Raising Gosling - Aggression?

[OzarkChooks]

I have heard that if you pet, cuddle or hand feed goslings they will grow up to be aggressive. We have 5 right now, a couple weeks old. They follow us everywhere, sleep on my kids laps. Eat dandelions out of our hands. Have we ruined them? Will they be mean now?

Full disclosure, we are planning on eating the males. So we are keeping the 2 females as pets.
Should we change how we interact with them?

 

[BirdsBeesTrees]

No, they will be fine. Give them all the love, and help them to have a happy life.

 

[Goosebaby]

The more you spend time with them and snuggle them the friendlier they will be.
Whoever told you they’d be aggressive if you raise them with kindness was very wrong.

 

[OzarkChooks]

Oh good! I thought that would be so sad to not cuddle with them. They are so adorable

 

[Lucy-Leroy]

I have heard they grow up to be protective of their area and their humans. Maybe that’s what they meant when they said they would be mean.

 

[New duck mommy 2021]

I don’t have geese but my ducks that got the most attention as babies are they ones that run up to be held
My one drake follows me up the stairs if I dare walk past without holding him
Loving your birds is a must

 

[The goose girl]

Some people like to raise their (often large flocks of) geese with as little human contact as possible. This way the geese feel generally unsafe around humans and will try to maintain a distance whenever possible. It makes tending to the geese less of a hassle - for example, you never trip over them trying to get to the bucket before you set it down, they don't try to "help" you cleaning out their quarters by grabbing or running off with the tools, and they don't camp out outside your front door waiting for you to come out, leaving heaps of poop on your doorstep.

In my opinion, this approach also robs you of most of the joy of having geese.