how to tell how old a goose is?

[HeritageGoose13]

I have a goose that was many years old when I got it, but I do not know how old exactly. Is there any way to tell the age of an adult goose? Thank you.

 

[Carrosaur]

I have a goose that was many years old when I got it, but I do not know how old exactly. Is there any way to tell the age of an adult goose? Thank you.

Could you post a picture?

 

[Miss Lydia]

I have a goose that was many years old when I got it, but I do not know how old exactly. Is there any way to tell the age of an adult goose? Thank you.

Well you can't tell by looking at their teeth.
At Carolina water fowl they have geese 40yrs old, maybe some one who has had geese or been around geese for many years could take a good guess.

 

[servpolice]

My oldest pair I ever had were well over 17 years.
You can usually tell by their back balance or beak colour (depends on breed).
Post a picture so we can have wild guesses

 

[Miss Lydia]

My oldest pair I ever had were well over 17 years.
You can usually tell by their back balance or beak colour (depends on breed).
Post a picture so we can have wild guesses

There is a member her name is Lynda who has geese around 20 yrs. my oldest is 8.5 yrs. it would be very interesting to see an older goose next to a young one and see if we can pick out the oldest. My old drake a Muscovy doesn't molt any more and his wings are really beat up no flight feathers anymore you can look at him and tell he is old he'll be 12 this coming March. He doesn't walk very well anymore either. Not sure what old would be in a goose since I have heard of geese living to 80.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/457023/goose-life-span


How long do they live?

The average life expectancy for Canada geese can be difficult to determine. In captivity, the longest lived goose was 80 years old. In the wild, the oldest goose was reportedly 30 years and 4 months old. This is an extraordinary lifespan for a wild bird; the life expectancy for most wild geese is 12 years. (Johnson, 2012; Jansson, et al., 2008; Robinson, 2005)

• Range lifespan
  Status: wild
  30 (high) years
• Range lifespan
  Status: captivity
  80 (high) years
• Typical lifespan
  Status: wild
  10 to 24

 

[HeritageGoose13]

I don't have a picture yet.

My oldest pair I ever had were well over 17 years.
You can usually tell by their back balance or beak colour (depends on breed).
Post a picture so we can have wild guesses

What do you mean by back balance?

He did recently molt. Feathers are in good condition. He walks well as long as the weather is warm. When it is cold he slows down and does not move as much. I think he gets stiff. That's one of the reasons I think he might be really old.

There is a member her name is Lynda who has geese around 20 yrs. my oldest is 8.5 yrs. it would be very interesting to see an older goose next to a young one and see if we can pick out the oldest. My old drake a Muscovy doesn't molt any more and his wings are really beat up no flight feathers anymore you can look at him and tell he is old he'll be 12 this coming March. He doesn't walk very well anymore either. Not sure what old would be in a goose since I have heard of geese living to 80.

Why do some geese live so long? What can you do to make sure they live a long time?


edit: would a veterinarian be able to tell a goose's age somehow?

 

[Miss Lydia]

I don't have a picture yet.


What do you mean by back balance?

He did recently molt. Feathers are in good condition. He walks well as long as the weather is warm. When it is cold he slows down and does not move as much. I think he gets stiff. That's one of the reasons I think he might be really old.

Why do some geese live so long? What can you do to make sure they live a long time?


edit: would a veterinarian be able to tell a goose's age somehow?

An avian vet might be able to tell. I'm not sure what we can do other than making sure they have a good quality of feed, room to forage and do all things normal to geese. Give them shelter and protection from elements and predators. Sounds like things are still working well with him. I don't know what causes water fowl to stop molting but my drakes has really showed age the last couple of years. He still has a good appetite and although alot of mornings and evenings I carry him to his house he still gets around good in his fenced area. My gander is only going on 9 and has all young geese with him he acts just like them. lol

 

[servpolice]

Geese that are older usually don't stand as erect as they used to basically.
Older geese are more slow in colder weatherwhich is correct and better in warmer weather same if they are sick.
I find that older geese have a darker pigment too.

 

[HeritageGoose13]

Thank you both. I probably never will know for certain, but it is interesting to think about.

 

[Selsley]

anyone know how old this goose is, she was given to us start of april, 1st she went in the shed but she wouldnt stay there at night, and her fenced area included the side of the house and back door which she'd insessively tap at with her beak.she would expand her wings and front up to us, and she liked to peck feet and legs, a friends child saw it and told us it was a naughty goose as they already knew it

we built a small slatted fence with 75 mill gaps round the patio to keep her from the house, which she likes to try to peck you through, it has a gate for compost access so the garden gets a lot of traffic. i will say with the addition of a few chickens, she had seemed to have calmed down alot, for me she comes to me all the time, but will still scare the rest of the family with her stares with wings slightly out and the chasing, i will admit, when we built the chicken coop and had her being a bit vicious at me cornered inside the coop, she ended up with at least 2 occasions when she got a bit of a slapping ending, with her being forcibly tossed out the coop, since then shes fine with me, no pecking at all,

last week, with the addition of 6 new chicks after a hatch, and our bantam hen squeezing through wanting to lay her eggs outside the garden since shes just come in to lay, and of course the goose stretching her neck through, i decided to take every slat off the fence in 4x2mtr sections,sawed them through the middle, touch up with woodstain and replace them, now 35mm slats 35mm apart.
3 birds with one stone,
the goose cant get her head through which stops the returned antics of the family, she in a week seems even calmer then ever, the chasing has stopped but she still gives the others a watchful eye.
the bantam can no longer contort her way through, and by the time the chicks are ready to leave their mum and start being on their own more, they will be too big to get through too.

anyway im rambling. we thought maybe the goose would have laid a few eggs in april/may, and then maybe some more in august, from what ive read. do you know how old this goose is? or whether she looks old enough to be laying eggs shes also in middle of her molt. we dont even know her breed lol



on a side note, the bantan was still squeeking when we got her and another bantam hen.the young bantam was sorta watched over by the goose initially, theyd run to each other when the hen was having trouble with her roo, and shes the only hen who will be anywhere near the goose. and doesnt skuttle off with the other chickens when she approaches. ive seen the big rooster jumping and barging at her before and chasing her, i usually hear the commotion in the house, but more often than not shes putting him in his place, its the goose that lords it over ALL the chickens

shes french in france