Toulouse Geese Thread

[Dwen]

Celtic,
Are you sure that Dewlap ganders can handle more than one goose? I have read (Domestic Geese-Barabara Somes) that trios often result in one favorite and one getting ignored. But maybe that only applies to British geese

. It could be age related, but mine seems to have eyes only for the Shetland. I'm not worried about crossbreeding since the others are all geese. Just have to keep the eggs straight.

 

[CelticOaksFarm]

Hey Dwen,

My sebastopols dont mind being in trios at all, we even have a quad this year with high fertility from all three girls. The Dewlaps are split up, but not all the way into pairs either. Our Americans are a pair, but we only have a pair of them to begin with,

 

[wildpeas]

Another question:
Will it be ok to brood him by himself or would it be better to throw in a couple of ducklings for company? I don't want to get in the position I have read about where the gander focuses too much on people as mates.

 

[CelticOaksFarm]

another gosling is best, but since you have geese now brooding with duckling for friends wouldnt be bad. be sure you do fence separate outside time while little when it comes to your adult geese. By the time the new gosling is 3 months old he should be able to be near the adults more and grazing with them. Monitored interactions at first until you know all is well of course.

 

[aoxa]

another gosling is best, but since you have geese now brooding with duckling for friends wouldnt be bad. be sure you do fence separate outside time while little when it comes to your adult geese. By the time the new gosling is 3 months old he should be able to be near the adults more and grazing with them. Monitored interactions at first until you know all is well of course.

I'd be scared to house a dewlap with ducklings in the scary case that it would think it's a duck, and come mating season... that poor duck...

Miss Lydia has a case like this. Thankfully her gander is not nearly as big as my Walter, and her ducks are msucovies and large to start with.

 

[CelticOaksFarm]

she is getting a production toulouse to free range with her adult geese (once it is a juvenile this summer) brooding it with a couple of duckling wont be a big deal at all. If we have 2 goslings hatch they brood with ducklings all the time. Its not raising them together as the only other bird for years, just for company and snuggle factor as youngsters.

 

[aoxa]

she is getting a production toulouse to free range with her adult geese (once it is a juvenile this summer) brooding it with a couple of duckling wont be a big deal at all. If we have 2 goslings hatch they brood with ducklings all the time. Its not raising them together as the only other bird for years, just for company and snuggle factor as youngsters.

Oh I missed that.

My Khaki Campbells were raised with an Embden no problem.. Also with a single chicken. That chicken always thought he was a duck. Poor thing. Would stand out in the rain all day and only mate the ducks...

 

[wildpeas]

aoxa:
Celtic is correct, the ducklings would just be for company while they are in the brooder. My ducks have their own house and yard that is separate from the geese.

Celtic:
I already have a fence between the goose yard and the yard that the new guy will be out in during the day, so that's covered. We are also enlarging the goose house to give more room for nesting but I cannot make it big enough for two extra geese due to the slope of the ground. The ducklings will probably move out to the duck house sooner than the gander will move in with the girls, will he get lonely at night?

 

[aoxa]

Our duck/chicken. The geese are just babies here.. hehe


I love this picture. They always laid down to eat as goslings.

 

[CelticOaksFarm]

yes and no, once they become teenagers it is easier to house at night solo than when they are little. If you can put in a temp wall of the goose house he could move in there when you move the ducks out to the duck yard. The temp wall would keep him safe at night, but make life easier on you for introductions and merging everyone