Who knew how great geese are?!

[Cara]

One of my adorable three week old goslings got a nasty injury to her thigh, I have no idea how. I noticed yesterday when I picked her up that there was a wound almost down to the bone, with some dead flesh. I brought her inside, bathed it, flushed it with peroxide and blue sprayed it. She's been a sweety since I got her, that's why I picked her, but she is just so cool now! We let her graze outside while we were cooking out last night, and she's been staying in the house. She follows me around, and after her bath this morning she's been sitting next to me eating, drinking, sunbathing and preening and causing no trouble at all. If i'd never met a gosling i'd probably never have got geese, all i'd ever met was the mean grown-ups. She is just so friendly and affectionate, and pretty smart. I just love the way goslings chatter to you, it's relaxing to listen to. Not so much when they start screeching because they can't see you though! Knowing my luck her mate will get mad if we're too good friends once they are grown though!

 

[raindrop]

I too am raising my first geese this spring. I was out with my 5 day old Pilgrim pair yesterday and they were happily grazing near me when a bumblebee flew over, they FREAKED out and jumped in my lap. I reassured them and then they were off to munch more grass. So sweet to me and to each other.

 

[greyfields]

I'll say it again, of our cows, sheep, goats, dogs, cats, chickens, ducks, llamas and geese..... our 'gooses' are my favorite. I could watch them all day. They're always finding ways to entertain themselves by stealing tools, ripping open bags of feed, playing 'tag', etc. If I could retire today, I'd sit on the back porch and watch our gooses.

 

[Cara]

Which kind do you keep Greyfields?

 

[greyfields]

Embdens
Pilgrims
Tufted Romans
& a couple Pilgim X Tufted Roman

We keep 18 geese as a breeding flock, which have separated themselves into 3 sub-flocks (The Collective, The Sopranos and The Expensive Ones).

We have around 16 ducks and 14 goslings on the ground at the moment with several more of each in the brooder and 3 more hatches to go this season. I sell them as Christmas Goose the week before Thanksgiving.

 

[Cara]

Is goose pretty much like duck?

I can't believe I asked that with my little friend Webber sat next to me. She's something white, who knows what yet!

 

[greyfields]

It's delicious and a lot like duck. Perhaps more like a red meat then duck, but just slightly. It's also a traditional thing to eat which is important to keep alive. Geese are so much more ecological than these monster turkeys people grow now, which also entirely lack flavor.

My take on the different breeds here:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=42421

 

[MissPrissy]

This is my first year hatching geese. We had geese as a kid but never hatched them ourselves. I am raising geese specifically for Christmas Goose.

 

[snowydiamonds]

Miss Prissy! Not the Pilgrims?!? I've been reading how there are only a few (known) breeding pairs and most have infertility problems due to a small gene pool. Here is one site and I'll try to remember where I saw the "fewer or as few as, 500 breeding pairs listed..."

http://www.albc-usa.org/cpl/waterfowl/pilgrim.html

 

[DuckyBoys]

Quote:
So true - I never knew how attracted I'd actually be to them - I sit next to the brooder watching and pretty soon an hour has goen by.

Those geese - always getting into trouble! How did I ever manage without gooses?