Timid Gander

[Sasa]

My Sebastopol Gander (blue) seems to be a timid boy. I got him recently with a Sebastopol hen (Buff) and one of my Toulouse hens has fallen in love with the Sebastopol hen, they walk around together, sit together and preen each other which is fine but the Toulouse is starting to shoo the gander away from the hen he came with. He's only 1 year old and the Pilgrim gander at his last house killed the other Sebastopol gander that was there, the owners came home too late to stop it. I'm wondering if experiencing that trauma could have made him hesitant to stand up for himself with another bird, even a hen? Could next Spring's hormonal rush make him feel like a real boy again? I have 8 hens so I want to get another Sebastopol gander, or have my pair make one, I don't want the gander's shyness, or this Toulouse hen, to get in the way of that. Spring hormones will transform him, right? I hope, I hope, I hope.

 

[CelticOaksFarm]

First you dont leave ganders together in breeding season, so if you add a second gander you will want to split gander/goose pairs or trios up to control who breeds who. If you want that gander to bond to that goose you need to put them somewhere where it is just them.

I wouldnt call her buff though. It could be the lighting, but she doesnt look buff at all.

Two buffs, smooth and curly

 

[RURU]

Maybe it is the lighting but the smooth breasted does not look Buff to me either. Looks more on the line of lavender or even a cream. Too hard in telling the picture is too far away need a closer up pictures and in better lighting.

 

[Sasa]

Do ganders fight during breeding season? I have 8 hens and one gander and I know that he cannot take care of them all. That's why I need a second gander, I do not plane to breed geese, I would like a couple of babies from this pair and that's it.

Yes, she is absolutely Buff and he is absolutely Blue, despite the fact that they were photographed in the shade. I do not question what color they are.

I was asking if this gander could be too traumatized by the experience at his last home and might remain shy because of it.

 

[CelticOaksFarm]

if you ONLY want goslings from that gander and goose (not hen) then you make them a breeding yard for during season. There is no need to add a gander just because of all the other geese if you dont plan to breed.

Would love to see other pictures of her since she appears to be something other than buff. Not doubting you, but people dont know what they have and label it something without knowing when they list them for sale. Sorry but the gander is grey, not blue on any level. Grey color comes in varied shades and he is definitely grey.

Yes your gander could always be shy. Not all ganders are alphas, and it sounds like your one goose is definitely an alpha. Problem can easily be solved by providing a fenced, separate breeding yard for the pair.

 

[Sasa]

Thank you so much, that does help. I would actually like to re-home 2 Toulouse geese (here everyone calls them hens) but it's very hard to find a good home. The large Toulouse (she's so big I wonder if she's a cross) in front of my Sebastopol in the middle pic is the one who is her new very best friend ever. Maybe the person I bought them from was misinformed about the right name for their color. Thanks for your help.

 

[CelticOaksFarm]

Your goose might be lavender, the gander is deffinetly grey. When you can post new pictures of her if you can get closer to show off her feathers.

The toulouse is lovely, where did she come from? is she the one causing trouble with the Sebbie gander?

 

[RURU]

In the first picture is a Buff female smooth breasted. Also in that same picture there is a Lavender gander behind her. Then behind the Lavender gander is a Blue smooth breasted gander.
Also to the left in the same photo there is a grey curly.

The 2nd picture is the Lavender gander. Hope these pictures help you with color. As Celtic not everyone who sells sebastopols knows the true colors of the geese.

 

[Sasa]

What beautiful birds you have, I do see the color difference, thanks for the pics. They are the nicest geese aren't they?

 

[Sasa]

Thank you, Celtic Oaks, I appreciate the info. Yes, the big Toulouse is the girl who is so in love with the Sebastopol goose. I am hoping that Spring hormones will balance it out. I would love to find another Sebastopol gander so I have 2 to make the girls happy next year but they are few and far between here so I may have to wait and see if my pair makes one, I can pull all of the non-Sebastopol eggs so the Sebbies are the only ones hatching. The Sebastopol goose I got tends to be a broody girl so that's a great thing, I also have a very broody Embden who can hatch Sebbies too if necessary.

I got the big Toulouse and another who is also 7 from someone selling their flock, I did not have a gander at the time and getting this boy has made them so much happier and calmer.