Snappy gander again...

[Gyburc]

Hi all,

I posted a while back about my young Toulouse gander who has started to get hissy and chew on my foot - well, he seems to be escalating. Yesterday I had to pin him down until he gave up, and this morning he did the same thing again. 2-0 to me so far.

However, I am a bit worried that he seems to be getting worse in response to being pinned down. Is this usual? Is he likely to give up once he has tried it a few times?

Thanks!

 

[Olive Hill]

He's likely getting worse in response to it being breeding season. He's likely to give up once it's over.

 

[lilchick]

I usually carry a walking stick while doing chores in my goose and turkey pens if they are onery. They do respect the stick!

And on the other end of the spectrum I use it to herd my calls in their coop at night. They are funny little ducks and hate going in so they give me the run around their coop and pen. I yell and wave my hat at them but they jump in their pond and I swear they are laughing at me. Carry the stick in and they line up and head for the coop just like good little first graders! So they respect the stick also!

 

[Gyburc]

I may have to try a stick if he doesn't give up. This morning he managed to catch me just as I was carrying a double handful of duck eggs down the garden, so I had to find somewhere safe to stash the eggs and also keep my balance with a large gander chewing his way up my welly. Memo to self - next time bring a container for the eggs.

lilchick, it's funny that your call ducks don't like being put away for the night - my ducks put themselves to bed like little lambs. If I try to herd them at any other time of day, they run all over the place, but at night-time they cooperate.

 

[duck walk]

My gander Barney hissed at me last week for the first time and he is about two years old...it is breeding season and I am getting two to three goose eggs per day...but he took issue with my presence, dropped his head and hissed...it was funny seeing his tongue flopping around in his bill while he was being macho man...I laughed at him and hissed back...it kind of messed with his little pea picking brain as he just kind of wandered off like he forgot what he was doing...I carry a stick often for my own self to keep from doing a face plant and you would think I had a cannon the way the ducks and geese view "the stick." I usually leave the stick at the gate these days, now that they have all learned the process of going home to their night pen at the end of the browsing day...we have three yards and two gates to navigate to get to the night pen...now I just have to clap my hands and tell them to "go home" and they group up and head to night quarters...they were easier to train than some of my children...but you may need to carry a stick for a while until your gander gets past his 'tude...

 

[Suzie]

That was so funny!

I have 11 geese ( Toulouse and Embden) and all of the males are hissing - I tell them off and isolate any that give me any problems!

Unfortunately, as everyone here says - they are acting normally for the time of year, bless them, I love them despite their seasonal behaviour!

Suzie

 

[desertdarlene]

Yeah, the feral geese where I live are grumpy right now, too, even the former sweethearts. It's funny watching them as most, if not all, of the geese in this area are males. So, they like to boss each other around.