Toulouse Geese Thread

[gryeyes]

Here's the situation with my two Toulouse geese, which I HOPE are goose and gander:

Kate is duck-centric. She hangs with the Cayugas, guards them during their swimming sessions both day and night. She joins them on occasion; originally she chased them out of the stock tank when she wanted to swim (more room for acrobatics) and she has always interrupted duck sex. (She alo stops chicken sex IF the roosters chase hens or the hen squawks. If the roosters mount willing hens and it's completed quietly, no problem.) She has recently allowed ducks to join her and swim in the stock tank. She sleeps outside with the ducks, who do not coop up any more.

When one of the Cayugas hatched 14 ducklings, Auntie Kate helped raise them and escorted the family everywhere, protecting the gaggle.

Angus coops up at night with the chickens and turkeys. He and Kate do not interact with each other like they did when they were younger. He is usually around a certain group of chickens. Angus is several weeks older than Kate but both are over a year old.

I don't think either one of them has laid any eggs...

What are the chances they will pair up? What if they are both ganders, or both geese? It doesn't matter if they don't, because they're happy and that's fine with me. I'm just wondering, y'know?

 

[Miss Lydia]

Here's the situation with my two Toulouse geese, which I HOPE are goose and gander:

Kate is duck-centric. She hangs with the Cayugas, guards them during their swimming sessions both day and night. She joins them on occasion; originally she chased them out of the stock tank when she wanted to swim (more room for acrobatics) and she has always interrupted duck sex. (She alo stops chicken sex IF the roosters chase hens or the hen squawks. If the roosters mount willing hens and it's completed quietly, no problem.) She has recently allowed ducks to join her and swim in the stock tank. She sleeps outside with the ducks, who do not coop up any more.

When one of the Cayugas hatched 14 ducklings, Auntie Kate helped raise them and escorted the family everywhere, protecting the gaggle.

Angus coops up at night with the chickens and turkeys. He and Kate do not interact with each other like they did when they were younger. He is usually around a certain group of chickens. Angus is several weeks older than Kate but both are over a year old.

I don't think either one of them has laid any eggs...

What are the chances they will pair up? What if they are both ganders, or both geese? It doesn't matter if they don't, because they're happy and that's fine with me. I'm just wondering, y'know?

Seems like you'd be seeing some mating by now if a pair, don't you think? although it sounds like their lives are very full. My goodness they do raise a ruckus when someone else wants to mate don't they.

 

[ChampionAlex]

lol funny

 

[Haunted55]

Like the geese trying to figure out how to let them out.

Okay Miss L, now you really don't need to be sending those kind of thoughts out into the ether. They have been told if they spring the pekin drakes from prison again they are going to ge a whooping, lol. I did get the nesting boxes done today but the brooding box on top may have to wiat just a little bit....I had and argument with the ice this evening and lost. My left knee cap is split in two. Sigh....just what I needed. Don't know if my 'help' will be able to follow directions or not.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Okay Miss L, now you really don't need to be sending those kind of thoughts out into the ether. They have been told if they spring the pekin drakes from prison again they are going to ge a whooping, lol. I did get the nesting boxes done today but the brooding box on top may have to wiat just a little bit....I had and argument with the ice this evening and lost. My left knee cap is split in two. Sigh....just what I needed. Don't know if my 'help' will be able to follow directions or not.

Poor baby,

hey how about an email telling me all about it

 

[Turkeytruff]

I don't have a nesting box actually for my goose or my ducks, I just give them lots of shavings in their stalls for deep digging and laying, now Haunted 55 is actually building nest boxes for her geese so hopefully she'll be posting pics soon. A nice quiet place where she can get away from everyone seems to help. And you want it to be in a secure building so you can lock her up at night safe from preds. Congrats on your new geese they are awesome. Stanley may have a change of attitude once he bonds with your goose, they get very protective during mating season, so if you do notice a change just realize it will pass when mating is over.

thanks Miss Lydia, I will be happy if he diverts his attention to her!

I better get a nesting box ready, I think my henhouse is too small (8x15 feet) with all the chickens even though they only tend to use it at night & for laying their eggs (side topic -why with 5 nesting boxes do they all line up for the first one???)

we have wooden frames on the floor made from 2x6 or 2x8 just to keep the hay in one spot and encourage the nest to be where we would like. They dont always use them and some will move the hay out of the frame to a new corner. 2' x 2' square frame.

Thank you for these replies. So the first night in with the chickens was interesting to say the least. I have a 8 x 15 henhouse with 13 birds chickens (the turkeys roost outside after having a mosey inside to check the food situation LOL) and in the morning the female goose had squeezed herself into an 8 inch wide space next to the cage where most of the chickens roost over her and one of them pooped on her back

. She ignored all the other corners with lots of inviting straw and my big open dog crate - so I need to rearrange things. Sorry to be such a newby - they don't roost like chickens right, but prefer 'nesting' on the ground? So if I put some bigger 'holes' or even a big cardboard box with straw in it open at the side for now at the edges somewhere they may use those during the night? I will build a frame like you suggested CelticOaksFarm - I have a next door stall that I need to racoon proof and tidy up (was used for horses before we moved in) ASAP.
Again thank you and sorry if my questions sound stupid - I am learning fast!

 

[aoxa]

I got my gander!! Oh he is gorgeous.

We decided on the name Walter. He looks like a Walter.

I'll be taking some pictures this evening. Hopefully I can take one that shows how pretty he actually is. He's been kept on oats to shrink his keel for mating season. It's still very large. His dewlap is very nice.

Winston didn't like him much this morning. Walter was nervous of things. He's 2 and this is his first time moving. He'll come around.

Susan carried him from the car to the barn last night at 7pm. It was pitch black, icy and a blizzard. Walter didn't fuss much at all!

 

[CelticOaksFarm]

cant wait for pictures

 

[Going Bhonkers]

A little late, but congrats to Missy & Miss L on their 1st egg of the season!




Cant wait to see Walter!

 

[gryeyes]

I have been skulking around trying to catch my geese mating.... Not really! I did notice something going on with Kate acting differently in the stock tank with ducks... But she's always been duck-centric. Anyway, she actually mounted Boadica, a Cayuga duck today in one of the kiddie pools. Boadica is the largest Cayuga gal and has the most white feathers of them all. She is, however, bonded to Elvis, my only Call drake. He wasn't happy about it. Boadica ended the play before I had to intervene.

Kate then ran a victory lap, honking and flapping. Great, that probably means she's a gander instead of a goose, right?

Angus, my gander - at least I think so, about as much as I thought Kate was a goose - has taken a dislike to Madge, my MW Tom turkey. He approaches with his head and neck low, like an arrow pointed at Madge when he's strutting about all puffed and purty. Madge simply twirls and goes off to show somebody else what a Big Boy he is.

Obviously, names aren't necessarily attached to flock members appropriate to gender. Oops.