I am a novice still with my fowl as I have been a fowl owner for about 6-7 months now and study a lot. However, although my geese are not aggressive... he TRIED but I let him know I was the BOSS real quick like..... I am having a LOT of trouble picking them up. My goose is VERY large Embden and is pretty heavy... she is also a bit timid and sweet. Is there a way or method of building a trust that would ease my attempts at interacting with them by petting and or holding them? I know they love me and are not afraid of me per sy as they follow me everywhere but I have bonded with my chickens and hold them regularly. I even have one that jumps up into my arms if I am near her in the coop or in my chair outside. I want to build that kind of bond with my geese too. Any suggestions my friends. By the way thank you in advance for those of you who not only read my post but also answer my post.... it seems that usually I MIGHT get 1 answer God Bless, Michelle
Hi Michelle, With geese you have to keep picking them up all the time from the time of being hatched out and holding them in your lap. One thing geese like to keep their feet on the ground. If you pick them up make sure you hold them securly then put the goose on your lap. They are screamers when you pick them up. But if use to it will do much better. But do not feed them from your hand. You can pet them on their neck and back and rub their chest if they are totally use to it. But if you only do it every now and then they will not let you hold them or pet them.... This is my experience so maybe others will chime in about it. Good luck to you and enjoy your geese.
X2 from above, and to add................ geese are not dogs and are not cats so it does not come naturally for them to want to be held for any reason. Lots of working with them will both get them use to you doing so and get you practice at being smooth in picking them up. We can pick up every goose on property and do so once a month to check feet, weight ect. Even the giants here can be lifted and they are Exhibition Dewlap Toulouse (see below)
We held our geese a lot when they were young so that they would get the idea early on, but we only pick them up when necessary now that they are grown. They are both embdens and one really dislikes being touched but will tolerate being carried when needed. The other gets carried every now and then because she can be stubborn and refuse to move. She will also let us pet her but we try to keep it to a minimum, I try to respect their preference for hanging out with us without physical contact on our part.
Geese can be large and heavy. Do you really want a goose on your lap? i think an animal can be friendly and enjoyable without having to hold them. Amongst my chickens, i have a few that seem to like being on my lap, some don't. None of my ducks want to be held. i respect that and only pick them up when necessary. None of my geese want to be picked up, but i can, if needed. My goose who has had a lot of attention because of health issues will let me carry her. But i know she would prefer not to be off the ground. i like just sitting out in the yard and letting the geese come to me. When i do that, they get curious, come up to inspect my clothes, bite on my shoes, and will even let me pet them.
When I hold my geese I like to put the tops of their feet against my legs so that they can't hop off, it feels safer to me. Also, I think that it's good to have a healthy holding relationship with them since when they get hurt you'll be holding them. I pick up my gander every day, lol, but that's because he's a jerk and I have to move him.
When I hold our geese I make sure to put the butt off my lap. That way if we poop which we always do it goes on the ground not me.
