Should I buy a pair of females for my flock?

[Iain Utah]

In February, I hatched four african goslings for my adult gander pair to adopt, which they did. I have learned that I hatched 2 boys/2 girls, which means my flock has 4 males to only 2 girls. And while they get along great now, I worry about how they will be come breeding season (not that I want to breed this flock, because I don't).

I found a local ad for a pair of adult females. Would my flock accept these females? Also, would this be enough to balance the numbers to prevent issues next year?

I need more geese like I need a hole in my head, but I am attached to both ganders I hatched and re-homing the adult ganders is not an option... so is my only solution to buy more girls?

 

[sourland]

You could either buy more females or rehome the two young ganders.

 

[Iain Utah]

If those are my only options, then I guess I'm buying more females. I hope that a 4 boys/4 girls split will be good enough!

 

[CelticOaksFarm]

Iain, two adult girls will settle into the mix fairly quickly, and next year will be "ok" but don't expect there to be peace and harmony. Ganders free ranging together will scuffle and sort out the dynamics.

 

[Iain Utah]

Celtic, thanks for the info! I can live with minor scuffles, but I don't want a total disaster. We will try to get the pair of adult females this weekend. We figured we would also turn out a pair of utility toulouse at the same time we bring home the adult females, so they can all go through the integration process together (keeping my extra toulouse girl with the dewlaps). Do you think that would be ok?

 

[CelticOaksFarm]

I wouldn't ever bring home new birds and let them put with our flocks. They go into isolation so I can observe and make sure they aren't coming in with anything. All new birds get a quarentine here.

The ganders can have all out brawls in breeding season, I wouldn't label them minor as they can get pretty serious. Neck grabbing, screaming, hissing, honking, wing beating ect.

I would also run the Production Toulouse as a flock, the Africans as a flock and the dewlaps as a flock. I wouldn't run a production with a dewlap as that defeats the point of having dewlaps in the first place. It would be similar to breeding a dewlap that doesn't meet the written APA standard with one that does, just shouldn't be done.

 

[Iain Utah]

Thanks for the reminder.... I will set up an isolation area for them and make sure these girls are healthy before introducing them to my flock (assuming they are still available... we left a message for the person giving his geese away and hope to hear back from him today).

Would you compare a gander fight to a horse fight, which looks awful but there is rarely a serious injury, or a dog fight, where serious injuries are a real danger unless broken up??

As for putting the production toulouse pair with the africans, would you keep them separate because of concerns of cross breeding or because the toulouse would get bullied by the africans?

My production toulouse girl (the one from Erin's eggs) is being set aside as a potential future companion for my crippled dewlap girl (as I do not see my crippled girl being breed-able), not to be bred to a dewlap boy, although she is such a stunning and huge bird, I imagine she would throw nice babies with a grey dewlap.

 

[CelticOaksFarm]

Thanks for the reminder.... I will set up an isolation area for them and make sure these girls are healthy before introducing them to my flock (assuming they are still available... we left a message for the person giving his geese away and hope to hear back from him today).

Would you compare a gander fight to a horse fight, which looks awful but there is rarely a serious injury, or a dog fight, where serious injuries are a real danger unless broken up??
We had both types of battles this year. Some were minor get away from me. Some (just this past week- African verse Sebbie) was a knock down drag out and needed broken up. They usually aren't in the same space, but had a storm rolling in, so we were pushing everyone into their stalls at once.

We also have two Sebbie ganders who can not be to confined spaces together any time of the year. Open pasture, the rear yard, they are fine. A holding pen, forget it the curly tries to kill the smooth.

By the end of next spring you will see who has a bull goose attitude, and how your dynamics work with the various birds.

As for putting the production toulouse pair with the africans, would you keep them separate because of concerns of cross breeding or because the toulouse would get bullied by the africans? 
Both actually. Since Africans can go either way on temperaments, I would keep an eye on it. As far as breeding, I am a purest and don't like breeds running together and crossing. We run geese together outside of breeding season, and split up during.

My production toulouse girl (the one from Erin's eggs) is being set aside as a potential future companion for my crippled dewlap girl (as I do not see my crippled girl being breed-able), not to be bred to a dewlap boy, although she is such a stunning and huge bird, I imagine she would throw nice babies with a grey dewlap.
I forgot you have the special needs girl who needs a buddy. Keeping the Erin gosling for her company is a good idea. Again on the purest thought, I wouldn't muddy genetics of a dewlap with a production bird. Now if you never planned to hatch the eggs or sell them for hatching it wouldn't matter who ran with who.

 

[Iain Utah]

Thanks again for the helpful info. It means a lot to me.

Since our free range flock have plenty of space, hope they can sort it out without needing to create separate areas. We will not hatch any eggs from that flock, as I agree about not wanting to have cross bred mutts.

I am curious, though... If the production toulouse is a spin off from the dewlap, could you not breed dewlap to production and then the offspring would simply be a chunky production Toulouse as opposed to a cross-breed?