Looking for advice on growing my flock

[Mama Mills]

Hello all! We have two Silver Appleyards from Metzers farms that are about 2.5 months old. We adore Strawberry and Waffles and are looking to add two more birds to our flock. Our duck house can only accommodate 4 large breed ducks so I want to make sure I make a good decision on our next and final order. I’m looking for friendly and cute breeds that are good layers and similar in size to our SAs. I recently started considering a buff goose as I’ve read they can be very friendly and also provide some protection. I also appreciate that they are considered less noisy than other breeds of geese. Overall I know very little about geese and I’m still learning a lot about ducks. I assume ducks and geese can cohabitate peacefully? Any insight on getting a male or female goose? It looks like goslings are not readily available at this time.. our hope was to get two more birds next month however I would be willing to wait until spring. Other duck breeds I’m considering are Saxony and Buff ducks. Please let me know if you have any suggestions or considerations for me. Thanks in advance!!

 

[CoriM]

I have no experience with geese, but @Miss Lydia does and she can fill you in. I think they are quite different from ducks, and generally happier if they have another goose to be with. I don't think you can rely on a goose to protect your ducks...that's up to you. Your girls are very pretty! I think you should just order a couple more girls from Metzer if you want to increase your flock, which is a good idea so you don't end up with a solo duck if something happens. I have buff, duclairs, welsh, black swedish, fawn and white runners, and have also had pekins...all from Metzer. Both my buffs are nervous and jumpy for some reason, though hand-raised like all my girls. The calmest ducks I have are the duclairs, black swedish, and welsh harlequin - though welsh are smaller. My duclairs are so sweet, they don't mind being pet, and are a heavier duck, though not as big as pekins which come with too many health issues. I love the personality of the black swedish as well, very calm and sweet, though don't love petting much, but will tolerate it a bit.

 

[Miss Lydia]

From experience a gander is going to mate with your ducks, he won't if he has a goose mate but then he will become so protective of his mate he won't be able to sleep in the same house with the ducks. Honestly, you would be better off just getting more ducks unless you build a goose house. My goose and gander had their own house but did spend the day out with the flock, Everyone learned to stay clear of the geese. Sam never injured anyone but he made sure no one got close to his mate. I have 3 Buffs they don't want to be petted but they are laid back. Good egg layers also.

 

[Mama Mills]

I have no experience with geese, but @Miss Lydia does and she can fill you in. I think they are quite different from ducks, and generally happier if they have another goose to be with. I don't think you can rely on a goose to protect your ducks...that's up to you. Your girls are very pretty! I think you should just order a couple more girls from Metzer if you want to increase your flock, which is a good idea so you don't end up with a solo duck if something happens. I have buff, duclairs, welsh, black swedish, fawn and white runners, and have also had pekins...all from Metzer. Both my buffs are nervous and jumpy for some reason, though hand-raised like all my girls. The calmest ducks I have are the duclairs, black swedish, and welsh harlequin - though welsh are smaller. My duclairs are so sweet, they don't mind being pet, and are a heavier duck, though not as big as pekins which come with too many health issues. I love the personality of the black swedish as well, very calm and sweet, though don't love petting much, but will tolerate it a bit.

What a beautiful flock you have! Thank you for sharing your valuable insight. You’re right we need more than two in case something happened to one. And their security is up to us, I thought having a goose around may provide an extra layer of protection but now I’m thinking four ducks sounds about right. We have that same splash pad, so much fun

 

[Mama Mills]

From experience a gander is going to mate with your ducks, he won't if he has a goose mate but then he will become so protective of his mate he won't be able to sleep in the same house with the ducks. Honestly, you would be better off just getting more ducks unless you build a goose house. My goose and gander had their own house but did spend the day out with the flock, Everyone learned to stay clear of the geese. Sam never injured anyone but he made sure no one got close to his mate. I have 3 Buffs they don't want to be petted but they are laid back. Good egg layers also.

Good to know! It sounds like 4 ducks is going to be our best bet. Out of curiosity, do you think a solo female goose would integrate well with ducks? I’m curious to know a goose after reading about them however a peaceful flock is the top priority. Thanks for your input

 

[Miss Lydia]

Geese are not protectors of anything other than their mates and goslings, they will sound the alarm if something is around maybe, When a redtail came down and killed one of my chickens no one but my rooster made a peep and he was hiding inside the coop. Everyone else was up against the gate scared and that included my 2 geese. I only have one goose now she lost her mate of 10 yrs in 2022 and she has grown up with the ducks and chickens she has done very well with them I even moved her into the main coop so she wouldn't be alone. She can be ornery when mating season for geese is going on and I had a few of my Runners that had to learn the hard way to stay away from her [they thought it would be fun to have a goose as a breeding partner and got their faces chewed for it.]
Geese are awesome critters and can be a great addition to a flock you just need to be prepared for what can happen and have a plan ready.

I'll give you this
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/reasons-why-you-shouldnt-keep-just-one-goose.1220102/

 

[KathiQuacks]

Good to know! It sounds like 4 ducks is going to be our best bet. Out of curiosity, do you think a solo female goose would integrate well with ducks? I’m curious to know a goose after reading about them however a peaceful flock is the top priority. Thanks for your input

I highly recommend NOT getting a single goose. You have to understand that they are different species, they speak a different language and have different behaviors / needs. Even if she got along, she wouldn’t be nearly as happy as she would be with another goose friend. 2 geese can, however, co-exist with ducks provided they have their needs met, and they’d be happier for it.

I have 2 goslings right now, a Buff & an African, both female. My plan is for them to free-range with my ducks, but sleep separately. Geese can be very territorial of their space, especially during breeding season. They also require a lot more niacin and grass to graze.