Goslings! Goslings! - new pics

[gryeyes]

I have a sexed pair of Toulouse goslings from Ideal Poultry! They, and 12 little packing peanut chicks were delivered this morning!

(Pictures later, I promise - I am at work right now.)

These are my surprise goslings, as I saw they were "out until 2012" on the Ideal website. Filled out the Notify Me thing, got a call the next day, provided information, and was told if they got some they'd send me the pair I requested. Didn't hear from them again.

Friends of mine and I went in on an order of chicks and those arrived this morning, shipped yesterday. I thought, hmmmmmmm, and called Ideal. Well, yes, we shipped your pair of sexed Toulouse goslings yesterday.

Whoa! So I called my UPS Store (where I maintain my mailing address) to warn them.

45 minutes later they called me: Linda, they're here!

I had to wait for my lunch break, dash over, get the peeping and whistling box, rush home and throw together a quick brooder, take the EcoGlow out of one other brooder where a pair of D'Uccles really don't need the heat any more, and plop it into the Rubbermaid bin for the newest group of babies. Food, water, and supplemental heat, good to go. And head back to work.

I got my goslings!!!!

 

[Eroc1_1]

Can't wait to see pictures.

 

[gryeyes]

This is the box of cheeping and whistling babies, awaiting me at the UPS store. That's when I realized I had packing peanuts, too.....

This is the "emergency brooder" I threw together on my lunch break from work. I just grabbed a waterer and the EcoGlow (both not cleaned or anything, sorry!) from a brooder which is hardly used by the pair of D'Uccles who actually visit the other brooders and share with those chicks.... and put the new babies in it. I put a wire cover over this one, because of those "visiting" D'Uccles, who are very curious about everything. Basically, it's THEIR bathroom now, until I get housing set up for them...

Anyway, here are Kate and William and some of their packing peanut minions.

Now that I'm home, I've cleaned things up a bit but will take individual gosling photos later. After all the excitement, I'm kinda pooped.

 

[ericay]

Love the story. Will and Kate are beautiful!

 

[Rosebud 18]

Isn't that something. I named my pilgrim goslings that I got from Metzers in april Will and Kate to.
Yours are sure cute, they look a lot like mine did when I got them.

 

[theron]

Very Cute.

Enjoy and Have Fun! You are just getting into the first phase, and the rest is sure to come.....

 

[gryeyes]

Now that William and Kate are about a week old, they each have some personality. Kate is very affectionate and outgoing, comes to my hand and gabbles the whole time. She is quite active in the brooder. William is more shy, but not terrified of me or my hand. He just prefers to be patted/petted instead of picked up. He is ferocious about anything to bill: the label on the EcoGlow brooder, specks on the brooder bin walls, etc. I watched him relentlessly attempt to catch a fly on the OUTSIDE of the brooder, visible through the translucent plastic. The fly just hung out there whilst William tapped, tapped, tapped, tapped at the fly on the other side of the barrier. He WAS bigger than Kate when they arrived, but she's almost the same size as is he, right now.

I hope he's not ill.... I started adding vitamins to their water today.

They're in the same brooder as the packing peanut chicks with which they arrived. It's all a happy group, nestling against each other when they nap or sleep. When the goslings get too big to safely leave them with the smaller chicks, I'll separate 'em.

I just love how the goslings turn their heads straight up, necks outstretched, gabbling into the air like they're talking to me, as I stand next to the brooder bin (which is up on an old dresser).

 

[NYRIR]

Quote:
Ok Gryeyes....UPDATED PICS please! I also love how they "talk"to you....wish I knew what they were saying....

 

[gryeyes]

Apparently William WAS ill. He died yesterday.

When I called Ideal, trying to order another sexed pair or a single gosling, the representative said they were totally out of all geese, as that had been the last hatching for them for the year. (I was refunded the amount for the male gosling.)

A friend of mine found a CraigsList offering for a "2-3 week old Toulouse gosling" today and I called and made arrangements to buy it. (I think it's a male.) Before I arrived, I planned on putting it in a much larger brooder with Kate, but when the family member brought him out in a box, saying "He's not little any more," I knew that was an impossible plan.

She was quite sad, and made sure to tell me "He likes chickens, we have a lot of chickens. He swims, too." Well, I assured her I have a lot of chickens, too.

Riding in the box in the front passenger seat was not working for NewGosling. I picked him up and held him to my chest as I drove home. He snuggled and billed my hair and neck and necklace and calmed right down.

I got home covered in goose crap. Work clothes went straight into the washer.

My flock of ducks were in the front yard, playing in the leaky hose mud puddle. NG joined them, not at all phased by the various chickens clamoring for treats and attention. He wanted to follow me more than them, though. I went inside to check on Kate and her packing peanut buddies (all is fine). NG decided to follow the ducks.

They came completely around the house into the back yard, NG following with little whistles, trying to waddle as fast as the ducks.

This is NG (temporary name, I think) standing by himself. He's nearly as large as the Cayuga ducks!

Here he is discovering the chicken feed in the container I set down for a while.

And here he is standing by a waterer.

For comparison, here's my little, week old Kate, in the brooder with the packing peanuts.

 

[NYRIR]

O my goodness gryeyes! I'm so sorry for your loss! What a dilemma the size differences can make! They are both beautiful however...thanks for the photos! I,on the other hand,find myself wondering how MANY boys I got! I still don't know for sure about the adult (white whatever breeds

) and the 3 goslings I don't know either! Oh well....time will tell. I am SOOOO glad I will be getting the 2 known Toulouse pair from fellow byc'r....that's what I wanted to start with!
Here's an updated pic of goslings....2 are light...one is grey

And the grey one...

ETA: your packing peanuts sure are cute too