- Oct 22, 2012
- 18
- 0
- 22
Hi everybody,
I'm a newbie at keeping geese and we acquired 3 goslings at the end of June this year.
We were unsure of the exact age when they first arrived, probably around 10 weeks-ish
they were just some fluffy little things and now they've grown to pretty pretty big birdies
So first let me introduce them to you all
G = Guardian
M = Milk
S = Sugar
This is them taking a nap by our front door (about two weeks ago)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Having a little stroll
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When we first got them, we were told that Guardian was the boy, while Milk and Sugar are the girls
I named the girls Milk and Sugar and my mother named the boy Guardian. When they first arrived, they were all utterly terrified of us and everytime we appeared they would run screaming (literally) to the further point of the garden and huddle together in the corner with their heads buried in amongst all the fluff. If we got any closer, the two girls would hide behind Guardian and he would try to block them to keep them safe, hence the name Guardian.
This is the second day after they arrived
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This is Sugar after we've had them for a week, she was wiggling her "wings"
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My mother had a Chinese when she was young and she was always telling us her fond memories of a very smart little creature.
It was her idea to have these 3 geese but it is mainly up to me to take care of them.
I read the books by Chris Ashton and as much info as I could find online
For about 2 weeks they were very "depressed". I guess they really missed they goose-mama and they were simply scared to bits to have been thrown into this new environment with a bunch of total strangers.
We were told by the seller that the geese on the farm they came from were not so used to human contact and they were mostly just left alone to roam free on the land.
It was way too late to even think about 'imprinting' them, and I was desperately trying to lessen their fear and hope they would settle down soon.
So every morning, I feed them and I squat down, at a distance at first, to watch them eat and I would talk to them and make lots of "meek meek meek" sound (my attempt to sound like a gosling). Then day by day, I "discreetly" move closer when they eat and I would stop whenever they notice I got closer. Gradually, they got used to me being there and they would lift their heads up when I call for them (I just call out "kiddies~~~" as a collective name for them). One day when I was scooping up their poo, Guardian slowly came up to me and went "meek meek meek", "meek meek meek meek", like he was talking to me. I "talked" back and he really seemed to enjoy that. Then Milk and Sugar also warmed up to me little by little.
Then about a month or so, Guardian began to develop some sense of territory and started to chase people away with his low out-stretched neck and hiss hiss hiss. Milk and Sugar would hiss at strangers too and sometimes Sugar would try to charge at people too. But they are never aggressive toward me and my sister. Everytime we come out to see them, they would honk and come running over to us. When we have to go out, they would honk honk honk to protest; then honk honk honk again when we come back as if saying "Where've you been? What took you so long?"
This is just over a month since they arrived. Guardian is super photogenic and loves to pose for photos (with proof)
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Guardian posing for photo again
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The above pic is one of my favourite. It is a perfect demonstration of their personality.
Guardian is the boss. He's the tallest and the biggest, he is the closest to me and very clingy as well. When I play with them, he'd come and peck me very gently to get my attention, so that I would play with him more. He's also the one who likes to chase people and try to bite them if he can. Guardian lets me cuddle him and kiss him on the cheeks and I've had two very wet "frenchies" from him too, haha~
Milk was the second in size when they first arrived, but as time went on Sugar began to out-grow her and so Milk is now the shortest in the bunch. I think it's becoz she has shorter legs than the others. Milk hissed the most when they first arrived but she gradually became the most timid and gentle one. She never fights with the others when we feed them treats but just stand eagerly behind the other two, waiting for her turn. Sugar likes to bully her very much but Milk never seems to mind. She would occasionally let me hold her too but not all the time.
Now Sugar is the....how should I put it....the "mean girl". She is always pushing Milk around and trying her limits with Guardian. When she bullies Milk, Milk would just shy away; but Guardian would get his own revenge. She once had a piece of string caught and tangled around her bill and with help, I managed to free the string. After that, she let me cuddle her once the day after, but other than that she never lets anyone touch her or hold her. Whenever we have to catch her to put her in the pen, she would scream as if we're gonna chop her into million tiny pieces. As soon as she does that, Guardian would come running to her rescue and voice his disapproval, though he would never actually attack.
By this point, are you guys all bored to bits yet?
