yksikettu
In the Brooder
Hello! Ive been around for awhile and have learned so much. I am at a point where I am about to invest a lot of work, and so want to make sure I’m headed in the right direction. I guess it may be time for me to ask for a weigh in. This maybe be long, and I’m sorry. Just explaining some goose dynamics I know my group has.
About a year ago I was given Greg, a 5 week old Sebastopol gander. I had a little bit of lead time and was able to find two similarly aged Toulouse geese, now known as LilWing and Screamer. They came home the day before he did. I spent the first week just trying to get them together and to get along, but Greg was always just a meanie, especially to Screamer (which made me suspect, correctly, that he was also male) when they were in the smaller space inside, but outside he seemed to just relax and be much more chill about them. So when they had to be inside they had two tubs, Greg in one and LilWing and Screamer in the other. (Screamer got his name from this time frame. Every time it was time to go outside or inside he went super dramatic when he saw me, screaming the entire way, only to look at me like “that wasn’t me” when I put him down…unless I hadn’t brought out LilWing first, then he would start flipping out cause SHE WAS STILL INSIDE AND ALL MUST KNOW! I quickly learned that Greg had to go first, then LilWing (while Screamer was being dramatic in the tub with her if it was time to go out) and finally Screamer in order for the process to work best. While they were living inside we whipped them up a goose hoose and a pen large enough to contain several large birds. That was done the night before vacation and so my goose sitter (best friend) took over goose duties and lets just say she worked out a few ‘kinks’ while I was away, and was happy I was back, as were the birds. (A guy from Chicago got to hear about my birds and see them on camera while I was at the Grand Canyon. Proud Goose Momma!)
The summer went well, I spent so much time outside I was amazed. The birds added more work to my day, but more an annoying level of work. I spent lots time with them, and went into the fall realizing that I need another girl to balance the flock at least, and in comes Honey, a beautiful and sweet (yet extremely shy) American Buff year old goose. The transition was a little rough for all involved. She slept in a dog crate in the goose house for awhile. And after the first week I didn’t intervene much if I saw she was having pecking order arguments, to which all she submitted to. No surprise the biggest meanie in this whole process was Greg. Once I knew LilWing and Screamer had accepted her mostly, I knew she would be ok.
The ladies started laying in November and have been ever since (anyone want some eggs?). Not long after that Screamer started getting weird, and LilWing was more attentive to the house, but not setting. She would roust Honey if she were actively laying if it was morning or bedtime, but seemed to let her lay through the day most of the time without issue. So I decided to see how that plays out. I am, this weekend or next, pulling all the eggs if the girls don’t make a move. I don’t want to have littles in the fall.
Greg meanwhile has gone from a general meanie to a big fat meanie because Hormones. He loves me, thinks I’m his goose, I’ve made it clear I am not. He likes the ladies. No biggie, he is supposed to love the ladies. Screamer on the other hand. Greg went from chill with everything to having to be put in solitary so I could tend to Screamers wounds and let him heal. He was also being pretty aggressive with the girls, more than just seasonal angst, and so I felt it safest to just keep him in solitary, he slept in the crate at night, and I put up a quick fence to divide the goose pen. (It even involved what came to be known as the ‘stability shovel’ that helped keep the fence up while the snow melted.) it’s chicken wire so It’s been adapting through the snow melt and now I’m ready to make something permanent.
A few weeks ago I was home for two weeks. I let them all be together and thought maybe the worst had passed because Greg didn’t even look at Screamer. Then the day before I was going back to work he became downright brutal again. I do let them all co-mingle when I am outside with them right now, just to keep them all familiar.
While I had Greg alone at the beginning I would put the ladies in with him for company on occasion. Honey would reliably get back to Screamers side before I got home from work in the evening, and LilWing would also head over to him, but not always. She seems to tolerate Greg. So I’ve been putting her in with him most days, and pairing up Screamer and Honey.
So the basic breakdown of the gooses and their personalities. Greg’s a butthead. He doesn’t like anyone but me. He is super rude to Screamer to the point of injury, during breeding season, and not sure he’s going to come out of it any happier. He is completely indifferent to Honey, and will hang out with LilWing.
