewlaps I kept from last year's hatch and raised separately for the first three weeks were never adopted by the adults, just tolerated. They had to integrate into group much like an adult would

 

[livininbrazil]

Sam seems kind of indifferent to them most of the time, but he's going through molt so not feeling his best.
Missy wants them to follow her so yesterday when she started calling and walking back up to the house we went along so she'd think the goslings were following, she is very interested just not being protected, I have no idea if the duck would have hurt Babe [dh named these] But she is much larger and heavier, she was probably teaching the upstart to respect it's elders.

I just can't let them out there without knowing Missy and Sam will come to their rescue. We're enjoying having them in the house believe me, they are the sweetest things. They even try to bully the dogs now, which we don't allow since our 3 Dachshunds would love to have them.

Sam doesn´t seem a typical gander, then! Indifferent to babies?! amazing!

.Quite agree with you about not leaving them out there, but if every time you go out you take them with you, that´d be great. I laugh so much at the cockiness of the goslings. When mine are reared by the parents, they get this learned attitude (even worse than natural) towards other fowl, and the heads go down, then dad follows up, and they shoo the poor ducks and chickens away. babies´confidence soars, so they just get more attitude, then suddenly one time dad gander isn´t there, and woops! Table´s turned, and they get shooed off by a duck...but I´ve never had anything hurt a little one here, ever. Nor a big one, come to that (except for cranky turkey that I don´t have any more).

The one that raised 3 last year for me after i hatched them, wont take my Lavender gossie this year. I wish she would since hes the only gossie im hand raising. I kept it and the paint gossie but i lost it 2 wks ago so hes been by himself

Can´t you pinch a gozzie from somewhere? Or are they too old now?

I am having so much fun watching these 2 goslings, at 2 weeks they think they run the house put theie heads up like they are going to run the dogs off, it's hilarious.. Now we were all outside and Missy went with us for grass, you have to know where we live to visualize how hard it is to get grass to grow on the side of a mountain with chickens. ain't easy so I have designated areas where I have sown grass seed that I try to keep the chickens off of, anyway, I'm sitting there watching Missy and the 2 kids munching away on grass and Missy walks over and grabs Babe across the back, scares the poor thing half to death, Have ya'll seen any of your mama gooses do this? I don't think her intention was to hurt it but sure isn't helping to form a bond either.

I can imagine that grass has great difficulty to survive with chickens around. My geese have only ever been gentle with their own babies, but they have done this with other geese´ babies, so I don´t think it´s really anything to worry about. It´s put the bonding back the tiniest bit, but they´ll get there, don´t worry. Just keep at it. Sounds wonderful, just sitting there watching them together.
Who knows, next year or the year after, you may be watching one of them rear their own!

 

[8GeeseALaying]

I thought about taking one from the flock but the lav is godzilla next to the others, hes 3 wks older than the first group and a month older than the last group.

 

[livininbrazil]

I thought about taking one from the flock but the lav is godzilla next to the others, hes 3 wks older than the first group and a month older than the last group.

I had a month-old gosling indoors, and then I had a new one hatch that needed help. So the two of them settled well togther indoors, and went back out to be adopted later, all went well, but they are still the very best of mates and stick together, even within the flock. The bigger one was never any problem with the baby, so it may just work out......You said like Godzilla...we named the bigger one Dino (saur)!

 

[8GeeseALaying]

Cute name! I may try stealing one then. I have my eye on a couple that i want to get my hands on any way lol another lighter colored lavender and a toulouse colored tufted