Vent sexing my Brown Africans

[whytedragon]

Hi all! I have two young Brown African geese that I recently acquired..they are both young, One is about 4 weeks, the other maybe 6 weeks..I'm assuming based on what the breeder said the youngest was.

Anyway, I decided I wanted to learn to vent sex them. I'm a hands-on person, and I'm not squimish. I watched the Metzer video on vent sexing and tried my hand. I also have call ducklings and pekin ducklings and they were EASY.
One of the geese was easy..saw a penis almost immediately..the other, I saw nothing protruding..but what I first mistook as a penis I am not sure. This "thing" I saw was tiny..laid flat, and had a black tip. It was in the shape of a wave..best I can describe it..and it did not protrude whatsoever no matter how much I tried to expose it. I am wondering if this is what is called the "female eminence"?

I know I am new to vent sexing, but honestly it was very easy with the ducklings and the smaller gander...I'm just not 100% what I saw on the older goose.

Can anyone identify this flat, non-protruding object with a black tip? Btw..it was not white like the penis was on the gander..and like I said, did not protrude at all..it was like it was attached to the outer lining.

I am hoping to get advice from someone who is skilled, or confident in their goose vent sexing abilities who may have seen this before.
Please don't feel the need to inform me of how dangerous it is to vent sex without experience, I'm aware of the risk I took..and do plan to do it again to gain more experience.
Thanks!

 

[Winisk]

It sounds like it`s a female. Rookies often mistake that for a penis especially if the cloaca was not fully opened. But if it was more on the edge rather than emerging from the center there is little doubt from what you described.

I`ve sexed many thousands of wild geese through the years, goslings and adults. I have also observed and trained many biologists to sex geese. It does take a certain knack to get it done right. In my mind there is only one way to learn and that is to practice. Observing it done properly with an experienced person is ideal. The greatest threat is not handling them right, allowing the goose to fight to break free with wings and legs and feathers going everywhere. Dislocations and broken wings can result if the handler is stubborn, inexperienced, and doesn`t let go. Damage can also be done to the person. If the goose is immobilized with proper handling, no worries, and the goose will be released with nothing but a bruised ego.

Good for you to give it a go.

 

[whytedragon]

Thank you! Boy did I get lucky..I was only allowed 2 geese..or should I say... only 2 to keep hubby content..cause if I wanted more i'd get more, lol.
So I should have a nice pair (no pun intended).

Also, my worries also were about proper handling..and I did hold them upside down a bit, that had me worried. But luckily they are very calm, good natured birds, and didn't mind much. They just walked off wondering what had just happened, haha.
I also knew full well not to squeeze anything, I wonder if that is the most common mistake.

Yes..this "thing" was attached to the outer wall..not quite the vent opening, but the opening within the opening..if that makes sense. Not coming from the opening itself..or orifice. The other one's did come from the orifice and was quite obvious.

Anyway, I am very pleased..and more-so that I got so much experience in one day! I do feel I have a knack for it! Now if only I could learn on chickens..

 

[crj]

I have vent sexed may ducklings and have attempted my geese. I'm not sure if I did that good of a job but I'm hoping. Winisk, you are right. You have to try in order to learn.

My question is. At what age should you NOT vent sex a gosling? I would like to give it another go but I'm afraid my goslings might be too old. They are about 7 weeks old. Shocking to see how fast they have grown! I just looked up dates to see when they hatched and I thought they were older since they are almost 1/2 the size of the adults already.

 

[Winisk]

Personally I prefer to wait until they are older. I recently acquired two day old goslings. I waited until they started to feather out, a month or so, before I bothered to determine their gender. There is no reason not to sex them at any age if you know how to handle a goose. I can sex a fully grown Giant Canada goose gander. They give me the evil eye afterward mind you. Having said that, the older they get, the stronger they are, the more they struggle, and the tighter they can squeeze their vent shut. This is where a little experience helps.

Tuck head under wing, which calms them down. Sit down and keep it between your thighs head down, belly to belly. Tip the tail feathers back all the way. This helps a lot. Then use your fingers and thumbs to pull down and stretch open. If goose is relaxed it will happen without much effort and the goodies, if present, will pop out unmistakably. An agitated adult goose that is struggling will tighten up and make life difficult for you. If it does not cooperate please take pity on the goose and let it go after giving it your best effort. Do not force anything! Hope this helps.