Topic of the Week - Raising and caring for goslings

[Goosebaby]

I don't know if my gander has broken bone. his feathers grew like "angel wings" feathers after he was attacked. maybe they damaged his feathers not bone. his wing does not look broken.

Without an x ray it’s hard to tell if there’s a break.

 

[LittleLass]

I actually want to get some CottonPatch Geese for my mom as a birthday gift. But I don't know where to get any. I know they are a heritage breed. I'm located in ludowici ga. If their is anybody willing to meet please pm me.

 

[Farmerlaney]

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This week I would like to hear your thoughts and practices on raising and caring for goslings. Whether it's artificial or with a mother. Specifically:

- For brooder raised goslings: What are the brooder requirements?
- What is the best food for growing goslings?
- At what age can brooder-raised goslings be moved outside?

Anything you would like to add.

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Pic by @wildpeas​

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I brooded my goslings in a 100 gallon water trough with the heat in my house for 4 weeks till they outgrew the trough and began feathering in. Geese are social very intelligent birds and they need socialization and mental stimulation so making them part of the family is a must as they get a bit like guard dogs as adults and will fiercely protect their perceived family and property. I have 10 acres of property with 2 acres of yard planted with field rx for lawn. I do not need a lawnmower the geese take care of it. They love fresh clover and many of the pasture grasses they eat a mix of fresh veggies and fruits scratch grains and pellets. Once geese are of sexual maturity they can be sexed by tail feathers does your goose tail feathers have a point to the end of them or are they rounded or seemingly flat?

 

[chickengr]

I brooded my goslings in a 100 gallon water trough with the heat in my house for 4 weeks till they outgrew the trough and began feathering in. Geese are social very intelligent birds and they need socialization and mental stimulation so making them part of the family is a must as they get a bit like guard dogs as adults and will fiercely protect their perceived family and property. I have 10 acres of property with 2 acres of yard planted with field rx for lawn. I do not need a lawnmower the geese take care of it. They love fresh clover and many of the pasture grasses they eat a mix of fresh veggies and fruits scratch grains and pellets. Once geese are of sexual maturity they can be sexed by tail feathers does your goose tail feathers have a point to the end of them or are they rounded or seemingly flat?

can you please explain tail sexing geese. I have toulouse mixes and african geese. africans are easier to sex but toulouse mixes are still mystery to me.

 

[Goosebaby]

I don’t know about tail sexing, I haven’t spent a lot of time determining if there’s a difference in tails and I haven’t noticed anything that stands out in that regard.

With adult geese visual sexing can sometimes be tricky. If you’re around geese enough it can become clearer but if you’re a new owner, it’s harder, especially if they unknowingly have a same sex pair or a mix of widely different breeds, differences can be very hard to distinguish and you can easily misidentify traits as either male or female.

Ganders tend to have a longer neck in proportion to their bodies compared to females, females tend to have a squatter build. Females also will have a poofy looking rear end just prior to and during laying season.

Sometimes behavior is a better tell, but not always. Ganders tend to be naturally more protective than females and will want to stand between their partner and whoever is approaching. Ganders can bond fairly well with other ganders so if you’ve got two, the more dominant will be protective of the more submissive gander, hence why it can be tricky.