Goslings of 2014 Hatch-a-long

[Starfire669]

Starfire the African swimming is a male and the first pic looks like a male also but i have my doubts

The swimming African is Cream, the gosling I thought was a gander months ago because of behavior. The African in the first picture is Gertrude, the gosling that has become very mean. All of my Africans were purchased as sexed females from the hatchery. If I do have 2 African ganders those guys can't sex a goose for crap!

At what age do Africans start growing their knob? Do the males knobs grow faster or start growing before the females? My eldest 2 Africans, Peaches and Cream, are 15 weeks, should they have knob development?

 

[Miss Lydia]

Beautiful

Thank you

 

[Starfire669]

I expect the extra attention he got has made him a bit overly confident and is now thinking he´s important.  It has to be a male, this behaviour.

That so much looks to me like gander stance.  Rather than put him down, why not see if someone is looking for an African gander?  I´m sure that´s a 'he'.
And I said female too, but then, of course, I know as much about chinese as MLyd!    

I was afraid she might be a he, or a very aggressive female.

I have asked around if anyone wants an African goose, no takers except at the animal flea markets and those animals are so badly cared for that it's not an option. She would be better off here, cared for and spoiled until the day she ends up on the table than with them for years. Now, if Serve is right, I have 4 ganders, Snow and Noel for white Chinese ganders, and Gertrude and Cream for African ganders. That is too many ganders for my small yard and coop. I can have 2 ganders max.

Even when Snow was at his worst he was not as bad as Gertrude is now, so if Gertrudeis a gander he is not a candidate for keeping anyway. And if Gertrude is female I would hate to be the one to steal her eggs or check her babies if she had any. That's a scary thought! I am going to wait a bit longer and hope that Cream and Gertrude are female, they have a few more months yet before I have to do something. Unless Gertrude gets meaner! She/he has started attacking the ducks and chickens, and trying to bully the other geese. I am worried Gertrude may drown or injure a chicken or duck is left unchecked.

 

[Starfire669]

On a good note, Snow is putting more weight on his injured leg. Though he did stop by the front porch, looked at my husband and I, and honked until my hubby carried him over to the pool all the geese were at, lol. Spoiled gander!

 

[livininbrazil]

I was afraid she might be a he, or a very aggressive female.

I have asked around if anyone wants an African goose, no takers except at the animal flea markets and those animals are so badly cared for that it's not an option. She would be better off here, cared for and spoiled until the day she ends up on the table than with them for years. Now, if Serve is right, I have 4 ganders, Snow and Noel for white Chinese ganders, and Gertrude and Cream for African ganders. That is too many ganders for my small yard and coop. I can have 2 ganders max.

Even when Snow was at his worst he was not as bad as Gertrude is now, so if Gertrudeis a gander he is not a candidate for keeping anyway. And if Gertrude is female I would hate to be the one to steal her eggs or check her babies if she had any. That's a scary thought! I am going to wait a bit longer and hope that Cream and Gertrude are female, they have a few more months yet before I have to do something. Unless Gertrude gets meaner! She/he has started attacking the ducks and chickens, and trying to bully the other geese. I am worried Gertrude may drown or injure a chicken or duck is left unchecked.

Sounds like you´re going to have yourself an early goose dinner, then. You bought both the Africans as females, didn´t you? Shame if they are both males, then. I had a family of 11 goslings last year, and only 3 were males, I have females spare!
So, sounds like Snow and Jas are staying.....and big fat africans for the table? Rather you than me! Who´ll do the deed, you or hubby? Even if I had the heart, I wouldn´t have the strength. Especially an African!

 

[livininbrazil]

On a good note, Snow is putting more weight on his injured leg. Though he did stop by the front porch, looked at my husband and I, and honked until my hubby carried him over to the pool all the geese were at, lol. Spoiled gander!

Well that´s obviously one that won´t be going on the table!

 

[Starfire669]

Sounds like you´re going to have yourself an early goose dinner, then.  You bought both the Africans as females, didn´t you?  Shame if they are both males, then.  I had a family of 11 goslings last year, and only 3 were males, I have females spare!
So, sounds like Snow and Jas are staying.....and big fat africans for the table?  Rather you than me!  Who´ll do the deed, you or hubby?  Even if I had the heart, I wouldn´t have the strength.  Especially an African!

