What to do about a biting gander?

[violets812]

Hi!

I am from a city and married a rancher almost 8 years ago. Now we spend most of the time at a house I bought where my daughter & my grandkids live. It was SO fun having bantams (because of all the scary rooster stories I had heard) guinea fowls and geese. I had a Canada gosling - really I think they are the most peaceful & quiestest of all the geese. But after a couple of months I was overwhelmed with the 24/7 gosling with diapers. I ordered 2 Chinese Geese. When I look back, they were the most interesting - they were always up to something. But mean - oooh - these two were MEAN. My first bite was the girl when I was at the faucet trying to get fill their bowl up with clean water. I wonder if someone stabbing you could hurt worse. Oh my goodness, a wasp sting is nothing compared to a full blown goose bite. It was 2 months before the back of my arm felt smooth. It seems like the bite (with those little dinosaur teeth and then maybe jerk their head to the side) had torn my flesh under the skin away from the surrounding flesh. You could feel under my skin and that's exactly what it felt like. And it was bright red - like a bright red tattoo. I had NO idea that they could hurt you so much. And sneaky - just sneak up behind you and OMG deliver the pain!! I actually started (like others have said) not letting them nibble at me, as cute as it seems.

Remembering I was a city girl, please don't judge too harshly. I cried from that bite. Then I went in one of the many sheds and got my husband's axe. I ran after the goose, swinging the axe over and over. My mother-in-law (seems that family living all around you is part of the deal of living on a ranch) called me on my cell phone which I was told to always keep with me, in case I fell, or whatever. She strongly recommended that I stop wildly swinging an axe as I ran. Ooop - I had no idea then how much time she spent looking over at our place, haha! I put the axe away and the Chinese goose had gone in the goose pen, where their food was. I corned her, grabbed her throat - that's the easiest I think - and I never (even then) applied pressure. I wasn't choking her by any means, as much as I wanted to... Then I put my arms around her wings and picked her up. I put in the back of my car and took her to a family my husband was friends with - they took her after listening to my hysterical story. I think they liked me at first because they were sick of all the old stories they had told since all their grandparents were kids and I ran from a calf because I thought it was trying to bite me (I had a large calf milk bottle in my hand.) Yes, I was a big source of jokes. The gander ended up getting so bad that if I walked outside I carried a broom - even then there were many times that I would get in one side of my car and climb over the gear shift to the other side, get out and run up the steps to the door. People used to ask me, do you still run to your car. ugh When he started "flying-jumping" up over the broom to get me, I called the people who had geese and he was reunited with his partner.

The Canada goose (I had the required Migratory Bird paper from the seller) never turned mean like that. But she was a goose too, not a gander. I am so sorry for your bite(s). Yes, they are unbelievably painful!!

Trisha (violets812)

 

[Cottage Rose]

When ganders reach breeding age they become noble protectors of their family.
That is only natural and we should respect that chivalry BUT as humans we don't like getting bit or slapped by those strong wings so when a gander gets too uppity with me I grab them by the neck under the head to have control of the biting end (careful of those flapping wings/they can do some damage) and I either hold them snugly in my lap, tight and cozy or I pin them to the ground then I rub their heads to annoy them even further. Hold them down securely for a few minutes in a display of dominance.
I also call them insulting names just for fun like... "you wuss, you don't scare me" or "whose your daddy now?!"
This usually works to keep them at bay but can be repeated as needed until they get the idea that you are boss and you will not tolerate getting bit.
Whenever a gander starts to aggressively come after you like he's going to bite,
face him and walk confidently toward him and if he doesn't back off use the hug and rub method.
I have one gander that is just as sweet as pie during the off season but during the breeding season he thinks
I look like a big target to him and yes he has more than once biten me on the butt and thigh asI was bending
over to take eggs out of the nest. Never run away from them or act like you are afriad of him.
Some never need the hug method and will merely get hissy during the breeding season but if you have
a biter try this method and see if it helps. Most return to their former docile selves after the breeding season is over.
Females will bite too when on the nest but of course one does not use this method on nesting females
only sassy pants ganders that try to bite too much.
Thanks to Carla Mitchell for passing this method along to me.

 

[Lollipop]

Very interresting stories, ladies. Gotta share how my wife responds to aggresive ganders. it's similar to the above. Our first gander, a white Chinese, never liked her flowing housecoat. He would attack whenever she was in the yard. She decided that no goose was gonna treat her like that, so she began grabbing hiss bill and scolding him. then she would kiss his topknot and turn him loose. At first he would return for more humiliation, but after doing this for about 3 days strait, he decided that she was a good guy and ceased the aggression. he turned out to be the life of all out parties and a fun guy to have around. Hope yours works out........Pop

 

[newduckie]

my gander is very cranky right now and about once a week I have to straighten him out. I do the same tactics with my Tom Turkey. they came at me and i time it. ... I have gotten very good with the timeing... When they get close enough, I grab them by the neck and push them to the ground and pet them and tell them what BIG TOUGH boys they are. I pet and humiliate them for several minutes and then when I let go ... they are running fast...lol THey hate being in that humiliating position and will not even approach me for a week or more, thn it is like their little tiny brains forget and they have to have a refresher . lol

 

[newduckie]

also... I NEVER turn my back on them. that is a sure way to get bit.