My Embden attacked a little boy today and then attacked me twice...

I'm guessing from Phil's point of view, he was trying to protect his flock against an unknown approaching enemy (the 6-year-old). Then you you turned against him, and later you tried to do unspeakable things to his favourite hen with a camera. Naturally, he again tried to protect her, and you had a fight. With his mate safely out of sight, he tolerated you being around.

It seems Phil has bonded with the chickens more than with you, and he's just being a goose about it. Geese seek company, and Phil will be lonely by himself.

 

I agree, just being a normal goose/gander, being protective, and not recognizing you as a dominant figure.

If it bothers you that much, you should rehome the bird. But don't let it upset you so much, its just nature. I know, easy for me to say, it didn't happen to me.

 

Was he imprinted? Sounds alot like an imprinted gander who does not know the difference between humans and geese.

Clint

 

Put your hands on your hips and approach him in a straightforward, unafraid and matter-of-fact manner when you come around him. Just walk right toward him and back him down like that a bit when you first go in. If he gets the idea you are dominant in an unoffensive and unaggressive way, you may be able to calm his fears.

 

imprinted or not geese only imprint to their owners any unknown person somes into their terrtory and its on likes theres no 2morrow.sadly ill even say if owners like myself come and visit them in the backyard wearing clothes they have never seen before they think im someone else and even take a poke at me but i laugh and pet them while they are still trying to hit me with their wings. im used to it but ouch them wings are like a baseball bat.

 

I think you are making a sensible decision by finding him a new home. Regardless of the cause of his behavior, which is fairly normal protective gander behavior, he will continue to be an aggravation to you. Time for a new home with other geese.

 

Quote:Working with the 3 I hatched this spring, I am definitely taking the approach that I am the boss. Gentle but firm, I make sure they do what I want them to do, not what they want to do. And, I do pick them up and hold them in strange but not harmful or uncomfortable positions once in a while, and make them calm down and settle down.

I did this with various puppies of the years, and I think it does help to establish dominance.

 

I echo a lot of other posts here in that he was just doing what a gander will do. When my gander comes at me with his wings spread honking loudly, I flap my arms at him and walk towards him very steadily. He'll then tuck his wings back in and drop his head and go back to nibbling grass or whatever. We always carry a long piece of river cane into our pen with us or when we are grazing them in the yard to herd them with. Our daughter has a little trouble getting them to do what she wants them to but she is only 14 and kind of short and she gets scared if they come towards her and runs. They've learned that she's afraid of them. We're teaching her to stand her ground and not act afraid around them and they've backed off some.

We had a chicken attack our son when he was small. I think small kids just seem so close in size that they are perceived as a threat to the birds and your gander, who I'm assuming had had no contact with children before this, just did what comes naturally.

I'm not sure if your gander will settle down without a mate or not. I have a pair and a duck and ten chickens and they all follow the gander around like he's boss but he doesn't get particularly upset about any of them, even the goose. She doesn't like to be picked up or made to go in the house at night and will scream like she's dying if we touch her and our gander just kind of rolls his eyes and walks in the house. They all have such different personalities, it's hard to tell.

Good luck in whatever you decide to do!