My Africans are wimps

[jellybean]

I've never had geese before, so I got 3 africans hoping they'd provide some protection for the ducks. Just from smaller animals and small dogs, or at least bluff them away. They are only about 6 weeks old, but they are wimps. One will snake his head around and act tough, but he's a wimp too. Will they get more aggressive when they're full grown? I'm assuming they will, I hope so... They like to be held and rubbed, but they're pretty tough to catch. They're not that friendly until you actually get them in your arms.

One of them likes to prop a wing out and lay on his side. Kind of weird, I tried to get a picture of him.

 

[MoTownChickie]

Nice pics.

My African is a week younger than yours - he is a lover with me but I'm hoping he will be a fighter if necessary.
He has stared down a neighbor's cat, through his pen, but I haven't heard him/her hiss yet.

I'm going to keep an eye on the answers to your post, because I want mine to be a guard goose too.

 

[Duck Keeper]

I've read that a heavily imprinted gander will 'attack' anything that he doesn't deem his 'mate' (you if he's imprinted on you).

But other than that, I'd get some geese and have limited contact with them. Sure this makes for awkward situations if you need to transport them anywhere or worm them or something, but hey! You wanted guard geese.

 

[Chick_a_dee]

Are your geese out 24/7 now?

 

[jellybean]

Yes they're out, in the pen at night, out doing what they want all day with the ducks. I got 5 ducks and 3 geese all at once, and they're all pretty independent. One goose has been really friendly, all the others are pretty standoffish until you catch them. Then they love being scratched. But they scream like mad when you try to catch them. And one goose (think he's a male) has always been kind of rotten and standoffish. Maybe they're just too young yet. I wish they'd imprinted more, but it seems there were too many, they're very attached to each other.

 

[ExpLo721]

The other day I was running by the lake and a mother goose hissed at me and gave me an evil eye as I ran by her babies