- Jul 6, 2011
- 698
- 16
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I have only had this goose and the chickens for a few weeks. Until tonight they have been a pure joy. Yesterday I noticed that Phil (the goose) was really following this one black hen around everywhere. He was honking and she would sing, he would honk and she would sink. He would always be within a few feet of her and would nudge her and fun his bill over her back. I thought it was cute. Then this afternoon my folks came out to see them and my mom commented that it looked like Phil was "in love" with the black hen. We watched him snap at a few other hens if they got to close to the black one. We all just kind of laughed and commented about who needs a rooster when you have Phil. Well then later this evening our friends came over and we were out in the hen yard and Phil "goosed" and then full on attacked my friends 6 year old son. We had to grab him to get him off of the boy. It was unprovoked and very odd, Phil has never even hissed at me. Much less tried to bite any of us. Then tonight I had my camera and was down in the yard snapping pictures of my girls. I crouched down to get a picture of the black hen and Phil came at me, right at my face. I had to push him back, then he came right back at me, this time jumping off of the ground and coming back to my face. I grabbed him and held him for a bit and tried to calm him down, when I put him back down he came right back at me. It was awful. I had to kick at him to keep him away so I could get out of the hen yard. I had to go back in there though to do a head count of my hens and close their coop for the night. I went back in there with a stick and he was jut fine, acted just like he always does...the black hen was already to bed, asleep on her roost. My heart is just broken that I had to be physical with him. I feel so bad for him anyway, he lost his mate to a vicious dog, we moved him 180 miles from his original home and now this. I have been trying to find another goose for him to be companions with, but now I think it might be best for him to go. Tomorrow I will have to move him completely away from the hens. However when we did this before, he just drug his bill back and forth across the wire fence, pacing to be in with the hens.
I can't have this aggression and I certainly don't want to have to carry a stick every time I go into my hen yard. This is just awful.
I can't have this aggression and I certainly don't want to have to carry a stick every time I go into my hen yard. This is just awful.
