Goslings of 2014 Hatch-a-long

[bibkel]

Well it looks like ive a new pred around -_- Ive seen 2 carrion crows trying to snatch my babies!So i try and scare them off with a rock >

My step son gets annoyed by any noise (the geese are as close to his room as I could get them, after all he is 27....) and when the crows come he slaps two boards together, like 2x4 or something. Sounds like a rifle crack! It works on the two (now four I hear this am) DOVES that are annoying him. Doves, for pity's sake!

Miracle, Hope, and Wonder have all started to bite me. But they don't really BITE, per se. They gnaw on my finger like it's supposed to split open somehow and give them juicy food inside. I've noticed they do the same type of thing when I give them a grape, and they use the side of their beak on it, like a dog gnawing on a bone. I think I've gotten Hope to realize that my hand isn't food, because when she notices something IN my hand, she'll go straight for that. The other two haven't quite figured out that my hand is NOT part of the goodies I'm offering! But everytime any of them do it, I just use that finger to grab on to their beak somehow, and hold it until they open it and try pulling it away. They don't like food that "bites" back (even though I'm simply holding on) so they let go pretty quick.

I bought Mother Goose's book (rip, great book tho) and she used to say "no skin" so I am doing that to my Sebbies. I too either bite back or tap the offending bill. I know NO ONE on this board would even dream of actually harming a gosling. Grapes? what, green? Do you slice them? What other treats to you give? I tried frozen peas in the tub, ducks loved it but not the geese. I did spinach before I read her not to (thank God the goslings are smarter than me!!) and they ignored that too.

So here are my latest two little girls (vent sexed). Hoping to get a guess as to possible breed combo. See my signature line for the geese I have for possible combos. In this pic, girl on left is 12 days old, the one on the right with the black stripe on top of her bill is 10 days old. Thanks! (left girl had some feathers stick to membrane, which are starting to grow back in now) I cannot get the hang of vent sexing!! They would all be girls based on my results! Your babies are so cute! I am gonna post four of my newest duckling, hopefully male and hopefully a house duck. Named it already, Indy. My last house duck was Nascar. Rip.

 

[bibkel]

Presenting "Indy" clearly a Cayuga duck mix...with Rouen?

After helping her get past that first going nowhere fast external pip, I stepped in to help. I put her back under foster mom chicken....heard some distress and picked her up like this. She was working hard, but getting trampled. My daughter took this first pic. The next was when I was trying to warm her, and remembered I gotta take pis!!
The. Next, she is tucked under my "wing" warming up while I nap.
The last is her without me touching her for the first time, to which she protested loudly, so back under my wing she went!

Lol, they ended up in reverse order!
Boy editing is a challenge....

 

[ChickDancer]

Grapes? what, green? Do you slice them? What other treats to you give? I tried frozen peas in the tub, ducks loved it but not the geese. I did spinach before I read her not to (thank God the goslings are smarter than me!!) and they ignored that too.

A full head of cabbage was a huge hit. It was funny watching them try to tear of the leaves though. It was fresh, so it was still somewhat tough, but they still managed to get some pieces off! Some of the tears were too big for them to eat anyway, though!

And yes green grapes. I didn't slice them. But then my geese are only about 6 weeks old, so they play with almost anything I offer as food. The key is for them to keep it in their mouth long enough to taste the juice. They were big hits after that, and I had to keep Wonder and Miracle out of the bag! If you have enough of a fingernail, just dig it in enough to break the skin and let some of the juice out. Then let them nibble it. The ducks actually started to trust me recently, and they would start to come up for one. Then I'd toss it their way, and they'd chase it as it rolled around! Then I started to drop them in the little "pool" (which is actually the bottom to an old, small rabbit cage) and let them chase them around the water a bit.

Another BIG treat for the ducks that the geese were so-so on (but some may still prefer) is live minnows. I got two dozen of those and turned them loose in their bigger pool (hard plastic side, vinyl sheet bottom) and let them all chase the live minnows around and eat them. Ducks L O V E doing it! The geese were more interested in bathing.

 

[bibkel]

Ya my ducks have all loved feeder fish too! In the bathtub I would plop a chunk of frozen peas and in no time they were scattered and heads were diving!
I will try cabbage and grapes both tonight, thanks!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Ya my ducks have all loved feeder fish too! In the bathtub I would plop a chunk of frozen peas and in no time they were scattered and heads were diving!
I will try cabbage and grapes both tonight, thanks!

Be sure they are getting grit to go with it. My geese love grapes but I have to bite them into before they will eat them.

don't give the ducks whole grapes they may choke on them.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Presenting "Indy" clearly a Cayuga duck mix...with Rouen?

After helping her get past that first going nowhere fast external pip, I stepped in to help. I put her back under foster mom chicken....heard some distress and picked her up like this. She was working hard, but getting trampled. My daughter took this first pic. The next was when I was trying to warm her, and remembered I gotta take pis!!
The. Next, she is tucked under my "wing" warming up while I nap.
The last is her without me touching her for the first time, to which she protested loudly, so back under my wing she went!









Lol, they ended up in reverse order!
Boy editing is a challenge....

How precious

 

[Starfire669]

Be sure they are getting grit to go with it. My geese love grapes but I have to bite them into before they will eat them. :/  don't give the ducks whole grapes they may choke on them. 

I may give feeder fish and grapes a go for my flock. I know they love strawberries and watermelons. Lol. Soon my blackberries and raspberries will ripen and the ill see if they like those too.

 

[8GeeseALaying]

Been trying to post pics all evening and its not working for some reason. I will get them on here though.

 

[MollySanWV]

I have 2 external pips!

 

[8GeeseALaying]

I have 2 external pips!

Yay!

Are you from where i think you are from?