My pipper is all grown up... just sharing some pics

[marathonmultiplesmom]

Pipper was the first egg I ever hatched. Don't ask why I decided to start with geese... Looking back, I should have started with chickens.

Pipper just hatched - day old.

Pipper got real big real fast. I think Pipper is about 2 weeks old here. Pipper used to follow me all over the place

Pipper is on the left and about a month old here. This is about when she started preferring the company of Whisper instead of me. Whisper is the 2nd goose I hatched and is 2 weeks younger than Pipper.

But even though she prefers to be with geese now, she is really friendly and doesn't mind being handled nicely. She's bigger than her mom now and is fully feathered. That is me with Pipper. Just love those webbed feet.

 

[sonew123]

aww gorgeous Pipper!!! lucky you to have photos start to now! gorgeous

 

[Bleenie]

I must say, they just grow WAY too fast! I can't believe how big my babies are at only 2 months old! What breed is the baby next to Pipper? Such a pretty color!

 

[marathonmultiplesmom]

The goose on the right is Whisper.

Whisper is a cross between an Embden Goose and a Pilgrim Gander. I think Whisper is a girl but not 100% and she is growing in more feathers now and is still the same gray-blue color as her down. She is very pretty. I had no clue I'd get a blue goose out of those two. She does have a couple dark tips on some of her feathers.

Pipper's mom is half african half pilgrim and her father is pilgrim so pipper is 25% african and 75% pilgrim. She has a small amount of dark coloring on her beak and her wings have alternating layers of feather colors. A white layer, brown layer, black layer and blueish layer.

 

[Kim65]

Wow, when I saw Pipper she was still all downy and yellow

and Whisper was a little tiny silver gosling a few days old. They do grow up way too fast but geese have a way of remaining your babies

 

[Bleenie]

Oh my goodness! I think i need an Embden and a Pilgrim! Whisper is just beautiful! Much more than any purebred i have ever seen

 

[Goosehaven]

I can't believe how fast they grow either. I still call my 3 month old geese "the babies" but nobody else can tell the difference between them and the adults. Actually my two gander babies are bigger than my adult ganders now.

 

[marathonmultiplesmom]

Bleenie, out of 5 embden/pilgrims goslings that survived long enough to tell, whisper appears to be the only blue from those 2 parents but the rest are still goslings and its too soon to tell. I really don't know where the blue came from but she is a pretty goose. Here is whisper's story!

To Kim, yes they are still my 'babies' and to everyone else... they grow up fast but thats perfect because I can relive the babies every Spring! (I tell DH that I'm ok with not having any more kids as long as I'm allowed to incubate eggs... hehe... he doesn't want more kids and is afraid if we do it will be twins again. It does run in the family so now I am allowed to hatch all the eggs I want.)

I assist-hatched whisper because she was a late hatcher and I was worried.

Whisper was weak and had a little bald spot on her head. At first I thought Whisper was a boy but now I think she is a girl. I guess I will know for sure next Spring. But she had a dark beak and I figure the pilgrim side of her might pass on some sex linked coloring... who knows? I've never done this before!

This is one of my 3-year olds with Whisper. Whisper and Arielle became fast friends. Actually, Whisper thought everyone was her mama.

Here is Whisper snuggled with Pipper in the Brooder. Maybe Pipper should have been outside by now but I couldn't separate them. They love each other.

I will get a current picture of whisper soon. She is about fully feathered now and is primarily blue but has some dark feather tips as is commonly seen in Pilgrims.

P.S. Sorry these pictures are so HUGE but I normally use photobucket and it wasn't working I had to use imageshack and they don't let me resize them. grr

 

[marathonmultiplesmom]

Ok, here are whispers grown up pics. She is just about fully feathered. There is just a bit of down on her neck but she is pretty much feathered and she is a little smaller than the other adult geese still.

Here is Whisper running over to me along with one of my cornish cross hens.

Here is a nice profile of whisper. That is pipper behind her. Those two are completely inseparable now.

Whisper definitely has some pretty feathers and colors.

These are the goslings that are full blood siblings of whisper. Only, I incubated whisper. The mother goose incubated these goslings. They don't have any feathers yet. Some might have some silver or blue tones but only time will tell.
I believe there are 3 girls and one boy here because as day olds, 3 had dark beaks and feet, slightly darker down and one was light colored in every way. Assuming the lighter one is a gander and the others are girls. The one to the far left is the suspected gander. I can tell because his feet are still light colored. Their names are "mister" "sister" "dolphin R." and "survivor"... now don't ask me who is who!

 

[jojo@rolling acres farm]

Neat Story and very neat picturs. Thanks for sharing with all of us.