Shetland Geese

[Nyssa03]

Hi All - I'm getting 8 Shetland Goslings from Holderreads tomorrow! Yeah! I'm so excited! I was just wondering if anyone would like to talk about their Shetland Geese? Anything I need to know that is different about them (I currently have Pomeraneans and American Blues). Thanks in advance for any insight/advice you would like to send me.

 

[livininbrazil]

Hi All - I'm getting 8 Shetland Goslings from Holderreads tomorrow! Yeah! I'm so excited! I was just wondering if anyone would like to talk about their Shetland Geese? Anything I need to know that is different about them (I currently have Pomeraneans and American Blues). Thanks in advance for any insight/advice you would like to send me.

Hi Nyssa. I don´t have shetlands that I´m aware of, but I´d love to see pics of yours when you get them. I do have autosexing geese, though, and think they´re great.

 

[mominoz]

Well, congrads. I have some of theirs 3 breeding pairs (but took me 3 years to get them, as I ordered twice and lost some. Hatched one last year . (They are 3 and 2 and 1 yr olds)But I have 5 live hatchlings in brooder garage, 3 in the bedroom tote as of today and maybe 2 in hatcher and 2 of my 2 year old females are setting 2 nests next to each other in one of the goose houses...so we shall see. I have lost 2 hatchlings, both female I think, and some of the eggs didn't make it... but I do have some babies!
Kind of typical for geese around 2 they get protective (the gandars ) during breeding season. I spent a fair amount of time with my females, but the gandars not as much...so they are more fearful and respectful in the yard.... I did pinon them, but forgot to do the ones I have a week old! They supposedly could fly better than heavier geese, mine sorta fly across the ground a foot up sorta...
I did lose 4 birds for unknown reasons under a year at different times, 2 during a drought and 2 that just failed to thrive and died....? seemed to be a bit fragile... Most the eggs the first year were not fertile and no one set , so they may take a while to mature... I think they are very pretty birds , a bit skiddish maybe like many light framed animals They did get along with my ducks until breeding season , when they get protective and will nip at any that get to close to their ladies, nest or food, they have different sleeping pens. They do honk/fuss at the African Gandar in the other pasture, and once they accidently got together in Jan. and one sorta was nipping at the African and he is like ,"what is this little twerp doing ?" as he just kept walking...they don't challenge my grandsons, but run away unlike the African who was gonna get him, and my husband... so at least they know to respect humans....

 

[livininbrazil]

They supposedly could fly better than heavier geese, mine sorta fly across the ground a foot up sorta..
.

They do honk/fuss at the African Gandar in the other pasture, and once they accidently got together in Jan. and one sorta was nipping at the African and he is like ,"what is this little twerp doing ?" as he just kept walking...they don't challenge my grandsons, but run away unlike the African who was gonna get him, and my husband... so at least they know to respect humans....

Funny..."twerp". I can just imagine.
My geese fly. I don´t clip their wings, they can get up to 20 ft easily and fly a distance. I love to see them. Only a couple have over-shot when they´re learning to land and ended up in the road or another field, but once they get it, they stay in our place. Sometimes they fly toward me when I´m under the trees, and then they HAVE to land or they´d crash in the trees!
I just love to watch them.

 

[Nyssa03]

Well, congrads. I have some of theirs 3 breeding pairs (but took me 3 years to get them, as I ordered twice and lost some. Hatched one last year . (They are 3 and 2 and 1 yr olds)But I have 5 live hatchlings in brooder garage, 3 in the bedroom tote as of today and maybe 2 in hatcher and 2 of my 2 year old females are setting 2 nests next to each other in one of the goose houses...so we shall see. I have lost 2 hatchlings, both female I think, and some of the eggs didn't make it... but I do have some babies!
Kind of typical for geese around 2 they get protective (the gandars ) during breeding season. I spent a fair amount of time with my females, but the gandars not as much...so they are more fearful and respectful in the yard.... I did pinon them, but forgot to do the ones I have a week old! They supposedly could fly better than heavier geese, mine sorta fly across the ground a foot up sorta...
I did lose 4 birds for unknown reasons under a year at different times, 2 during a drought and 2 that just failed to thrive and died....? seemed to be a bit fragile... Most the eggs the first year were not fertile and no one set , so they may take a while to mature... I think they are very pretty birds , a bit skiddish maybe like many light framed animals They did get along with my ducks until breeding season , when they get protective and will nip at any that get to close to their ladies, nest or food, they have different sleeping pens. They do honk/fuss at the African Gandar in the other pasture, and once they accidently got together in Jan. and one sorta was nipping at the African and he is like ,"what is this little twerp doing ?" as he just kept walking...they don't challenge my grandsons, but run away unlike the African who was gonna get him, and my husband... so at least they know to respect humans....

Thanks for your reply - we did pinion them shortly after they arrived - approx less than 48 hours old; there was more bleeding than I expected but they all seems to be doing great now -- eating, running back and forth in their brooder- talking to me a lot -- they are so cute. They are auto-sexing when grown but look very similar right now. just a couple of things I have noticed - two of them have a very dark area on their beaks right at the junction with their little faces. They all have some "grey" areas in their fluff - but three of them are quite abit lighter grey -- so I'm thinking those may be the boys? They seem to be interested in coming toward my voice, so I'm talking to them often.

 

[LCP]

I have two pairs of Shetlands that I purchased last year from Holderrheads, and I love them. It still amazes me that they could be shipped from Oregon to Ohio, and arrive in such good shape. The two females turned very broody this year. They act as guard geese for my lavender Sebastopol, even while sitting on their nests a few feet in front of her. I want to breed Shetlands eventually, but I don't have the means to keep them separate from my Pilgrim geese, yet, so I don't have a good way to prevent cross-mating. I'm so happy that all of my geese survived this awful winter in good shape. Have fun with yours!

 

[LCP]

I have not had a problem with my Shetlands flying, yet. I didn't realize this could happen!! My Pilgrims are the trouble-makers when it comes to flying.

 

[Nyssa03]

I have two pairs of Shetlands that I purchased last year from Holderrheads, and I love them. It still amazes me that they could be shipped from Oregon to Ohio, and arrive in such good shape. The two females turned very broody this year. They act as guard geese for my lavender Sebastopol, even while sitting on their nests a few feet in front of her. I want to breed Shetlands eventually, but I don't have the means to keep them separate from my Pilgrim geese, yet, so I don't have a good way to prevent cross-mating. I'm so happy that all of my geese survived this awful winter in good shape. Have fun with yours!

Thanks for your reply- do you happen to remember if you could tell the goose from the gander by their coloring when they were very young? I'm glad to hear that yours are broody, I would really like for them to raise their own goslings next year or the year after etc.

 

[LCP]

Yes, it was easy to tell them apart when they were babies. I've attached a photo. The females were darker -their feathers, beaks and feet. I was incorrect about getting them last year.
It was actually 2012 that they arrived, which explains why they are showing strong nesting instincts this year. Not so much last year. So they are two years old. Time flies!!

 

[livininbrazil]

Yes, it was easy to tell them apart when they were babies. I've attached a photo. The females were darker -their feathers, beaks and feet. I was incorrect about getting them last year.
It was actually 2012 that they arrived, which explains why they are showing strong nesting instincts this year. Not so much last year. So they are two years old. Time flies!!

Gorgeous!