I purchase 4 Africans as sexed females! So if 2 are ganders I am up poopy creek without a paddle! I had wanted 2 ganders with 2 to 3 females each to reduce fighting, and still be able to steal eggs from the extra females. It does not look like I am going to get anything close to what I was planning for.

Snow is definately staying, Jas acts like a goose though people have said she looks like a gander. She/he will probably stay no matter gender, but really hoping my sweetest goose pairs with Snow so I don't get attacked when raiding their nest next spring! I don't want first year geese trying to hatch their eggs, though I will order some eggs from Utah and 8 to put in the incubator. After hatch if Jas is a goose and she wants to adopt I am all for it. Jas loves snuggling and being pet, so I can picture her leading the babies to me for some loving. Even if she doesn't, I have much less risk of attack from her than any other goose, if Jas is a goose, lol.

Guess I better stop counting my goslings before they hatch! With my luck Jas will be a gander and my hope of letting her adopt will be crushed, lol.

I really don't want to put down any of my geese, through Gertrude is asking for it. But someone will have to be sacrificed for the Christmas dinner, and right now my choice is the mean one, lol. When we cull any animal for the table, my husband and I both do it. We work together, it's how our young cockerels met their end. We use a killing cone, it makes it a lot easier for both bird and human. I always end up with a few tears on my face, but I get through it as quickly and humanely as possible, and am thankful for the meal they provide my family. I whole heatedly believe that if i kill it, it deserves to be eaten, anything else is disrespectful.

 

[Starfire669]

Well that´s obviously one that won´t be going on the table!  

Snow did give us Hell, I am sure your remember me complaining. But he has made great progress, he even shares his pool with the ducks! I never thought he would do that, he would attack the poor ducks if they dared to get near him. Now I have pictures of him swimming in the same pool as Ebony, Ivory, and 1 of the Cayuga ducklings! Then he got injured, and with all our TLC he has become trusting and sweet towards my husband and I, even asking for rides now.

 

[Anna6]

Sold 4 goslings to 2 wonderful homes. It is hard to see them go but at the same time I am am glad as I really can't keep them all. One place even had a pond! Rare in Socal.

 

[livininbrazil]

I purchase 4 Africans as sexed females! So if 2 are ganders I am up poopy creek without a paddle! I had wanted 2 ganders with 2 to 3 females each to reduce fighting, and still be able to steal eggs from the extra females. It does not look like I am going to get anything close to what I was planning for.

Snow is definately staying, Jas acts like a goose though people have said she looks like a gander. She/he will probably stay no matter gender, but really hoping my sweetest goose pairs with Snow so I don't get attacked when raiding their nest next spring! I don't want first year geese trying to hatch their eggs, though I will order some eggs from Utah and 8 to put in the incubator. After hatch if Jas is a goose and she wants to adopt I am all for it. Jas loves snuggling and being pet, so I can picture her leading the babies to me for some loving. Even if she doesn't, I have much less risk of attack from her than any other goose, if Jas is a goose, lol.

Guess I better stop counting my goslings before they hatch! With my luck Jas will be a gander and my hope of letting her adopt will be crushed, lol.

I really don't want to put down any of my geese, through Gertrude is asking for it. But someone will have to be sacrificed for the Christmas dinner, and right now my choice is the mean one, lol. When we cull any animal for the table, my husband and I both do it. We work together, it's how our young cockerels met their end. We use a killing cone, it makes it a lot easier for both bird and human. I always end up with a few tears on my face, but I get through it as quickly and humanely as possible, and am thankful for the meal they provide my family. I whole heatedly believe that if i kill it, it deserves to be eaten, anything else is disrespectful.

I´ve used a cone with a duck which was quarrelsome with the others, not a nice character, so that went on the table. I think geese are different to chickens to dispatch, though. I hope it goes smoothly for you.
Why don´t you just keep the geese you really like, keep a pair of africans and a pair of Chinese, sell the others...then you can always increase next year.