help with Holderread assortment???? PICS!!

[kimberly35042]

so I have 1 darling seb hatch all by his onesies. I know this the week before as the other eggs look like bacteria growing (yuck!) and I get on list at Holderread's (GREAT PEOPLE!!!) and order minimum of bargain assortment geese which is 4. They ship Monday afternoon and I call the P.O. on Tuesday, and they tell me to expect priority mail shipment at 6:30am Wednesday.

I anxiously call them Wednesday morning and THEY HAVE ARRIVED! Are they Ok says me -- "seem to be" says dude at P.O. Are they peeping? Dude: "Yea, making a lot of noise". "I'll be there in 10 minutes!!' "come to back door -- we're not open yet" "no problem--see you in a second!"

SIDENOTE: My paranoia comes from the fact I'm in alabama and they have traveled cross country in a box. I'm sure others can relate.

I get there and open the box (everyone comes to check them out!) All 5 babies are great and I take them home.

Oddly enough the box lid reads "4 bargain assortment geese + 1 bonus" WHAT???? Pics below. the brooder pic front right is Henry, my saddleback seb. The others, idk. I requested light or medium but 2 of them are quite large.

2 small (tiny) yellow goslings
1 large yellow gosling (with sleepy look if that's possible and much slower moving)
1 small brown gosling
1 larger brown gosling (not as big as yellow guy)

all of them (saddleback seb bottom right)

brown guys

yellow guys (front guy is twice larger than other 2)

Thoughts???

 

[BirdBrain]

The two darker colored geese are either Toulouse or Brown African. In about a week you will probably know for sure on these. My Africans have a bill that tends to point down a bit and the Toulouse has one that points straight out--guessing these are probably Toulouse. And if they are you are in for a treat. My Toulouse is about 4 weeks old and the calmest most inquisitive of the bunch. The large yellow guy is probably Embden and I wish I knew on the other two as I have one like that that I have not yet figured out. My smaller guy like this is feathering out with brownish grey feather in his wings and back. I'll be interested to hear what others say.

Go to the Holderread's web page and look on the photo gallery. You might be able to match up what you got there.

 

[BirdBrain]

I just went back and looked at their heads and the difference in shading on the backs. I'm revising my guess to one African and one Toulouse.

 

[kimberly35042]

Quote:
Thank you!! The 2 darker birds are definately not the same unless there is a dramatic difference in size at hatching between goose and gander.

I have scoured and compared internet pics and just can't decide. I've emailed Wanita at HW Farm but no luck yet with an answer. Who knows if they even keep a record of assorted birds. I'm new to geese and they are so much more interesting then ducks!!

Henry, my little seb talked to me for 2 days before hatching so we were close before he ever came out of the shell. another day and a half with just him before the others arrived and he/she is the sweetest animal -- kitten sweet. He'll probably eat me alive next year *lol*

 

[BirdBrain]

I don't think they keep records for the assortments. They are just too busy on hatch day.

 

[mominoz]

They didn't write on the box? I just got my 2 duck shipments and I had one of my Shetland geese included in the duck box(I told them to split the orders if I could get what I wanted that way.) I have 4 more Shetlands coming sometime, whenever they can. But they always wrote on the lid of the box what mine were.
I live in NW Georgia and My first shipment this year are TORNADO Babies.

"They were shipped during the Tornados in the SE, thought I 'd never see them, but they were fine, only lost one runner at 2 days.(ducklings)

 

[BirdBrain]

Just saw this
http://metzerfarms.blogspot.com/2011/03/how-to-differentiate-african-and.html

I bet this helps you narrow things down. One of your yellow ones looks to have the convex or U shape to the top of the bill. I'm off to look at my yellow guy.

 

[mominoz]

The smaller ones might be Roman geese. They have both tufted and non tufted.
I had tufted romans and they were nice.I'd have them again, but I didn't want too many whites.
They do have mini-geese and Shetlands too, but they are harder to get....

Oh, and your brooder tub.....You need to go shopping this weekend to get the biggest you can find, for next week!!!!!

And in two weeks, you will need to make a fence circle or rectangle in your garage, lay down plastic tablecloths or tarp. Buy Horse shavings and you can keep themin there till they feather out and have mulch for your garden.You will need one for the fertilizer to go in.

 

[kimberly35042]

Quote:
no -- only 4 bargain assortment + 1 bonus was on the lid

(how do you get smilies to work??)

 

[kimberly35042]

Quote:
aw man -- i REALLY hope that are the smaller geese!!!! somehow I doubt that though. Are Americans smallish?

A BIG congratulations to getting your order after that vicious storm. I'm in Central Alabama and it was no fun. I have a friend who lived through it and dug horses out of a collapsed barn afterward. http://www.myfoxal.com/story/14599465/ranch-attempting-to-rebuild-after-storms

The whole thing is surreal.