Geese Breeding

[AGeese]

Several of you let your geese do their thing, but I'm just wondering why we don't have more breed and trait related geese discussion? With so few available domestics in the states I would think this would be new ground.

We're pretty much all raising heritage breeds, but beyond these varieties what types of traits or characteristics would be desirable to you? What should be preserved? perfected?

Is there anyone working on a specific breed for SOP, Utility or Show?

Let me know!

 

[AGeese]

@Goosebaby @JRies @AKMommaF8 @3xhhheather @ColtHandorf @Miss Lydia @Isadora @yesterDAYNE @Artizen Farm @Callender Girl @Albert the Saxony @oldhenlikesdogs
@michelle1

Calling all Geese Peeps! I'm sure I left a bunch out, but I think this list is probably the broodiest. So what's your Vision? Goals? System? Observations? Are you ready for mating season?

 

[ColtHandorf]

I'm not even looking at setting mine up until February, probably. Until then they are just all together.

 

[AGeese]

Do they give you much trouble? or are they naturally paired up?

 

[JRies]

Mine dont get a choice I do watch them all year to see who the prefer and some pairings I would have to just eat the eggs.
I have 6 different stall with large run pens that they all have access to except at breeding season when all the gates get closed. Last year I separated them in January... It was a little to early as I found out. I will wait till Feb this year,
I have 3 different colors of African Dewlaps and then there is mama my little production goose.. 4 of my geese came direct from Dave Holderread who have fantastic genetics. They will get paired off with my buffs, My buff boys have some new girls this year that came from that pairing last year... Most of my whites will stay together but one of the girls in the late season will get paired off with one of my Browns to get a split (yep the babies will have white spots) I will keep the best one to breed back in again to get a full split.. The best of them will be kept to go back to the whites and improve the quality... Very few white hold to standard's in the US
My boys are all opportunists at breeding season.
sorry to much info but my passion is to get good breeding pairs to others and if I give the birds that are to interbred it wouldn't help the bred to flourish.
Oh and Mama gets the best pen she will lay and go broody first her eggs are not usually futile but will do some swaps with others eggs. her eggs are tinny so easy to pick out... As soon as I hatch the first babies she get them I will steel her eggs and will spend the spring happy raising all the babies in the heated stall, it was more than 30 she raised last year.

 

[Goosebaby]

I don’t really have a breeding plan as I’m in no position to add more unrelated girls to my flock to make that happen (for now) but if I did I’ve always wanted to expand on this double knob thing my gander Strawberry has going on.





I only decide who pairs up with who based on who’s most relaxed around each other, “I’m not planning on goslings,” usually they sort out who gets along best themselves but I have one tricky dynamic that I have to get involved in.

One of my girls “Dandelion” likes to play games with other people’s lives. She’s a floozy and she likes pitting ganders against each other, particularly Helios and Roxby.

She’ll bat her eyes at one gander, but then run off with the other, then she’ll act like a damsel that needs rescuing, and then the fight is on.

Helios is a teddy bear, but he is massive, Roxby is spicier and more dominant but he’s had health issues and is smaller, so when Helios finally gets angry it isn’t safe for Roxby to be within his reach.
Roxby can be more obsessive over Dandelion than Helios but last year “and probably again this year.” I’ve chosen to place Dandelion with Helios, which unfortunatly stresses Roxby but the reason is because her constant games and flip flopping stresses Roxby even more when she’s with him, the constant anxiety and mind games she puts him under isn’t healthy. He’s upset with it initially but overall placing him with Tuesday and Apricot “two of my other girls” is better for his mental and physical well being.

 

[ColtHandorf]

Do they give you much trouble? or are they naturally paired up?

The Buff gander Golly ends up with all the hens. lol It's really annoying. If I separate the Pomeranians out quick enough they will mate though.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I lost my gander this past Feb. So there will be no breeding here with my geese. BUT I'll have to watch 2 of my Runner females who are absolutely in love the Missy my goose and she doesn't like them laying down in front of her to breed. She stepped on one and chewed the face of the other one.

 

[ColtHandorf]

She stepped on one and chewed the face of the other one.

Sometimes I feel about waterfowl the way Gandalf felt about hobbits.

 

[Isadora]

Thanks for tagging me.
I just let my geese do their own thing. I have a couple I'm going to butcher shortly and I will be down to a single pair. Don't really have specific desires as far as traits because I hatch goslings to eat and nothing else.
I have a Toulouse gander and a female who is a pilgrim/buff mix.