Mods- please move to "Geese"?- Growing Goslings!

[chickenlisa]

I am just now thinking about getting a small assortment of geese. I've got 3 acres of land, mostly backyard grass and tiny bit of woods. No pond, but definitely room for baby pools. I've already got a pen of ducks with pool, 2 pens of chickens, chicken tractor of young guineas and would love some low maintenance grass eating geese. I do want Sebbies someday for eye candy too. They'd be bought from a Sebbie breeder though. I'm wondering if buying baby goslings in a goose assortment from a hatchery or hatching eggs myself is the best way to go.
Any advice? Any good deals out there? I do have 2 pets dogs (indoors unless we take them out on leashes) and would make them (the geese) a shelter too. Who has the best temperaments?( I just don't want to be attacked by them in our backyard later.)
Lisa

 

[Teach97]

yeah you gotta be careful with geese or you will get goosed

 

[chickenlisa]

haha. Thanks for the laugh.
Seriously though, I do want to know which kinds to get, or just wing it with a hatchery assortment of 8 or 10 st run goslings. Or hatch eggs myself from BYC goose breeders.
Help?

 

[farmerlor]

I think I've heard that Pilgrims have the nicest temperment. We had a neighbor who had them and the geese were just like dogs. They'd honk and honk and honk when you drove in and then gather around the car making all kinds of noise until you got out and then they just wanted to be petted and fawned over.

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

My Toulouse are very calm geese. Quiet too, not loud and obnoxious like the chinese or africans.

 

[chickenlisa]

Thanks you guys. I think I'll want 3 Toulouse and 3 Pilgrims (2 females of each and 1 male of each.) Does that make sense to do, or stick with 1 breed? Does anyone in Western NJ or Eastern Pa have any of them laying eggs or hatching babies now? Or does anyone nearby want to split a hatchery order with me? I don't want 8-10 geese myself.

 

[Cottage Rose]

Geese are wonderful!
I'm sure you'll love them!

It does make sense to keep 1 breed.
American Buffs are suppose to be nice too.
Just stay away from Africans and Chinese
which tend to be louder and more aggressive than
other breeds.

 

[farmertank]

african and chinese can be very loud and aggressive. I learned that the hard way lol. If you are going to have 2 diff breeds I would keep them seperated only because you will have 2 diff males.

I have Embdens and Toulouse and I love both breeds. The Embdens are a bigger goose and can be loud at times, but for the most part they are docile and quiet. My Toulouse are very docile and I just love how they want to talk to you. I even have one that thinks my lap is a good resting place.

They are also smaller.

Julie

 

[ShadyGlade]

We have White Chinese, Embden, American Buff, Sebastapol, Pomeranian and Pilgrim geese. I like the Pilgrims and Pomeranians the best personality wise. They seem calmer and quieter than the others. Except for breeding and hatching time my geese all range together in the pastures (from July through January) with no problems.

 

[chickenlisa]

Thank you all. Keep the stories and advice coming; I'm reading it all and I joined a goose group on Yahoo and am reading all their files and posts too. I'm going to call our feed stores shortly and see if they will order goslings in the spring when they get ducklings and chicks in.
I found a fellow BYC member who will send me Toulouse eggs once her's start laying. i do want to find Pilgrim goslings soon though.
Lisa