Update on "Christmas" the goose and another ?

[JaciesCoop]

Some of you may remember the goose that adopted me. Well she is doing fine and thriving and even comes to greet me when I drive up now.
But the other geese (5 of them with one really agressive one) have been coming over here now and harrassing her. Today I hear a lot of goose noise and run out. The real aggressive one is attacking or trying to mount Christmas.
Do geese fight? And do they mount like a rooster? If they do then I would say for sure that Christmas is a girl.

Any help would be appreciated.

She is even starting to go in her shelter to rest during the day so I guess she is happy. Still loves to be held and pampered.

Jacie

 

[JaciesCoop]

Are there no geese people on tonight? Just my luck!
Jacie

 

[JaciesCoop]

Well no one is answering my questions but I have some more. How often do geese lay and will they go to their shelter to lay?

Christmas is doing quite well. She is a love and the only problem we have with her is she hates it when a car leaves the drive. This video is an example of her behavior.

She is the sweetest thing and both DH and I are becoming very fond of her.
I got her a leg band this week and she hasn't fussed about it at all.

I hope someone can give me some ideas on goose behavior and maybe a link to read more about them.

Take Care
Jacie

http://s231.photobucket.com/albums/ee221/5azsisters/?action=view&current=Xmaschaisingcar.flv

 

[greyfields]

My geese (18 breeders at the moment, as many as 40 next Spring) always meet our cars as they come into the driveway and follow us awhile after we leave. The noise she's making in the video is just standard goose chatter which is just letting you know they're there. Mine are all extremely talkative, and you can even tell some apart by the noise alone they make.

Geese are notorious for not wanting to lay eggs where you plan for it to happen. Most people accept this, then erect a shelter around the spot "she chooses". Your goose (if she indeed is female) is just coming into the time they typical mate and lay eggs; but in their first year they may not lay at all.

Male geese will mount a goose like a chicken does, but it's more common to watch it on water. I've never seen a goose say "no" to a gander, so I'm not sure how aggressively they'll do it. Two males, however, will do a very long, ornate dance when they're competing for dominance. They'll intertwine their knecks then try to nip/grab eachother by the back to and mount the other. It's typicaly harmless, since goose fights are in slow motion and usually end with one goose pinching the other and holding on for a few mintues, until the other stops struggling.

As far as geese behavior, we are blessed to have Dave Holderread out there. If you can find his goose book, you'll know everything you need to. It's only available at a few hatcheries last time I bought a copy (I think Metzer stocks it). Here is the Holderread sanctuary website:

http://www.holderreadfarm.com/index.htm

 

[JaciesCoop]

Thank you for the explainations and the link. It is very helpful
Jacie

 

[greyfields]

Here you go, the third book down:

http://www.metzerfarms.com/books.htm

 

[DuckLady]

The Book of Geese is awesome, as is Storey's Guide to Raising Ducks.
I am about 2 hours from Holderreads and wish they did farm tours. But I understand why they don't.

 

[JaciesCoop]

Thank you so much. I will order that book right away!

 

[Mac]

There are lots of folks here with geese, and I hope you can get other replies.

 

[greyfields]

I am unashamed in admitting that the geese are my favorite part of having the farm. I can watch them for hours. They will chatter at me all day given half the chance. And after dark, if I'm just checking they are alright, I need only peek my head out the backdoor and shout "honk honk honk HONK honk" at them... and they all shout back letting me know they're OK.

Not that I don't love our 16 cats, 2 dogs, 5 goats, 10 sheep, 5 cows, 140+/- hens, 15+/- roosters, all the piggies (that last of which went into the freezer this week), 11 ducks and 18 or so geese... not to mention the geese we raise for Christmas meat birds (we did 16 this year for customers) and the 150-200 meat chickens we raise a year. The geese are definitely special.