Should I Get Chinese Geese?

[Mary Coleman]

So I am planning for next spring what breed of geese to get. So far I know that I am getting an American buff, Toulouse, and a tufted roman. I just can't decide if I want to get a Chinese or not. They are absolutely stunning to look at, but I have read that they are extremely loud and noisy. Also, are they good pets?

 

[gritsar]

I have a friend, fairly new to goose ownership, that had a young AB and another docile breed (can't remember the name). When she realized she had two females and I happened to have a beautiful, young AB gander we met up so I could give him to her. She couldn't stand to wait for the next breeding season so she decided to get three goslings from a hatchery near her. She decided to get the chinese because her husband liked the knob. I tried to warn her they would be nothing like the ABs.

Here it is six months later and she is trying to re-home the chinese. The three chinese are noisy and have turned aggressive towards her original birds; they even have the rather large AB gander I gave her cowering. I love the American Buffs, the Pilgrims and the Toulouse, but you couldn't pay me to own a Chinese or an African. Just MHO. I like calm birds that are on the quiet side...says the woman that currently owns six female call ducks.

 

[Mary Coleman]

Thanks for responding. I guess I will stick with the three breeds that I am planning. It's a shame that they are so beautiful, yet such a pain.... I have another question, are any of the breeds that I am planning on getting,Toulouse, AB, or tufted roman, broody?

 

[gritsar]

I have another question, are any of the breeds that I am planning on getting,Toulouse, AB, or tufted roman, broody?

Yes. When my first AB goose went broody her first year everyone told me that since it was her first year I should let her keep all of her eleven eggs. Everyone told me that there was no way a first year broody would hatch out more than half of those eggs.

This is what happened when I listened to "everyone".....

She hatched out all 11, one was crushed to death in the nest.



Proud gander with his goslings



If you haven't seen it yet, here is a great guide to the different breeds:
http://www.metzerfarms.com/GooseBreedComparison.cfm?CustID=2786897

 

[Mary Coleman]

Thank you so much for your feed back! Very helpful. So male geese care for the baby's too huh? That's pretty cool. I am a chicken owner and the roosters don't have anything to do with the chicks so to see that is very cool. Do the male geese care for the females and protect them like a rooster does? Sorry to bombard you with all these questions haha

 

[gritsar]

Thank you so much for your feed back! Very helpful. So male geese care for the baby's too huh? That's pretty cool. I am a chicken owner and the roosters don't have anything to do with the chicks so to see that is very cool. Do the male geese care for the females and protect them like a rooster does? Sorry to bombard you with all these questions haha

I don't mind the questions at all.
In my experience the ganders are actually the better of the two parents. My gander Tuffy watched over his mate the whole time she was sitting and took over much of their care as soon as they no longer needed mama's warmth all the time.
Where I ran into problems is when my baby ganders grew up. Two of the gosling I kept to start with turned out to be ganders. The one never had an issue with his dad Tuffy, the other made the mistake of trying to mate his mom. Tuffy hated him after that and exiled him from the flock. That's why I gave the younger one to my friend. While ganders will protect their mates, especially when they are sitting, both goose and gander pretty much can handle themselves when attacked.
By the way I have chickens too (and ducks). I have yet to have a rooster that wasn't good with chicks. When you stop and think about it, the rooster has a vested interest in continuing his bloodline (he doesn't have to know that the chicks aren't always his, as in the case of purchased eggs), so he wants the offspring to survive too. That may not be the case with all roosters, but has been with every one I have had.

 

[livininbrazil]

I don't mind the questions at all.
In my experience the ganders are actually the better of the two parents. My gander Tuffy watched over his mate the whole time she was sitting and took over much of their care as soon as they no longer needed mama's warmth all the time.
Where I ran into problems is when my baby ganders grew up. Two of the gosling I kept to start with turned out to be ganders. The one never had an issue with his dad Tuffy, the other made the mistake of trying to mate his mom. Tuffy hated him after that and exiled him from the flock. That's why I gave the younger one to my friend. While ganders will protect their mates, especially when they are sitting, both goose and gander pretty much can handle themselves when attacked.
By the way I have chickens too (and ducks). I have yet to have a rooster that wasn't good with chicks. When you stop and think about it, the rooster has a vested interest in continuing his bloodline (he doesn't have to know that the chicks aren't always his, as in the case of purchased eggs), so he wants the offspring to survive too. That may not be the case with all roosters, but has been with every one I have had.

I have Brahmas, and the roosters call the babies to them for little tid-bits... So nice to see these huge birds and the tiny little chicks going running to them.
I also have quiet breeds, and avoid the Asiatics. I love the way the ganders look after the little ones, and happy to say I don´t have any problem with ganders. They all get along great, apart from the odd skirmish. I have Pilgrim-type birds.

 

[Mary Coleman]

So like chickens, do there need to be more females than males? Or can there be an equal ratio? BTW I just got 5 ducklings from ideal poultry so I have ducks too! Well, baby ducks haha hopefully they turn out alright. I took them swimming today in a kiddie pool and they LOVED it! later I laid outside on a blanket with them and listened to the thunder it was a very enjoyable afternoon.

 

[livininbrazil]

So like chickens, do there need to be more females than males? Or can there be an equal ratio? BTW I just got 5 ducklings from ideal poultry so I have ducks too! Well, baby ducks haha hopefully they turn out alright. I took them swimming today in a kiddie pool and they LOVED it!

later I laid outside on a blanket with them and listened to the thunder it was a very enjoyable afternoon.

Hi Mary. Geese do very well in pairs. They´re not like chickens at all, except they´re birds.

Glad you´re enjoying them so much. They´re delightful, aren´t they?