Help With a Decision

[3xhhheather]

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That’s probably the case with her. If I reflect on it a bit more, she slowly has become more standoffish/less tolerant as she's gotten older which I expected, but hoped it would be different. From when I got them at around one week old I’ve spent 4-5hrs+ a day with them, focusing on hand feeding, holding them, and getting them comfortable with me being in their space. She’s been totally fine up until recently and yesterday I really thought she was going to break my finger when she caught me off guard. The aggression was crazy, whacking me with her wings and clamping down refusing to let up. It’s just so weird, like this morning out in the yard she’s fine, no issues at all. I might have to start taking notes to find out what exactly is triggering her.

Ah sorry, I should have noted that their coop does have a divider so the geese and ducks do sleep separately, but under one roof. I found an old pile of chicken wire behind my garden shed this morning so I'm working on putting up a divider in the pen. Totally agree, need to keep the ducks safe from her.

For now I think I've landed on giving her some space and making sure to keep standing my ground until the Spring, hopefully she and I can come to a better understanding before then, because she is still really sweet with my husband. It's one of those things that would be awesome to have everyone get along, but I'll probably start prepping/saving to build out a goose only area for next year.

 

[Bo Garrett]

Looking at the pictures it would seem your problem goose is actually a gander, coarser features, larger head and body indicate a male. Change what you wear to make him think you are someone else and assert your dominance. Turkeys are much the same way, gobblers will sometimes become aggressive to a single person and a change in attire will throw them off. I had a gobbler that hated children and would come after me if I wore white tennis shoes, so I quit wearing the white shoes and no problem. Unfortunately, the other kids never caught on and continued to be the brunt of his aggression.

Blessings,

Bo

 

[Goosebaby]

That’s probably the case with her. If I reflect on it a bit more, she slowly has become more standoffish/less tolerant as she's gotten older which I expected, but hoped it would be different. From when I got them at around one week old I’ve spent 4-5hrs+ a day with them, focusing on hand feeding, holding them, and getting them comfortable with me being in their space. She’s been totally fine up until recently and yesterday I really thought she was going to break my finger when she caught me off guard. The aggression was crazy, whacking me with her wings and clamping down refusing to let up. It’s just so weird, like this morning out in the yard she’s fine, no issues at all. I might have to start taking notes to find out what exactly is triggering her.

Ah sorry, I should have noted that their coop does have a divider so the geese and ducks do sleep separately, but under one roof. I found an old pile of chicken wire behind my garden shed this morning so I'm working on putting up a divider in the pen. Totally agree, need to keep the ducks safe from her.

For now I think I've landed on giving her some space and making sure to keep standing my ground until the Spring, hopefully she and I can come to a better understanding before then, because she is still really sweet with my husband. It's one of those things that would be awesome to have everyone get along, but I'll probably start prepping/saving to build out a goose only area for next year.

Bo Garrett has a point, you may have a gander. Wing smacks are usually more of a gander thing, I’ve seen the occasional aggressive flutters from girls, but it’s pretty uncommon, that’s usually a gander thing.

 

[Iain Utah]

I've had aggressive females, but only when they are laying. I'm still going with my conclusion that your goose is a gander. Picking him up like a toy puppy and carrying him around does wonders for that. You can also try locking him into a large travel dog kennel for a day to disrupt the behavior. Otherwise, carry a long stick and do not be afraid to defend your space with it. Often they are the worst as yearlings and chill over the years.

As you can see from my signature line, I have dozens of geese and ducks. 99% of the time, they figure things out at my place. Oddly, I've had more issues with male ducks becoming aggressive with geese, than the other way around.

Good luck!

 

[Leader Bee]

I wish I had space for 34 Geese...

 

[Goosebaby]

I wish I had space for 34 Geese...

Same

 

[ColtHandorf]

I'd agree that the problem child is a gander.

I wish I had space for 34 Geese...

My seven are quite enough...lol

 

[Bo Garrett]

I have exhibition Toulouse (14 of them to be exact) and I can say that if one wants to keep 34 geese they had better have a good source of income, Toulouse eat like Clydesdales!!! Combine that with the 70 or so turkeys and 300 chickens I have and then it gets really expensive! Make sure your eyes aren't bigger than your wallet.

Blessings,

Bo

 

[Leader Bee]

Yep, I have two exhibition toulouse (no room for any more really) and they're eating more pellets at the moment since they've made the grassy area all muddy and swampy - i'll have to re-seed that come spring time!

 

[3xhhheather]

Thanks y'all, it's like once everyone pointed out that the problem child is most likely a gander, I'm seeing it clearly. I think I've found that my waterproof boots are causing the issues, which I kinda think is weird because they're a neutral green color, but meh. Bug (the problem child) is giving me a wide berth for the most part, but has caught me off guard a couple of times and gotten a good grip on my legs or wrist. Just taking it day by day and hoping he'll eventually chill out.