My goose was about 18 mos old this spring. Last winter she was treated for lead poisoning, I was pleased that we had 4/5 eggs hatch. The eggs were all sizes and shapes but pretty close weight wise. When they hatched two goslings were pretty good size and two were smaller - this one being the smallest. One larger and the middle sized one went to be "house geese" and are doing great, spoiled rotten, and very much loved. The other gosling is a piggy, he is always eating, even if he's laying down. This one eats with gusto when it is eating, but doesn't seem to be as enthusiastic. She spends a lot of time just following along and "tasting" the grass. She eats their food easily enough. She also startles easier. The parents are very, very protective and if they react she screams and runs. If she isn't paying attention and the others wander away she might scream and run to catch up if she is startled. The only way that I can hold her without her making a lot of noise is if I'm holding the goose in my other arm. The goose was hand raised and is quite tame, the gander is a rescue and there is no way I could ever hold him in my lap the way I do the goose. The gander will leave folks alone unless they get too close to the babies, but if he does nip he goes for skin and ignores clothing.
