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Cas wasn't in with bright yellow pekin babies. He was mixed in with Whelsh Harlequin babies. As far as doing research on the breeder, geese are not dogs. Most geese are hatched and raised on farms by farmers, or hatcheries. While there are exceptions to this rule, this is the case with MOST geese we can obtain. I HAD done my research. I couldn't order from a hatchery because I wanted only ONE, and hatcheries won't ship just one. I looked into feed stores because they order from the same hatcheries we do, but none had or would be getting any ducklings. So...I looked into farmers and found a swap run by the APA with approved quality stock suitable for 4H and FFA and poultry shows. I attended said swap. It was 5:30 in the morning and cold. The "ducklings" were huddled in a pile under their brooder light. This is how farmers raise their ducks because it's a duck not a pet to them. There must have been 20 little ones in the bin with Cas, all peeping, and no one really walking around because of the chill in the air. All of them had color markings (look up whelsh babies for comparison, not a Pekin baby) some had darker bills and feet, some didn't. I picked Cas because he looked a tad bigger and stronger than the rest. We all know what happens with the runts right? So, I picked the healthiest looking one. Checked his eyes and nose and feet and bottom. I liked his markings and his face melted my heart, so I chose him. Breed and gender did not matter to me because I have no intentions of breeding him or showing him. The farmer did offer to sex him right there for me but I declined because vent sexing them in MY OPINION is painful, traumatic, and yes, maybe even embarrassing to them and I didn't want him put through that. My friend picked a pair of ducklings as well and we headed back home. On that particular day, with them all a bit chilled and huddled together, Cas wasn't really any bigger or much different looking than her ducklings. Yes his face looked a bit more slender to me, but that first day that was really the only noticeable difference between them. It was only once we'd gotten him back home, warm and settled that he began to stretch out more and I began to question based on his posture that he was in fact a goose. My first thread here, Meet Cas our new house duck, only one person said they thought he SOMEWHAT resembled a gosling. So if it's really so easy to distinguish on day one, I'm kind of surprised that more didn't say something. And if it's so easy to distinguish the differences at that early age, once I knew he was a goose, another told me they were 4000% positive that he was an African goose, which now (nearly a week later) it's obvious that he's not. Point being, not only have you made me feel unwelcome to the point of being an idiot for asking questions here, but you're also basically saying that everyone else who spoke to me about Cas was also wrong. Had it not been for a few friendly people that reached out to me with ACTUAL advice, help, and stories, I wouldn't still be here. I came here because Cas is my first house goose. I've raised geese before. As a FARMER, who made sure they were fed and watered and protected from predators but that's about it because after all, it's just a goose on a farm, right? I didn't play with them or snuggle with them. They were just geese. Some had the job of bringing eggs to the table or making more geese, some were destined for my Christmas dinner table. Because that's what geese are for right? I came here because this time around I wanted a PET, and all signs pointed here for people like me to ask questions and get help. I full well understand it's a public forum and everyone and anyone can say what they want from behind the safety of their computer screen, yes. But maybe before you continue to judge me, consider this. Had I NOT picked Cas, and he went home with some other farmer, tossed into a cold drafty barn with 30 others like him, no love, just basics. He could have been thrown into the life of a GOOSE, with over breeding (breeding can and often does lead to various painful issues), or worse, destined to one day end up the farmers dinner. So is it REALLY so bad that he has a warm loving home that CARES about him and will do whatever it takes to keep him happy and healthy, for a rich, full and long life?
Cas wasn't in with bright yellow pekin babies. He was mixed in with Whelsh Harlequin babies. As far as doing research on the breeder, geese are not dogs. Most geese are hatched and raised on farms by farmers, or hatcheries. While there are exceptions to this rule, this is the case with MOST geese we can obtain. I HAD done my research. I couldn't order from a hatchery because I wanted only ONE, and hatcheries won't ship just one. I looked into feed stores because they order from the same hatcheries we do, but none had or would be getting any ducklings. So...I looked into farmers and found a swap run by the APA with approved quality stock suitable for 4H and FFA and poultry shows. I attended said swap. It was 5:30 in the morning and cold. The "ducklings" were huddled in a pile under their brooder light. This is how farmers raise their ducks because it's a duck not a pet to them. There must have been 20 little ones in the bin with Cas, all peeping, and no one really walking around because of the chill in the air. All of them had color markings (look up whelsh babies for comparison, not a Pekin baby) some had darker bills and feet, some didn't. I picked Cas because he looked a tad bigger and stronger than the rest. We all know what happens with the runts right? So, I picked the healthiest looking one. Checked his eyes and nose and feet and bottom. I liked his markings and his face melted my heart, so I chose him. Breed and gender did not matter to me because I have no intentions of breeding him or showing him. The farmer did offer to sex him right there for me but I declined because vent sexing them in MY OPINION is painful, traumatic, and yes, maybe even embarrassing to them and I didn't want him put through that. My friend picked a pair of ducklings as well and we headed back home. On that particular day, with them all a bit chilled and huddled together, Cas wasn't really any bigger or much different looking than her ducklings. Yes his face looked a bit more slender to me, but that first day that was really the only noticeable difference between them. It was only once we'd gotten him back home, warm and settled that he began to stretch out more and I began to question based on his posture that he was in fact a goose. My first thread here, Meet Cas our new house duck, only one person said they thought he SOMEWHAT resembled a gosling. So if it's really so easy to distinguish on day one, I'm kind of surprised that more didn't say something. And if it's so easy to distinguish the differences at that early age, once I knew he was a goose, another told me they were 4000% positive that he was an African goose, which now (nearly a week later) it's obvious that he's not. Point being, not only have you made me feel unwelcome to the point of being an idiot for asking questions here, but you're also basically saying that everyone else who spoke to me about Cas was also wrong. Had it not been for a few friendly people that reached out to me with ACTUAL advice, help, and stories, I wouldn't still be here. I came here because Cas is my first house goose. I've raised geese before. As a FARMER, who made sure they were fed and watered and protected from predators but that's about it because after all, it's just a goose on a farm, right? I didn't play with them or snuggle with them. They were just geese. Some had the job of bringing eggs to the table or making more geese, some were destined for my Christmas dinner table. Because that's what geese are for right? I came here because this time around I wanted a PET, and all signs pointed here for people like me to ask questions and get help. I full well understand it's a public forum and everyone and anyone can say what they want from behind the safety of their computer screen, yes. But maybe before you continue to judge me, consider this. Had I NOT picked Cas, and he went home with some other farmer, tossed into a cold drafty barn with 30 others like him, no love, just basics. He could have been thrown into the life of a GOOSE, with over breeding (breeding can and often does lead to various painful issues), or worse, destined to one day end up the farmers dinner. So is it REALLY so bad that he has a warm loving home that CARES about him and will do whatever it takes to keep him happy and healthy, for a rich, full and long life?
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