Pilgrim Geese thread

[bekkanblue]

I didn't know others were noticing the same thing! Guess I better look for eggs. Hope it doesn't mean winter is going to be so bad they need to move their schedule up to accommodate!

 

[livininbrazil]

I didn't know others were noticing the same thing! Guess I better look for eggs. Hope it doesn't mean winter is going to be so bad they need to move their schedule up to accommodate!

Goodness! Last winter was bad enough, wasn´t it????

 

[bekkanblue]

Last winter here sure was! This year we're all obsessed with what the woollies bears look like and what it means! LOL!

 

[Rafter H Farms]

We have a gaggle of Pilgrims that we raised from hatchlings this spring and we love how friendly and social they are. Of course ours are young yet and they haven't shown any signs of nesting or even breeding for that matter but we are curious about how old Pilgrims are when they start laying and how many eggs we can expect from them ? Thank you in advance.

 

[livininbrazil]

We have a gaggle of Pilgrims that we raised from hatchlings this spring and we love how friendly and social they are. Of course ours are young yet and they haven't shown any signs of nesting or even breeding for that matter but we are curious about how old Pilgrims are when they start laying and how many eggs we can expect from them ? Thank you in advance.

Hi.

Pils will lay their first spring, but don´t bother with the first eggs, as they´re infertile or if fertile, the goslings are too small. Best let them lay a few, then let them keep the larger ones if you´re wanting them to breed, but it often doesn´t have much success.
For instance, this year I let 5 of my yearlings sit on just one or two eggs each just to keep them occupied. Only one gosling hatched and survived.
Better still, the second year should give results. They don´t lay huge clutches as a rule, mine lay around 6 or 8.

 

[Rafter H Farms]

Thank you very much livininBrazil. We got our first Pilgrims a couple years ago but a dog chased them into the river and we never saw them again. Our second attempt is fairing well and will continue to do so as that dog is no longer allowed on our farm , no matter how much we love our son. We were very much hoping that our gaggle might start laying come spring but weren't sure how quickly Pilgrims mature sexually. We have in the neighborhood of 100 chickens and ducks and no matter the situation our Pilgrims are the Police of the beat. They settle all disagreements with just a little honking and flapping of the wings and their is peace and harmony in the neighborhood again. What a great breed.

 

[livininbrazil]

Thank you very much livininBrazil. We got our first Pilgrims a couple years ago but a dog chased them into the river and we never saw them again. Our second attempt is fairing well and will continue to do so as that dog is no longer allowed on our farm , no matter how much we love our son. We were very much hoping that our gaggle might start laying come spring but weren't sure how quickly Pilgrims mature sexually. We have in the neighborhood of 100 chickens and ducks and no matter the situation our Pilgrims are the Police of the beat. They settle all disagreements with just a little honking and flapping of the wings and their is peace and harmony in the neighborhood again. What a great breed.

Yep, I love mine, so easy to deal with and such sweet natures. Have fun with them!

 

[MrsSalo]

Hi all,

Asa and Sally are getting so big! I am preparing for the winter and I sn adding on to there coop. I have a question, not all of our property is fully fenced and because of that I have not allowed them to fully roam the property. They have a 1/2 acre area they roam. But, I can see they reall want access to the other areas. If I let them out will they roam too far? Or are they much like chickens and won't go too far from the safety of shelter?

BTW- they love to come to the back and "knock". They seem to think if the dog can come in so can they!

Thanks~b

 

[Miss Lydia]

Hi all,

Asa and Sally are getting so big! I am preparing for the winter and I sn adding on to there coop. I have a question, not all of our property is fully fenced and because of that I have not allowed them to fully roam the property. They have a 1/2 acre area they roam. But, I can see they reall want access to the other areas. If I let them out will they roam too far? Or are they much like chickens and won't go too far from the safety of shelter?

BTW- they love to come to the back and "knock". They seem to think if the dog can come in so can they!

Thanks~b

That is so cute, our gander use to come and knock on the back door till one of our dogs stuck her head through the dog door and grabbed him by the chest feathers, thank goodness for those thick feathers. He had popped her butt one too many times and she thought she'd get even.

My flock has half acre fenced in to roam and ONLY when I can be out with them do I let them all outside of the fence, we have alot of preds and we're surrounded by woods so letting mine just wander all over is just too scary. Anytime we let them out to free range there is always the possibility of a pred going after them. So your decision. Not sure if they would wander very far or not since I haven't let mine do it.

 

[Rafter H Farms]

Hi all,

Asa and Sally are getting so big! I am preparing for the winter and I sn adding on to there coop. I have a question, not all of our property is fully fenced and because of that I have not allowed them to fully roam the property. They have a 1/2 acre area they roam. But, I can see they reall want access to the other areas. If I let them out will they roam too far? Or are they much like chickens and won't go too far from the safety of shelter?

BTW- they love to come to the back and "knock". They seem to think if the dog can come in so can they!

Thanks~b

Can't speak for Asa and Sally but our 5 range about 100 yards or so from the barn. They wander way out into the hay meadow grazing but they are pretty fast. They can't really fly but when they take off flapping and skipping they cover country quickly. It is scary with predators about but we want them to be able to glean their food directly off the farm for the most part and geese are better suited for this job since they are primarily grazers. I would think a half acre of good grass should be a way plenty for 2 geese though with maybe the occasional foray into uncharted territory when you are around to watch them. I believe the rule is if you can run 1 cow then you can run 4 to 5 sheep or 16 to 20 geese. Hope I helped a little.