Tips on raising friendly geese

[Crazy Birds]

I will be picking up two 4-week-old sebastopol geese tomorrow It's been a dream of mine for almost a year. I am slightly worried about raising them to be friendly geese - meaning I and the people I live with can go in the garden and hang out with them without being worried about being attacked. I rarely ever have guests over so when I do I have no problem locking them up. However, I will be devastated if I get chased off my ducks. I probably would be less worried about it if they were itty bitty babies. Does anyone have any tips or tricks to make them friendly? Thanks in advance!

 

[Goosebaby]

I will be picking up two 4-week-old sebastopol geese tomorrow It's been a dream of mine for almost a year. I am slightly worried about raising them to be friendly geese - meaning I and the people I live with can go in the garden and hang out with them without being worried about being attacked. I rarely ever have guests over so when I do I have no problem locking them up. However, I will be devastated if I get chased off my ducks. I probably would be less worried about it if they were itty bitty babies. Does anyone have any tips or tricks to make them friendly? Thanks in advance!

The best way to win over geese is to give them your time and attention. Geese are social birds and they can bond with just about anyone who spends a lot of time with them. Treats also help.
Geese will get hormonal in breeding season and if they like you you’ll probably get hit on fairly often, but it’s better than being attacked by a gander that thinks you’re his rival.

The thing with geese is they fear strangers and will mostly avoid them unless that person gets too close to a nest or goslings. People that they know but who don’t spend much time with them they can sometimes regard as a nuisance that needs to be chased out of their territory.

Geese can coexist with other species of birds but in my experience they don’t like them invading their space and mostly have a neutral relationship with them. I have had some of mine haber violent with a drake after some intense harassment from the drake and ducks so that’s something to watch for.

Also ensure there is enough space for them to get away from each other if a squabble starts. Geese can’t control themselves in breeding season, and if a duck or other bird triggers their rage the fight doesn’t end in a confined space, which ends pretty badly.

 

[Kung_pao]

I never payed attention to mine or let them imprint. They do their thing and I do mine. No attacks and they always had a healthy respect of humans. I guess there is more ways than one to skin a cat.

 

[Crazy Birds]

Thank you both! They are very freaked out about being in a new place, but so far are sweethearts. They have been following us around the garden and calling for us almost non-stop when they hear us.

Geese can coexist with other species of birds but in my experience they don’t like them invading their space and mostly have a neutral relationship with them. I have had some of mine haber violent with a drake after some intense harassment from the drake and ducks so that’s something to watch for.

Also ensure there is enough space for them to get away from each other if a squabble starts. Geese can’t control themselves in breeding season, and if a duck or other bird triggers their rage the fight doesn’t end in a confined space, which ends pretty badly.

Thank you for this information! I should have a bigger house coming in on the 8th - if I remember correctly it's a 10x20. During breeding season (if one or both of these ends up being males) I will make sure to keep them separate for a few months. If they are females would I still have to worry about this?

 

[Goosebaby]

Thank you both! They are very freaked out about being in a new place, but so far are sweethearts. They have been following us around the garden and calling for us almost non-stop when they hear us.

Thank you for this information! I should have a bigger house coming in on the 8th - if I remember correctly it's a 10x20. During breeding season (if one or both of these ends up being males) I will make sure to keep them separate for a few months. If they are females would I still have to worry about this?

You don’t necessarily have to separate ganders unless they are extremely violent to each other. Ganders often bond with each other, they will squabble in breeding season with or without the presence of the female but usually it isn’t too serious if they’re bonded. Funnily enough sometimes females also squabble with each other and sometimes with ganders depending on personality.
With mine if a fight lasts longer than five minutes I’ll break it up, but the bonded ganders usually don’t fight like that with each other. It does help being in a larger space.

The only thing to watch out for with two ganders is that they can feed off of each other’s energy and egg each other on, though just as often females will actually make a gander more aggressive because they do this high pitched cackle war cry that ganders just can’t resist getting riled up over. Some girls just love stirring up drama, though I’ve actually seen some of my boys turn around and scold one of the girls for doing that. Geese are hilarious.

 

[Crazy Birds]

Thank you for that @Goosebaby I was referring to keeping ganders away from my ducks during those month, whoops They'll be bunking with my ducks but will probably be locked into a large dog kennel at night. My drakes get the same treatment because they are absolute turds to my hens. I have two 3 week old ducklings and the four of them are fighting for my attention! Two geese laying on my arms and two ducks on my chest. What a life

 

[Crazy Birds]

One other question: is it okay to hand feed them? All of my ducks eat out of hand, but I read that it's not okay to do this with ganders. Is this true? Thanks!

 

[saratriana]

I’m not sure if it’s bad or not to hand feed. We hand feed our six goslings of various ages and sexes in the morning. They eat from a feeder in the evening. Hand feeding has made them all get more comfortable with us and makes it easier for us to pet them and pick them up.

 

[New duck mommy 2021]

I will be picking up two 4-week-old sebastopol geese tomorrow It's been a dream of mine for almost a year. I am slightly worried about raising them to be friendly geese - meaning I and the people I live with can go in the garden and hang out with them without being worried about being attacked. I rarely ever have guests over so when I do I have no problem locking them up. However, I will be devastated if I get chased off my ducks. I probably would be less worried about it if they were itty bitty babies. Does anyone have any tips or tricks to make them friendly? Thanks in advance!

I got my Stella at 4 weeks
I spent the first week with her non stop
she is now 3 months and still my big baby
She loves cuddle time
She follows me all over if I’m outside and if I sit in a chair she needs to be on my lap
I am very strict on no nibbling
We have learned the word no
I feel like if I allow smsll nibbles she will think it’s okay to bite one day so it’s a hard no
I do provide toys for her though as they love chewing things
I only got one gosling as I didn’t want a sibling as a mate so next spring we will get her a unrelated mate
For now she has 17 ducks to be part of her flock

Teach them boundaries and respect for you
Lots of love and interactions

 

[Crazy Birds]

Thank you @New duck mommy 2021

I had the same train of thought!

Later today I'll try to get decent pictures to show off my beauties. I do plan on breeding and hatching eggs - either this upcoming spring or the next depending on the genders I get. However, they came from a flock where the breeders where trying to get color into the birds. These will not be show birds, but will this be a problem selling them in the future? One is looking grey with some brown spots and one is looking like it's going to be white