LilWing is my favorite. She’s a sweet and smart young goose. I brought her to the vet because I metal detected her and she made noises that weren’t supposed to be there, she was fine. She is threatened by Honey in that nesting is a challenge, but otherwise she is second in command. She alerts and Screamer loses his mind. She sometimes realizes it’s only me and she tries to stop Screamer, it’s kinda cute. I can say 9 of 10 goose hickeys I’ve gotten are from this alert / react cycle.
Screamer is not a goose I really wanted, but here we are. He came with LilWing, and I wasn’t sure of the genders at the time so I got the pair. The two are pretty tight, if LilWing is out of sight he makes the “Forlorn Screamer” noise. I highly suspect they are brother and sister, and then some, so I don’t want them to have babies. They definatly have a bond however, and its super sweet to watch them during social hour.
Finally we have Honey. Like I said she is super sweet, very submissive, will always make way for the others. I think she was not treated excellently by her previous people (he said his grand child may have had a hand in that), she is very shy and skittish. I have to make sure I leave her room to get by, or she will stand there eyeing me.
So, over the summer I’d like to implement some changes to go into winter ready for the chaos. I plan to keep separating them Greg and LilWing , Screamer and Honey because that seems the best mix to keep everyone social, but no one picked on. Hopefully LilWing will agree to this, otherwise it’ll have to be solo Greg, which it has been for a little bit, but I’d prefer he have a friend.
My thoughts are dividing, or building a new, goose hoose. This keeps Screamer and Greg separated full stop at all times, and will hopefully give Honey a place to lay without being rousted twice a day. The pen is big enough to accommodate a divide and may just get an expansion anyway.
I don’t think it’s wise to add more to the flock right now until I figure out Greg, especially if they are all going to end up on Screamers side anyway. I did debate on getting babies (or letting the ladies set if they wanted), but I’m not willing to disrupt the current balance, or lack there of, because at least I know what to expect right now.
Any goose wisdom out there that I should know moving forward? Am I missing something obvious? Should I try a different approach? I’m kinda new to this and so I’m willing to listen to anything. I just want to do the best I can with my feathered friends, even if Greg’s a butthead.
About a year ago I was given Greg, a 5 week old Sebastopol gander. I had a little bit of lead time and was able to find two similarly aged Toulouse geese, now known as LilWing and Screamer. They came home the day before he did. I spent the first week just trying to get them together and to get along, but Greg was always just a meanie, especially to Screamer (which made me suspect, correctly, that he was also male) when they were in the smaller space inside, but outside he seemed to just relax and be much more chill about them. So when they had to be inside they had two tubs, Greg in one and LilWing and Screamer in the other. (Screamer got his name from this time frame. Every time it was time to go outside or inside he went super dramatic when he saw me, screaming the entire way, only to look at me like “that wasn’t me” when I put him down…unless I hadn’t brought out LilWing first, then he would start flipping out cause SHE WAS STILL INSIDE AND ALL MUST KNOW! I quickly learned that Greg had to go first, then LilWing (while Screamer was being dramatic in the tub with her if it was time to go out) and finally Screamer in order for the process to work best. While they were living inside we whipped them up a goose hoose and a pen large enough to contain several large birds. That was done the night before vacation and so my goose sitter (best friend) took over goose duties and lets just say she worked out a few ‘kinks’ while I was away, and was happy I was back, as were the birds. (A guy from Chicago got to hear about my birds and see them on camera while I was at the Grand Canyon. Proud Goose Momma!)
The summer went well, I spent so much time outside I was amazed. The birds added more work to my day, but more an annoying level of work. I spent lots time with them, and went into the fall realizing that I need another girl to balance the flock at least, and in comes Honey, a beautiful and sweet (yet extremely shy) American Buff year old goose. The transition was a little rough for all involved. She slept in a dog crate in the goose house for awhile. And after the first week I didn’t intervene much if I saw she was having pecking order arguments, to which all she submitted to. No surprise the biggest meanie in this whole process was Greg. Once I knew LilWing and Screamer had accepted her mostly, I knew she would be ok.
