Need help-one gosling ousted from the group

[seminolewind]

I have two-2 year old Sebbies I got in November. Then this past May I got 2 pr of goslings. The adults wanted the babies so bad, at 4 weeks I started letting them out together and they did fine so they all get the coop together at night. They were traveling all together . Now I am seeing that one of the goslings is being ousted by the female adult. It's a female gosling, they are all about 6 weeks old now. She hasn't done anything to anyone. In fact her mate is the one who runs around and pulls feathers.

The adult female just continually chases her off.

I just don't know why and don't know what to do. Help!

 

[seminolewind]

I still need some advice from someone more knowledgeable than me.

 

[livininbrazil]

I still need some advice from someone more knowledgeable than me.

Hi. Well at 6 weeks she doesn´t need heat from a goose, so that´s not a worry. Is it that you feel sorry for her being pushed out on her own? Whose mate pulls feathers? Is he still doing it?
Is she the only female gosling? Maybe you could put just two goslings together again, or just leave them as they are. The goose isn´t likely to do anything bad, she´s just being a goose. they just like to show the youngsters their place. Maybe, as she knows they´re not hers, and now they´re getting older the cuteness has worn off. I don´t know why she´s only picking on one if she´s not the only female. It does happen, though, usually the quieter little ones. (I have one here that´s really sweet, but she gets put in her place by all her siblings.) Is she able to get together with her siblings most of the time? Just gets chased away periodically?

 

[Starfire669]

Herbeing pushed out is a form of pecking order behavior. My geese always bullied the new arrivals for the first couple weeks. I have 8 geese of different ages, no true adult, but the 19 week old chinese male and female are king and queen and make sure everyone else knows it. I have a pair of Africans that are about 14 weeks old, a pair of Chinese that are 13 weeks old, and another pair of female Africans that are 8 weeks old. The 19 week old geese accepted the first 2 additions quickly, but the youngest Africans got bullied a lot, mainly by the female. I kept the youngest pair separated at night in a nursery in the coop where the older geese could see the younger but not bully them, and let them free range with the whole flock during the day. I did this to prevent the bigger geese from bulling/hurting the youngest while in the coop. And even though 1 of the Africans was accepted quickly, I kept her with her sister so that she wasn't lonely. Now, the entire flock is together 24 hours a day and all is well. It just takes time for the geese to accept the new comers. I'm doing the same introduction method with 4 ducklings who are 5 weeks old. They sleep in a nursery and free range with the flock, supervised.

 

[seminolewind]

Thanks. Yes she can be with her siblings a lot. If I have to remove one, I'll remove all the youngsters. She's one of a pair of buff Americans. The "mate" is the feather puller. She has the most missing, so maybe she is low on the totem pole. The adult male doesn't bother her.

I sure hope it blows over.

She's not getting hurt, and I hope it's just a pecking order thing.

Thanks

 

[livininbrazil]

Thanks. Yes she can be with her siblings a lot. If I have to remove one, I'll remove all the youngsters. She's one of a pair of buff Americans. The "mate" is the feather puller. She has the most missing, so maybe she is low on the totem pole. The adult male doesn't bother her.

I sure hope it blows over.

She's not getting hurt, and I hope it's just a pecking order thing.

Thanks

See how it goes, then.

 

[seminolewind]

I think I was looking at this situation as a gosling/parent situation when it is most likely a flock situation. So that explains a lot. It does seem a bit better yesterday and today.

 

[livininbrazil]

I think I was looking at this situation as a gosling/parent situation when it is most likely a flock situation. So that explains a lot. It does seem a bit better yesterday and today.

 

[seminolewind]

Just want to say that the flock is all getting along again.

 

[livininbrazil]

Just want to say that the flock is all getting along again.

Good...they´ve got through their teenage phase, then.