what is a good kind of geese breed to get for the first time

[farmer boy]

axoa's are really pretty i saw them at the show she was holding one ... i could see .. i have to wait until next year anyways ... what is the age they can start breeding ??

 

[ChristineR]

I love my Sebastopols. I just got them this spring from Pips & Peeps as 1 year olds. They were not tame, but have never been aggressive toward me or my ducks and chickens. Although I wouldn't say they are necessarily tame now, they quickly warmed up to me and the female will come up to me making soft noises like she's saying hello. They don't want me to touch them, though. I think they would have made excellent, friendly pets if they had been raised with more human contact.

 

[farmer boy]

axoa said to get though's ones i think they are pretty and look a little weird with the feathers on their stomach

 

[lizzyGSR]

I see I'm a little late jumping into this thread, but I figure "better late than never". I have one goose in with my 9 ducks. My goose is a white chinese that I got at ~1 week old. She (still not 100% sure of gender as she's just now getting close to the age that I'll be able to tell soon) is friendly, curious, and incredibly entertaining. When she was little, she'd follow me around, but she stopped that when I started putting her and the duckling I raised her with outside with the rest of my flock (all ducks who were pretty unfriendly towards me). However, I started holding her for 15-30 minutes every evening and giving her treats when I would go outside during the day. Now, she hears the door and comes running to greet me (begging for treats, of course), but she is also very friendly. The only time she has ever bit me was when I was hand-feeding (some say this is a bad idea, especially with chinese - use discression on this) her a treat and she missed the treat and got my hand. I thoroughly enjoy my goose and would recommend the white chinese to others for several reasons:

- they are good foragers
- they are one of the most prolific egg-layers in the goose world
- they are smaller than most geese and, therefore, eat less food (cheaper to keep during the winters)
- they can be used as "guard geese", which also means that care should be taken to socialize with these birds as they can become mean. However, I have had NO PROBLEM with my goose being aggressive.

 

[Habibs Hens]

chineese geese are good for eggs

but can be good fliers if you dont want that

 

[aberdoodle]

I have several white and brown Chinese geese and have found them to be very nice birds/curious, friendly, good foragers, great alarmists, good egg layers. I had always heard horror stories about how mean they are but have not found that to be the case. The only time I get a hiss or two is during laying season or when they have goslings, but never any real aggression. They are a bit smaller than some breeds which makes feeding them through seasons of vegetation shortage a little easier.
I also have two pair of Africans and one Toulouse and all of them are very friendly. I let them be geese and don't try to make puppies or kittens out of them as they are horrified when I have to pick them up for any reason. They instinctively know they are a prey item and that picking up thing just scares them half to death. They are very easy to herd and move from place to place. All I have to do is extend my arms and I win the biggest wing contest and off they go. Geese are a riot. I could sit and watch them doing their goose stuff all day long.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I have several white and brown Chinese geese and have found them to be very nice birds/curious, friendly, good foragers, great alarmists, good egg layers. I had always heard horror stories about how mean they are but have not found that to be the case. The only time I get a hiss or two is during laying season or when they have goslings, but never any real aggression. They are a bit smaller than some breeds which makes feeding them through seasons of vegetation shortage a little easier.
I also have two pair of Africans and one Toulouse and all of them are very friendly. I let them be geese and don't try to make puppies or kittens out of them as they are horrified when I have to pick them up for any reason. They instinctively know they are a prey item and that picking up thing just scares them half to death. They are very easy to herd and move from place to place. All I have to do is extend my arms and I win the biggest wing contest and off they go. Geese are a riot. I could sit and watch them doing their goose stuff all day long.

 

[aberdoodle]

Thank you!!! Looks like a fun place to hang out!

 

[jdywntr]

I have one Chinese and 4 Africans. Unfortunately, I think I have 1 African female and the rest are male, though 1 is still more of a ?. They are all very good foragers, have only challenged me once though they are not fond of my husband but he is rarely out there. They do make great alarms. I know whenever anyone or thing is approaching and they finally stopped sounding an alarm at the horses and donkeys that live on the property

Part of me wishes I had gotten a quieter breed but that is mostly in the morning when I let them out and they are honking up a storm. They are not good with the ducks and the chickens so I am going to be figuring out how I will seperate them. Though I'm hoping that may change when I process the extra boys.

They are very entertaining and they do call all of the other birds in if there is a problem or its time to eat. They will go after people they don't know (sorry to my landlord) but I don't mind that, just let me know that you are coming over. They don't range as far as some of the chickens, which may be a good thing since I lost 3 chickens to 2 local dogs in the back of our pasture the other day

Good luck on your goosey adventure, whenever it happens.