The ladies started laying in November and have been ever since (anyone want some eggs?). Not long after that Screamer started getting weird, and LilWing was more attentive to the house, but not setting. She would roust Honey if she were actively laying if it was morning or bedtime, but seemed to let her lay through the day most of the time without issue. So I decided to see how that plays out. I am, this weekend or next, pulling all the eggs if the girls don’t make a move. I don’t want to have littles in the fall.
Greg meanwhile has gone from a general meanie to a big fat meanie because Hormones. He loves me, thinks I’m his goose, I’ve made it clear I am not. He likes the ladies. No biggie, he is supposed to love the ladies. Screamer on the other hand. Greg went from chill with everything to having to be put in solitary so I could tend to Screamers wounds and let him heal. He was also being pretty aggressive with the girls, more than just seasonal angst, and so I felt it safest to just keep him in solitary, he slept in the crate at night, and I put up a quick fence to divide the goose pen. (It even involved what came to be known as the ‘stability shovel’ that helped keep the fence up while the snow melted.) it’s chicken wire so It’s been adapting through the snow melt and now I’m ready to make something permanent.
A few weeks ago I was home for two weeks. I let them all be together and thought maybe the worst had passed because Greg didn’t even look at Screamer. Then the day before I was going back to work he became downright brutal again. I do let them all co-mingle when I am outside with them right now, just to keep them all familiar.
While I had Greg alone at the beginning I would put the ladies in with him for company on occasion. Honey would reliably get back to Screamers side before I got home from work in the evening, and LilWing would also head over to him, but not always. She seems to tolerate Greg. So I’ve been putting her in with him most days, and pairing up Screamer and Honey.
So the basic breakdown of the gooses and their personalities. Greg’s a butthead. He doesn’t like anyone but me. He is super rude to Screamer to the point of injury, during breeding season, and not sure he’s going to come out of it any happier. He is completely indifferent to Honey, and will hang out with LilWing.
LilWing is my favorite. She’s a sweet and smart young goose. I brought her to the vet because I metal detected her and she made noises that weren’t supposed to be there, she was fine. She is threatened by Honey in that nesting is a challenge, but otherwise she is second in command. She alerts and Screamer loses his mind. She sometimes realizes it’s only me and she tries to stop Screamer, it’s kinda cute. I can say 9 of 10 goose hickeys I’ve gotten are from this alert / react cycle.
Screamer is not a goose I really wanted, but here we are. He came with LilWing, and I wasn’t sure of the genders at the time so I got the pair. The two are pretty tight, if LilWing is out of sight he makes the “Forlorn Screamer” noise. I highly suspect they are brother and sister, and then some, so I don’t want them to have babies. They definatly have a bond however, and its super sweet to watch them during social hour.
Finally we have Honey. Like I said she is super sweet, very submissive, will always make way for the others. I think she was not treated excellently by her previous people (he said his grand child may have had a hand in that), she is very shy and skittish. I have to make sure I leave her room to get by, or she will stand there eyeing me.
So, over the summer I’d like to implement some changes to go into winter ready for the chaos. I plan to keep separating them Greg and LilWing , Screamer and Honey because that seems the best mix to keep everyone social, but no one picked on. Hopefully LilWing will agree to this, otherwise it’ll have to be solo Greg, which it has been for a little bit, but I’d prefer he have a friend.
My thoughts are dividing, or building a new, goose hoose. This keeps Screamer and Greg separated full stop at all times, and will hopefully give Honey a place to lay without being rousted twice a day. The pen is big enough to accommodate a divide and may just get an expansion anyway.
I don’t think it’s wise to add more to the flock right now until I figure out Greg, especially if they are all going to end up on Screamers side anyway. I did debate on getting babies (or letting the ladies set if they wanted), but I’m not willing to disrupt the current balance, or lack there of, because at least I know what to expect right now.
Any goose wisdom out there that I should know moving forward? Am I missing something obvious? Should I try a different approach? I’m kinda new to this and so I’m willing to listen to anything. I just want to do the best I can with my feathered friends, even if Greg’s a butthead.
