Help Me! gander attacking goslings!

[Urbanfarmerkc]

Hi all,

I've been raising Pilgrim Geese for 3 years now and last year, I put two adopted 1 day old goslings under my goose and all went very well. Both mom and dad took them with NO problems.

This year, I hatched in my incubator 8 goslings. I put these babies in the pen and although neither of my geese were setting, they both immediately went into mom mode and adopted the babies.

Dad, on the other hand will have NONE of it! He immediately began biting and nipping at the babies. I kicked him out all day yesterday and tried to reunite them again today... NO LUCK... if anything he is getting MORE aggressive with the babies.

I have him separated again but would LOVE some advice... The dad is supposed to help guard the babies and I have some pretty prevalent predators so I'd like him to do his job.

Anyone ever had this problem and if so, how did you solve it?

Dave

 

[r4eboxer]

I'm keeping an eye on this thread as I have a gosling that hatched on the 4th where the gander is accepting but the mothers are not. They are sitting on a nest of eggs right now but I am going to need to integrate my older gosling with the younger ones.

Sorry I don't have any advice but maybe someone will come along soon who has btdt.

 

[Urbanfarmerkc]

I'm keeping an eye on this thread as I have a gosling that hatched on the 4th where the gander is accepting but the mothers are not. They are sitting on a nest of eggs right now but I am going to need to integrate my older gosling with the younger ones.

Sorry I don't have any advice but maybe someone will come along soon who has btdt.

I can help a bit there. If your goslings are more than a day old the mom usually won't accept them. Also, I have better luck removing the eggs then putting the babies into the nest... The mom comes in and sees new borns and then OH, I have children... LOL

If they are setting and you try to introduce goslings they just see them as a pest that might want to take their eggs... It also helps that the mom has been on the nest for awhile.

With chickens I have to sneak the babies under mom at night. By the time morning comes MOST broody hens will accept chicks. I've only had a problem with one old hen and she killed the babies the next morning...

I totally think it is weird my old gander is acting so strange... Usually he is all gung ho for most things I do around the place. The only problem I've EVER had with him is he hated white chickens and would kill them... Had to keep them apart...

I've written the woman who I bought him from a couple years ago and asked if she wanted to trade him for a one of hers. Gotta switch things up for next year anyway... you know different blood lines and all...

 

[Urbanfarmerkc]

Good news, I kept dad away for about 2 weeks then released him... he nibbled a bit but got over himself and is now a perfect dad. Yeah!

I'm guessing he was disturbed his courtships were coming to an end... can't say I blame him for that but now that he knows those days are behind him, he seems to be doing fine.

Dave