Nene Geese

[CityChicker]

They are incredible birds! I know a couple other BYC'ers have them. They are actually on the internationally protected endangered species list. I *think* that this just means you have to get a permit for interstate transfer/shipment (across state lines). I don't think you have to have a permit for them if you just keep them and don't ship any to a different state, but I could be totally wrong on that. They are so, so beautiful. I have known about Nene's for many years, but didn't know until this year that they evolved from Canada Geese that were brought to Hawaii. Isn't that interesting? I can now totally see the resemblance when I look at them.

 

[desertdarlene]

About ten years ago, a pair showed up at our local lake. They weren't there for very long, though and I don't think I've seen a pair since. I might have seen one about three or four months ago, but it was gone within hours (I suspect that someone may have come to claim it or someone else took it for their own). I don't know anyone, personally, who have those kind. The Chinese geese and Africans are the most common where I live.

 

[Rosecomb-Ryan]

Yes... CC You are right.. I think that is why there isnt many in the eastern states.. Most of them are in CA IMO. No permit to keep them but that would suck if I ever moved to Oregon!

Ryan

 

[92caddy]

What would a pr of these be price wise, Young, adult or eggs?

 

[The goose girl]

I think I just found out why they're caled Nene geese:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrwdZQIxAas

Their honking sounds like "Neeeee....neeeee"

What would a pr of these be price wise, Young, adult or eggs?

In Denmark there's an adult pair for sale for about $250. I've been thinking about buying them, but as they're winter breeders, it may get too cold for the goslings here.​

 

[chicksbestfriend]

Quote:
Very beautiful geese you have there. The pair in the picture look alot like the Nene Goose here in Hawaii, I do see alot of similarities to the Nene, except the Nene that is indingent to Hawaii only, there heads are black with a buff cheeks, its round like the size of a quarter, and black hindneck. They have a heavy furrowed neck that is black and white. I couldnt really tell to well by the picture, but the Nene is semi terrestrial, their toes are padded with reduced webbing, not completely webbed as other goose, like the Giant Canada Goose, or the the Dusky Canada Goose, which is believed that the Nene most likely derived from a common ancestor of the two just mentioned. Their legs and feet are both black. Both the Giant and Dusky are winter layers like the Nene. The highest number of eggs laid recorded in recent count is 4 and that was on the island of Kauai, they lay anywhere from 1-5, but the average number is 3. Curiosity, do your geese have soft feathers under their chins as well? Though the Nene is fearless of people, it is against the law here to touch or feed them, they are beautiful, but do not live long in captivity. Did you know that their life span is 30-35 yrs? Amazing bird~

 

[Rosecomb-Ryan]

My pair their toes are about 1/2 webbed. I paid $300 for my pair and am not anything but happy with them. They are nice little geese love to talk to me when I go outside. They have jet black feet. So I am confused? So these I have arent real Nenes??.. My I talked to the breeder I got them from and asked their age again and this year my male will be 2 and female will be 3. So Hopefully they will hatch some kids. Mine are really tiny geese one of my friends has nenes and they are like twice the size of mine and I was like ? That makes no sence.. But mine I know are very small. Are the ones is Hawaii really tiny or bigger?

 

[chicksbestfriend]

Quote:
Ryan,
your geese are very beautiful, and I am not discrediting that they are or are not Hawaiian Nene's, I was just pointing out a few known facts about the endangered species that I have grown up around the past 30 yrs. and some possible differences that I noticed between your species and the ones that I see here in Hawaii. Do your geese have exactly the same identification markings as I described of the Nene? In your post, the coloring of their necks appear to be buff and black, not white, like the duck? behind them. Are their legs the same jet black color as their feet? If the answer to all is yes to all the characteristics mentioned in my previous post, along with the correct length and weight, there could be a slight possibility that your geese could be Nene's. I am not an expert on the Nene, so I could not or would not tell you that they are. However, if you can answer no to at least one of the identification markings, then the answer is definitely no, not maybe, because there is a distinct standard that must be met. The Hawaiian Nene is usually smaller (21" to 26") and the several species of the Canada Goose are a bit larger (25" to 43") in length. The average weight of the female is 3.5-5 lbs and the males is between 3.5-6.5 lbs. I am not sure of the weight on the Canada goose. After reading all the post in this thread about everyones interest in wanting them, and finding that they are more readily available on the west coast because access to Canada is right there, has me wondering if they are the Canada goose? As I had mentioned in my earlier post, the Nene is believed to have derived from the Canadian breeds of Giant and Canada goose. Hawaii has a very strict quarentine(sp?) and I could not think of any possible way anyone could of gotten the Nene off the island without it being taken away. Heck, I tried to fly to to the states one time with a banana and they took that away, couldnt imagine getting away with a stow away goose or two. The Nene's that your friend has, did they come from the same guy? I would question the authenticity of the breed if they both came from the same place. For whatever breed of goose that you have, once again, they are very beautiful, and I truly believe that they are friendly and talkative, and most likely worth the money paid out for. Its just like the Amerucana and Aurucana and the Easter Eager chicken breeds, alot of those birds gave similar striking characteristics, but each of those chicken breeds have distinct characteristics that sets them apart from the standard of the other breed. There are alot of EE's out there that are being misrepresented as Amerucana's, and alot of Amerucana's being misrepresented as an Aurucana, and that includes alot of the hatcheries. I am not out to burst any bubbles, but hearing of any Nene's in captivity other than santified by the state to protect and populate the endangered species for a specific time frame and then released back out into the wild, I have never heard of Nene's in captivity before.