Let's try & cheer things up a bit with a video clip I took just two days ago
So here comes the climax of the story. For a little while now, Milk has gradually become more and more timid. The other two always make her go away when they get their breakfast and supper in the bowl. So much so that she barely eats anything from the bowl now, while the other two just gobbled it all down. I've started feeding her separately but the other two kept coming over to steal from her share. This morning, I tried to isolate her in the pen so that she could eat in peace, but she would not touch her food when the other two were not in the immediate vicinity of the pen. When I finally got her to start eating, she ate her corn and pellets ONE BY ONE ( I swear!!). Took me like an hour of continuous persuasion to get her to finish all of her food.
After I let her back out, she seemed really scared of me and kept running away from me
As for the fighting...
Yesterday, I heard screamings from the garden and I looked out the window...I saw Guardian with his bill on Sugar's neck and the two of them running around the garden, Sugar screaming (like when we try to catch her/ pick her up) murder. I got out and as soon as I gave a loud firm "NO!", Guardian stopped, with little feathers still stuck on his bill, I caught hold of him, held him to my side and told him off for being so aggressive. I gave him a couple of "slaps" (very gently, about half the strength when you pat someone on his back for encouragement) and he seemed to have gotten the point. He bent his neck down and looked as if he was sorry for what he did. Although, after I let him go, he became scared of me like Milk did this morning and would move away when I get close
Does anyone have any tips regarding such naughty behaviours and how I can build up Milk's confidence again???
The three little things, they fight and bully each other but when they can't see one of them (if one just happened to be standing behind a bush or the car) they would call out for each other until they are reunited again. It would be quite impossible to separate them but I can't watch them all the hours of the day and I worry about Milk's health if she continues to eat poorly.
So, please could anyone give me any advice or share their experience??? That would be much much much appreciated
As promised, proof...
Guardian strikes a pose for the camera
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Always posing...The Next Top Gander Model
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Curious Sugar
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I was trying to get a pic of Milk, but Guardian walked into the shot and of course, showing his perfect profile
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Oh Milk!! There you are
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My sister holding Milk
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Guardian...still posing
Hope you all didn't find my post too tedious and boring
If anyone can spot their breed and their age and let me know, that would be just awesome~
Cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeers!!
I'm a newbie at keeping geese and we acquired 3 goslings at the end of June this year.
We were unsure of the exact age when they first arrived, probably around 10 weeks-ish
they were just some fluffy little things and now they've grown to pretty pretty big birdies
So first let me introduce them to you all
G = Guardian
M = Milk
S = Sugar
This is them taking a nap by our front door (about two weeks ago)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Having a little stroll
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When we first got them, we were told that Guardian was the boy, while Milk and Sugar are the girls
I named the girls Milk and Sugar and my mother named the boy Guardian. When they first arrived, they were all utterly terrified of us and everytime we appeared they would run screaming (literally) to the further point of the garden and huddle together in the corner with their heads buried in amongst all the fluff. If we got any closer, the two girls would hide behind Guardian and he would try to block them to keep them safe, hence the name Guardian.
This is the second day after they arrived
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is Sugar after we've had them for a week, she was wiggling her "wings"
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My mother had a Chinese when she was young and she was always telling us her fond memories of a very smart little creature.
It was her idea to have these 3 geese but it is mainly up to me to take care of them.
I read the books by Chris Ashton and as much info as I could find online
For about 2 weeks they were very "depressed". I guess they really missed they goose-mama and they were simply scared to bits to have been thrown into this new environment with a bunch of total strangers.
We were told by the seller that the geese on the farm they came from were not so used to human contact and they were mostly just left alone to roam free on the land.
It was way too late to even think about 'imprinting' them, and I was desperately trying to lessen their fear and hope they would settle down soon.
So every morning, I feed them and I squat down, at a distance at first, to watch them eat and I would talk to them and make lots of "meek meek meek" sound (my attempt to sound like a gosling). Then day by day, I "discreetly" move closer when they eat and I would stop whenever they notice I got closer. Gradually, they got used to me being there and they would lift their heads up when I call for them (I just call out "kiddies~~~" as a collective name for them). One day when I was scooping up their poo, Guardian slowly came up to me and went "meek meek meek", "meek meek meek meek", like he was talking to me. I "talked" back and he really seemed to enjoy that. Then Milk and Sugar also warmed up to me little by little.
