Integrating goslings into flock

[NewChick Momma]

Hi Everyone! I’m hoping someone can give me some guidance on how to integrate 2 goslings into my flock of chickens and ducks. I had a hard time finding goslings in my area and wanted to be able to have raised everyone together. Sadly the timing didn’t work out and I just brought my 2 goslings home about 3 weeks ago. The goslings seem like they are trying to protect my husband and I from the chickens and ducks and really go after them even though they are a little smaller. They seem to do better when we aren’t where they can see us but still get a little testy with their siblings. I got the geese to be guardians for my chickens and ducks and it seems they just want to guard my husband and I. How do I break that behavior? And is this normal behavior that is fixable where they will want to protect their chicken and duck siblings?

 

[Gray Farms]

They are imprinted on you and see the other birds as "strangers" and want them away. Tough love is the only way I've found to integrate imprinted goslings. Get them grown up more, they need to be bigger than everybody else. The put them in and walk away. They will cry and run the fence but eventually they will join the flock. That being said geese are not guardians they're only alarms. They may bluff out small predators like cats, rats, snakes, and opossums. But larger predators they are just as likely to be killed. Racoons, foxes, coyotes, dogs, etc they don't stand a chance against.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

They are imprinted on you and see the other birds as "strangers" and want them away. Tough love is the only way I've found to integrate imprinted goslings. Get them grown up more, they need to be bigger than everybody else. The put them in and walk away. They will cry and run the fence but eventually they will join the flock. That being said geese are not guardians they're only alarms. They may bluff out small predators like cats, rats, snakes, and opossums. But larger predators they are just as likely to be killed. Racoons, foxes, coyotes, dogs, etc they don't stand a chance against.

I have goslings coming this week hopefully. I don't want mine to follow me everywhere, and I want them to just be geese. You sound like you know geese, so how I do I accomplish that? I don't handle my birds except to move them. Will that be enough? I don't want them terrified, but I don't want them focused on me.

Sorry OP, hopefully you don't mind me asking on your thread. I want to avoid what you are dealing with.

 

[Gray Farms]

I have goslings coming this week hopefully. I don't want mine to follow me everywhere, and I want them to just be geese. You sound like you know geese, so how I do I accomplish that? I don't handle my birds except to move them. Will that be enough? I don't want them terrified, but I don't want them focused on me.

Sorry OP, hopefully you don't mind me asking on your thread. I want to avoid what you are dealing with.

Feed, water, and ignore them. You should be good to go. My goslings are afraid of me when they are little. But when they are grown they aren't. They know I'm the food bringer and pool cleaner lol. And the guy who takes the goslings and eggs. But they get their digs in to. I have the bite marks to prove it.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Feed, water, and ignore them. You should be good to go. My goslings are afraid of me when they are little. But when they are grown they aren't. They know I'm the food bringer and pool cleaner lol. And the guy who takes the goslings and eggs. But they get their digs in to. I have the bite marks to prove it.

Thank you. I will follow this advice, and raise them like I raise all my other poultry species and hopefully they will mind their own business, and not be a pain to my chickens and muscovy.