edited for this question: Your female is the one to the left in the photo correct?

 

[V Comb]

Im pretty sure no one would be stupid to cross breed Nene, so they look like pure Nene. I have been researching on them for years and they look like true Nene.

 

[goosedragon]

Quote:
Ryan,
your geese are very beautiful, and I am not discrediting that they are or are not Hawaiian Nene's, I was just pointing out a few known facts about the endangered species that I have grown up around the past 30 yrs. and some possible differences that I noticed between your species and the ones that I see here in Hawaii. Do your geese have exactly the same identification markings as I described of the Nene? In your post, the coloring of their necks appear to be buff and black, not white, like the duck? behind them. Are their legs the same jet black color as their feet? If the answer to all is yes to all the characteristics mentioned in my previous post, along with the correct length and weight, there could be a slight possibility that your geese could be Nene's. I am not an expert on the Nene, so I could not or would not tell you that they are. However, if you can answer no to at least one of the identification markings, then the answer is definitely no, not maybe, because there is a distinct standard that must be met. The Hawaiian Nene is usually smaller (21" to 26") and the several species of the Canada Goose are a bit larger (25" to 43") in length. The average weight of the female is 3.5-5 lbs and the males is between 3.5-6.5 lbs. I am not sure of the weight on the Canada goose. After reading all the post in this thread about everyones interest in wanting them, and finding that they are more readily available on the west coast because access to Canada is right there, has me wondering if they are the Canada goose? As I had mentioned in my earlier post, the Nene is believed to have derived from the Canadian breeds of Giant and Canada goose. Hawaii has a very strict quarentine(sp?) and I could not think of any possible way anyone could of gotten the Nene off the island without it being taken away. Heck, I tried to fly to to the states one time with a banana and they took that away, couldnt imagine getting away with a stow away goose or two. The Nene's that your friend has, did they come from the same guy? I would question the authenticity of the breed if they both came from the same place. For whatever breed of goose that you have, once again, they are very beautiful, and I truly believe that they are friendly and talkative, and most likely worth the money paid out for. Its just like the Amerucana and Aurucana and the Easter Eager chicken breeds, alot of those birds gave similar striking characteristics, but each of those chicken breeds have distinct characteristics that sets them apart from the standard of the other breed. There are alot of EE's out there that are being misrepresented as Amerucana's, and alot of Amerucana's being misrepresented as an Aurucana, and that includes alot of the hatcheries. I am not out to burst any bubbles, but hearing of any Nene's in captivity other than santified by the state to protect and populate the endangered species for a specific time frame and then released back out into the wild, I have never heard of Nene's in captivity before.

edited for this question: Your female is the one to the left in the photo correct?

You are aware that domestic geese are often larger than their wild relatives? For the same reason that modern man is larger than the historic 17th and 18th century men, better nutrition and medicine. Also if the breed got down to only 30 in the islands there probably were more non native nenes in private flocks and zoos than there were in the islands. I am not really aware of the steps that went into rebuilding the native flock but I would assume that birds that had been removed(goose) generations ago were welcomed back as "new blood" to restore the limited gene pool but the exporters would not return all of their stock, it is just human nature to retain part of what they had worked so long to preserve. Heck there exist enough differences between different strains of Canada geese allowed to mix as they will in North America that many biologists now consider them to be different breeds. Evolution formed the birds called Nenes and evolution does not stop just because we think it should.~gd