This is an African Goose, right?

[CelticOaksFarm]

LoL, yes he will eventually learn geese are good too and hopefully bond to them. Cute story, so glad th gs are working out and you atleast understand enough to not throw away a goose. Be sure to not allow that behavior from him towards you so you aren't seen lower in the pecking order.

 

[mama24]

I know some may disagree, but I feel it would be better to eat the goose than to set it free in the wild where it may not be able to find food, companionship, shelter, etc, etc. It's just cruel.

 

[desertdarlene]

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We had people in our area purchase birds for the lake against the city's wishes. One lady kept buying expensive swans for the lake and she would come down to feed them, but they were usually pinioned or conditioned not to travel far away. So, the coyotes got each one of them, several pairs over many, many years. They finally told her to stop doing that because it was cruel since they were not protected from predators and not fed properly. Some people have no clue.

 

[mama24]

Well, Ricky, is one smart boy! We put him in the chicken coop with the chickens and ducklings the first night we had him b/c he was standing in the pond instead of going in for the night. Last night he was already in when we went to close up. He acts like he's herding the little ducklings and chased my dog away from them, so I think he's going to be a great addition here. I also finally offered him some wet crumbles and he ate a few mouthfuls. We have a lot of grass, so he may not need the crumbles, but I see no reason not to offer him at least a little wetted every day just in case. I'm sure my ducklings will finish up whatever he doesn't want. Or the chickens. He tried to grab my hand again today and I pushed him away, and he seemed to get it. I hope to find him a girlfriend if I can. I don't know anyone with geese around here, though, so it may have to wait and see if one of my own goslings is a girl. If I end up with 2 or even 3 boys, I'm not sure what I'm going to do. I assume it's only a problem in the spring when they want to mate? Do geese ned to be in pairs? How does that work? I really appreciate your help. I try to look things up on google, but it always ends up being about wild geese and I can find very little on domestic goose behavior.

 

[duck walk]

What a pretty goose! Those ganders can be quite comedic...in fact, all of the geese persons in my life are a stitch...they follow me around and express opinions on whatever I am doing, they chatter at me and about me, come when they are called, are nosy nellies...if I change one thing in their yard they gather around and look and talk about it and try to decide whether or not they approve of the changes...they are very busy...always looking for something to investigate and move around...always on alert for predators and are loud alarmists when the hawks circle...I could watch them endlessly...mine are also very good with the ducks...the ducks look to the big guys for leadership and wherever the geese go they have twenty tag along duckies right behind them...I hope you find a companion for your new boy...they really relish having one of their own species to plot mischief with and just chatter around the "water cooler" with...very handsome dude you have...

 

[mama24]

I'm still not sure if he's Chinese or African. Anyone more experienced have any idea?

 

[GardenerGal]

It's an African. Really, "African" geese are not from Africa, and may actually be a hybrid between the European greylag (Anser anser) -- from which domestic breeds including Emden and Toulouse are descended -- and the Asian swan goose (Anser cygnoides), which is what Chinese geese (both white and brown) descended from.

African geese have a thicker body than do Chinese geese, and their necks are thicker too. Maybe that's a reflection of the A. anser part of their heritage.

For food, I recommend that your new friend should get poultry layer pellets. Pellets are easier for geese to eat than is the mash or crumbles version, which can form sticky clumps in their mouth or throat. Plenty of fresh grass whenever you can give it, is also important, but make sure it has no pesticides or fertilizers on it. I give my African gander (and his duck buddies) grass hay when I can't get fresh grass. He loves it. I have to make sure it's not moldy, but otherwise I find that grass hay is a good supplement.

And, make sure he has plenty of water! Geese don't have the same need to swim as much as ducks do -- they're more terrestrial than ducks -- but they do like to constantly drink and dabble, and they love to bathe. My gander gets in a 5-gallon rubber livestock/feed tub and takes a bath every day, even though he has a 225 gallon in-ground garden pool to swim in! I guess he just loves that I put fresh water in the tub daily, and he gets to splash in it first.
If you can get a kiddie wading pool, maybe sunk in the ground so he can get in and out easily, that would be great. But if not, try a 5-gallon rubber feed tub! They're those round, black rubber ones that are sold at farm and feed stores.

 

[The goose girl]

Also, I don't think geese care particlarly much for wetted food. Unlike ducks, who seem to want to drag everything underwater before they eat it. None of my geese ever did that. Actually, my current goose will come loudly protesting to my door if rain has managed to even slighty dampen her food. She prefers it C-R-U-N-C-H-Y!

 

[mama24]

In the background in the 2nd pic, you can see the turtle sandbox in the background. We empty and refill that daily for our ducklings and goose, seems to be working very well for now. I need to get a kiddie pool so my poor 3 yo daughter can have her sandbox back soon! There is a large pond (more than an acre) back at the back of our property, but unless we can get the woods cleared out, it isn't really safe for the ducks and geese there, unless someone goes with them, and then getting them to leave to come back to the safety of the barn will be a problem. Also in the background of that pic, you can see the 30+ acre pasture. We don't spray anything anywhere, so it's all good! They also have access to the actual yard around the house, which is another 2 acres and is mown more often than the pasture.

I'll try offering pellets, but he really didn't seem interested in anything until I tried the wet crumbles today. Even that he wasn't all that interested in, but he did eat a little. The ducklings seemed to really enjoy it, though, so I may start mixing and putting that out daily instead of letting them eat dry all the time. If he wants it, he can have it, if not, well, there is more grass than a whole flock of geese could eat here! lol. Good to know he can eat hay. I was wondering if their feed needs changed more to pellets in the winter, or what. But I have goats and rabbits, so I always have hay. But finding hay that hasn't been sprayed is an issue. I've been looking for months and have only found certified organic alfalfa so far, haven't found any grass hays that weren't sprayed, certified or not (certified doesn't matter to me. I personally think it just adds to the cost!)

Thanks so much!

btw, do you think he is young? I am assuming he is. And I think I read African geese are heavier than what I think he is. I would guess he weighs somewhere around 12lbs, not any more than that.

 

[GardenerGal]

Hi Mama24,
Yes, he looks young. His knob will get larger with age, and his "gut" may get a little lower, too. He may not get much heavier. My African is 12 years old (I got him quite young) and he has never gotten heavy. It's the jumbo "dewlap" variety of African goose that gets enormous, like the dewlap Toulouse. The "regular" version of these two breeds is not as heavy, nor is there any pronounced dewlap. Your boy doesn't show any signs of dewlap, and I think he is the "regular" type of African like mine.

I suggested poultry layer pellets because that's so often what people with chickens have handy (like me) and it's okay for "boys" to eat it despite the extra calcium. Having plenty of pasture is great! He'll probably prefer grass, but pellets provide balanced nutrition. Your gander might not show interest in pellets or mash at first because it's unfamiliar, especially if he has been surviving on grass for a while. If he's hungry, he'll learn to eat pellets. Crumbles aren't really bad for geese, it's just that it can be hard to get down unless liberally washed down with drinks of water. You could try taking whole lettuce leaves (they love lettuce, the greener the better -- washed off first to remove pesticides) wetting them and sprinkling crumbles or mash on them. He will have to eat some of the feed to get the lettuce too.

Geese also enjoy earthworms and other "animal protein." My gander and ducks poke around in mud puddles after a good rain, and go absolutely bonkers with joy if they come up with a juicy worm.

About alfalfa - I wouldn't give him too much of that. Too rich. Grass hay is better for him, with maybe a little alfalfa as a treat.