Goslings of 2014 Hatch-a-long

[jtn42248]

do you have more than one drake in with the cayugas? i dont know a thing about cayugas. are they docile enough to keep the ratio 2m/1f or will they hurt the duck the way muscovies will? i dont really have the room to split up the ducks and geese. making a separate tractor for some small chickens is one thing, but two separate duck houses isnt something i can so and still have a yard. thanks for giving me your advice.

My Cayugas are in their own coop/run/range. I have 16...2 drakes and 14 females. The drakes have sorted it out and have a friendly relationship in part because there are enough ladies to go around. The ladies (and I use that term lightly) have been doing the head bobbing thing to the males for a couple of days now and they seem to picking pretty evenly who they want as their primary gentleman caller.

If you have 2 drakes and 1 female that will probably not work...at least not for the female. One drake to 3-10 females is o.k. as he is less likely to over breed the females. Two drakes and one female may (will) result in injury to the female that could be as bad as fatal. I would definitely get more females or get rid of one drake. Even if you get rid of one drake the one left may be too much for just one female.

 

[livininbrazil]

What's the matter with kids these days. I remember when you could depend on a girl-goose behaving like a lady. Our social structure is just collapsing around us.

It sure is, shocking isn't it. for us old timers

Why do I have this urge to say something stupid that begins with..."Why, when I was a boy I had to..."?

 

[Miss Lydia]

I´ve never had any of my geese behave like Missy, they usually follow the gander into the pool if they´re ready. If they´re already in the pool and the gander goes in, but they don´t want to mate, they´re out in a jiffy! Does Toots flatten her back for Sam? Do you see that at all with Babe?

Well, after saying about the little gos, I went down this morning to check, and there it was, out of the nest area, dead. Going stiff, neck limp, eyes glazed. The remaining egg was still warm under the goose, so I took the little body and carried it off to chuck it into the undergrowth where the ants and other critters dispose of it in no time. I was wondering whatever could have caused it. It took me a couple of minutes to carry the little body to the undergrowth.
Just as it left my hand I thought I felt it move, so I looked hard at the little thing led there in the weeds and grass, and its little beak opened! I had to climb over the 4' tall barbed wire fence to get it, and now after 2 hours it´s making little noises and it´s had a little to drink. I´m so amazed. It was all but dead. Its little eyes are still a bit dry, so I keep putting water on them, but it can see, and is getting stronger byu the minute. Later I went back to check the egg, and no sound coming from inside. Yesterday morning it was moving. I opened the egg, and there, a beautiful little pied, not pipped yet, but quite dead, so I can only imagine that something made the goose leave the nest during the night, then she must have gone back early this morning, enough to warm the egg, but of course it had already died. Why she stayed off her nest so long I have no idea.
If this little miracle one gets good and strong, I´ll let it go back down with her. So disappointing about the little pied, it was so much like the mother goose in its markings. Well, the ups and downs....
So, now there is one yearling goose sat on one egg which she laid, goodness knows if that´s passed the date..I have no idea. I´ll chek it later. And there are 5 more eggs (also will check later) to hatch next week which should be pieds, so...... we´ll see how that goes!

Oh my gosh livin thank goodness, it looks so precious. hope it continues to progress.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Why do I have this urge to say something stupid that begins with..."Why, when I was a boy I had to..."?

To walk 5 miles to school in the snow?? that's one I heard alot.

 

[servpolice]

We had a storm over the weekend and it was strong! But no damage thank goodness, then 4 days ago we had a thunderstorm that lasted two days and the amount of lightning was unreal! Had now power for 3 days and 20,000 other people in the south didn't either due to lightning so no wifi :E Anyway one of my geese was sick but is now recovering

 

[servpolice]

Living that is great news about the gosling

 

[Miss Lydia]

We had a storm over the weekend and it was strong! But no damage thank goodness, then 4 days ago we had a thunderstorm that lasted two days and the amount of lightning was unreal! Had now power for 3 days and 20,000 other people in the south didn't either due to lightning so no wifi :E Anyway one of my geese was sick but is now recovering

Goodness serv, we were wondering what became of you. Glad your goose is recovering.

 

[servpolice]

MLydia we will see in spring coz if it is a female then is a macho female as me and livin say

 

[jtn42248]

We had a storm over the weekend and it was strong! But no damage thank goodness, then 4 days ago we had a thunderstorm that lasted two days and the amount of lightning was unreal! Had now power for 3 days and 20,000 other people in the south didn't either due to lightning so no wifi :E Anyway one of my geese was sick but is now recovering

Glad you made it through it. We had a really nasty storm here last night and the power went out for about half and hour. I can't even imagine being without power for three days. Especially right now. I have 8 Sebright Bantam chicks that are 2 days old (there were 9 but lost one overnight) and 7 undetermined breed packing peanuts in brooders upstairs and was really concerned what I was going to do for heat if something didn't happen soon. Even though of getting them all in bed with me.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Glad you made it through it. We had a really nasty storm here last night and the power went out for about half and hour. I can't even imagine being without power for three days. Especially right now. I have 8 Sebright Bantam chicks that are 2 days old (there were 9 but lost one overnight) and 7 undetermined breed packing peanuts in brooders upstairs and was really concerned what I was going to do for heat if something didn't happen soon. Even though of getting them all in bed with me.

Boy I bet they are tiny, sorry you lost one.