Pearl & Daisy

[N ID Goose mom]

Their getting so big. What cuties. Looks like your pool was a great success. Good job mom.

 

[bluemerle]

Thanks guys! I was really tickled, watching them interact with the new pool. They get so excited over stuff! When I was in the process of installing the drain, they could see but not touch the pool, and Pearl would stand next to me just vibrating. They're such intelligent birds & it's really interesting to watch them.

 

[Serin]

They both look like chinese crosses to me. Greylag-descended breeds like Toulouse don't have the brown and white two-toned neck. The one absolutely has an African-shaped beak. The other has a more greylag-shaped bill. But the colors are not right for a pure Toulouse. They are probably both crosses.

 

[bluemerle]

@Serin They're both Africans. They're even starting to develop the knob on their beaks and an itty bitty dewlap under their chins.

And I'm fine with that! Though I love Toulouse, and still plan to get some down the road, I've always found the Africans to be pretty, too. And these guys are characters and they make me laugh every single day. I'm happy with them!

 

[bluemerle]

I'll tell you what: their reputation as 'guard geese' is no joke.

This morning was the second instance where I bailed out the door because the geese were raising a ruckus, only to find people hanging around our property line, completely unbeknownst to me. These guys absolutely do not tolerate strangers on or around the property unless I'm accompanying them.

Before I got Pearl & Daisy, I was talking to a friend about getting geese, and she told me that they would be a better watchdog than any dog. I believe her now!

 

[123RedBeard]

Any current pictures?

For future readers ... this will help in figuring out which is which ...

https://metzerfarms.blogspot.com/2011/03/how-to-differentiate-african-and.html?m=1

 

[bluemerle]

Definitely not Toulouse ...

At this point, I'm just looking at how big they are now & thinking .... hm .... they're going to get even bigger! Definitely weird to think they're still only babies (<3 months old).

 

[Miss Lydia]

They are beautiful Geese

 

[bluemerle]

Thank you @Miss Lydia ! I'm really enjoying them - they're funny and curious and very interesting to watch. Yesterday they 'helped' me rake the sand portion of the backyard to make it safer for them to play in (a lot of junk from years-past gets uncovered every time the wind blows). It's so neat, how they want to be involved with everything I'm doing.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I love it. Mine are middle age and still always follow me around to see what's going on. They are like toddlers always inquisitive