Then about a month or so, Guardian began to develop some sense of territory and started to chase people away with his low out-stretched neck and hiss hiss hiss. Milk and Sugar would hiss at strangers too and sometimes Sugar would try to charge at people too. But they are never aggressive toward me and my sister. Everytime we come out to see them, they would honk and come running over to us. When we have to go out, they would honk honk honk to protest; then honk honk honk again when we come back as if saying "Where've you been? What took you so long?"
This is just over a month since they arrived. Guardian is super photogenic and loves to pose for photos (with proof)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Guardian posing for photo again
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The above pic is one of my favourite. It is a perfect demonstration of their personality.
Guardian is the boss. He's the tallest and the biggest, he is the closest to me and very clingy as well. When I play with them, he'd come and peck me very gently to get my attention, so that I would play with him more. He's also the one who likes to chase people and try to bite them if he can. Guardian lets me cuddle him and kiss him on the cheeks and I've had two very wet "frenchies" from him too, haha~
Milk was the second in size when they first arrived, but as time went on Sugar began to out-grow her and so Milk is now the shortest in the bunch. I think it's becoz she has shorter legs than the others. Milk hissed the most when they first arrived but she gradually became the most timid and gentle one. She never fights with the others when we feed them treats but just stand eagerly behind the other two, waiting for her turn. Sugar likes to bully her very much but Milk never seems to mind. She would occasionally let me hold her too but not all the time.
Now Sugar is the....how should I put it....the "mean girl". She is always pushing Milk around and trying her limits with Guardian. When she bullies Milk, Milk would just shy away; but Guardian would get his own revenge. She once had a piece of string caught and tangled around her bill and with help, I managed to free the string. After that, she let me cuddle her once the day after, but other than that she never lets anyone touch her or hold her. Whenever we have to catch her to put her in the pen, she would scream as if we're gonna chop her into million tiny pieces. As soon as she does that, Guardian would come running to her rescue and voice his disapproval, though he would never actually attack.
By this point, are you guys all bored to bits yet?
Let's try & cheer things up a bit with a video clip I took just two days ago
So here comes the climax of the story. For a little while now, Milk has gradually become more and more timid. The other two always make her go away when they get their breakfast and supper in the bowl. So much so that she barely eats anything from the bowl now, while the other two just gobbled it all down. I've started feeding her separately but the other two kept coming over to steal from her share. This morning, I tried to isolate her in the pen so that she could eat in peace, but she would not touch her food when the other two were not in the immediate vicinity of the pen. When I finally got her to start eating, she ate her corn and pellets ONE BY ONE ( I swear!!). Took me like an hour of continuous persuasion to get her to finish all of her food.
After I let her back out, she seemed really scared of me and kept running away from me
As for the fighting...
Yesterday, I heard screamings from the garden and I looked out the window...I saw Guardian with his bill on Sugar's neck and the two of them running around the garden, Sugar screaming (like when we try to catch her/ pick her up) murder. I got out and as soon as I gave a loud firm "NO!", Guardian stopped, with little feathers still stuck on his bill, I caught hold of him, held him to my side and told him off for being so aggressive. I gave him a couple of "slaps" (very gently, about half the strength when you pat someone on his back for encouragement) and he seemed to have gotten the point. He bent his neck down and looked as if he was sorry for what he did. Although, after I let him go, he became scared of me like Milk did this morning and would move away when I get close
Does anyone have any tips regarding such naughty behaviours and how I can build up Milk's confidence again???
The three little things, they fight and bully each other but when they can't see one of them (if one just happened to be standing behind a bush or the car) they would call out for each other until they are reunited again. It would be quite impossible to separate them but I can't watch them all the hours of the day and I worry about Milk's health if she continues to eat poorly.
So, please could anyone give me any advice or share their experience??? That would be much much much appreciated
As promised, proof...
Guardian strikes a pose for the camera
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Always posing...The Next Top Gander Model
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Curious Sugar
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I was trying to get a pic of Milk, but Guardian walked into the shot and of course, showing his perfect profile
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Oh Milk!! There you are
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My sister holding Milk
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Guardian...still posing
Hope you all didn't find my post too tedious and boring
If anyone can spot their breed and their age and let me know, that would be just awesome~
Cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeers!!