Baby Geese! (Photos added ... they are large though)

GoodEgg

Songster
12 Years
Feb 12, 2007
724
12
159
NW Florida
No one warned me that these are just the CUTEST little guys going !!!

I looked all over for geese last year, but never could get any. Today, wouldn't you know it, they arrived late at the feed store so just HAPPENED to be there when we came in for feed.

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We debated for a while whether we really wanted to add more poultry right now. As it is, I have some buff orps and light brahmas in the brooder, and I never imagined having TWO brooders going at once.

Still, we tried for so long last year to get them, and our grass IS getting high in the front. We decided to take the plunge. I wasn't ready for them, though, and so I paid and asked the feed store to hold them till closing today, or tomorrow. We ended up making it back just before closing today (about two hours we saw them) and almost all except the ones we'd paid for were already gone.

Sooooo .... we are now the proud parents of 3 little goslings. And I think "parent" is the right word. They are SO different from ducklings or chicks. Maybe we've already spoiled them, but they cry constantly if they can't see us, and what they REALLY want is to be held and groomed while they nuzzle our fingers and drift off to sleep.

They are the most precious and friendly little things going.

I just hope they don't grow up and turn into terrors in the breeding season, LOL.

But for now we are enjoying them. I'll probably have tons of questions later, but so far everything seems pretty straightforward with them. They aren't hungry, but have made a mess of the water. And they are easy to keep warm too, compared to chicks. Just not easy to settle on their own, LOL.

I might have to try the stuffed animal trick, but so far they aren't buying anything but being held or at least talked to while the can see us.

Gotta go feed the ducks ... Baka is screaming for her evening hand-out that she expect EVERY night!

trish
 
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i got a goose 2day, i think it is african. i know nothing about them. i put it in with my 3 week old chicks and my 3 day old goose is bigger! im looking for material to understand it better. sure is soft! it made itself at home w/the chicks.
 
I got some a couple of weeks ago. At first I had one gosling and two ducklings, and the gosling would peep constantly if I wasn't holding her or in the room. I went and got her a friend the next day and ended up with....two peeping geese. They outgrow it pretty quick though.
 
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LOL...
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I have American buffs coming this week, 4 of them so I hope they don't ALL want to be cuddled! We'll have to work shifts!
 
OK, I finally have photos!

The digital ones didn't come out well, but I had a roll of film developed today.

The funny thing about looking up breed photos online is that it is hard to find photos of goslings that DON'T look like ours. About 80% of goose breeds do, at least to my untrained eyes. I guess we may have to wait quite some time to find out what we have!

Here are some photos, if I can get this to work ...

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This is one of the dark colored goslings the day we brought them home. Already they love to snuggle into our hands and fall asleep. They nibble and "groom" us too!

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Same, of the yellow gosling. We have one yellow and two darker marked ones. According to some of the photos I have seen, the yellow MAY be a gander, and the darker ones geese, but it all depends upon what breed/s they are.

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This is a photo from day 2 of the trio outside. They started "foraging" immediately, trying out the tips and seedheads of various weeds. They are also GREAT at following us anywhere, running full out with their little wings outstretched. They often call like they are afraid of becoming lost or left behind as they follow us.

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Another general photo of the trio outside. It was very hard to take pictures of them, because they followed me so closely! Unless I wanted all the photos of me looking down from above, I had to sneak away and try to be VERY quick to snap them!

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And one of the darker marked ones outside. They are soooo cute!

These guys are quite an experience. If anything, they are even closer to me now than they were when I brought them home. I have to be right with them or they won't settle. Right now they are in a tiny cardboard box, because they won't stay in the brooder but cry and try to jump out if they can't see me. As long as they can see me, and preferably if my hand is in the box, they are ok.

What's going to happen when I have to work tomorrow??? (I do have a gosling-sitter, btw!)

LOL, this is separation anxiety to the extreme!

I'm glad to hear some of them grew out of it. I love that they are so sweet and tame, but they are VERY NEEDY, LOL!

trish
 
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gosh! They are absolutely darling!!! I'm going to have to take time off work if mine hatch out!!! I'm also going to feel so badly if mine can't have at least one hatch for all their dedicated work, too...what are you feeding? Regular goose pellets with grazing?
 
We had a funny incident with mine this week. They are in a brooder in the mud room at the moment, and my husband and I got back from branding calves on Saturday to find the door open and no goslings and ducklings in sight. We looked in the mud room, the dining room, the kitchen.... no babies. When we got to the front room we heard them cheeping and splashing, swimming in the dogs' water bowl.
 

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