Help with my aggressive gander?!

[TheGooseGirl14]

I have had my African gander Simba since he was 2 days old. He is super sweet, totally nice to me and my family and not aggressive towards new people. He has bitten me only once when I picked him up really fast during a party to show him off and he got kind of freaked out. I raised him with his brother and when he was 6 months old I got a toulousse that I have since sold. So he's had contact with other geese. He's been the only goose for the past year, but he did have a pekin duck and 4 muscovies to hang out with. A few weeks ago I introduced some call ducks who he is AWESOME with, a total guardian angel. Since then I have introduced 3 more pekins, a khaki campbell and 3 Welsh Harlequins. He has started bullying just the 'brown' ducks (khaki and harlequins) all the other ducks are white except the 2 bibbed calls. I figured he was bored and needed a girlfriend so I bought him a lovely young pilgrim goose named Roanie. He is brutal to her! I honestly have never seen him be so incredibly mean to another bird. my original plan was to have the two of them sleep together seperated from the other ducks at night. After one night of that She was so beat up that now Simba is sleeping with the muscovies and seperated from all the other ducks and Roanie is with all the ducks. When I try to get Simba to calm down around Roanie he grabs her at the bottom of her neck and doesn't let go. She just screams doesn't fight back. Most of the time I rescue her and manage to fight Simba off, even with me defending her he goes after her. I'm half afraid to defend her because is that like me 'claiming' her or something. How can I get him to accept her and the brown ducks without anyone getting hurt?

 

[Miss Lydia]

I have had my African gander Simba since he was 2 days old. He is super sweet, totally nice to me and my family and not aggressive towards new people. He has bitten me only once when I picked him up really fast during a party to show him off and he got kind of freaked out. I raised him with his brother and when he was 6 months old I got a toulousse that I have since sold. So he's had contact with other geese. He's been the only goose for the past year, but he did have a pekin duck and 4 muscovies to hang out with. A few weeks ago I introduced some call ducks who he is AWESOME with, a total guardian angel. Since then I have introduced 3 more pekins, a khaki campbell and 3 Welsh Harlequins. He has started bullying just the 'brown' ducks (khaki and harlequins) all the other ducks are white except the 2 bibbed calls. I figured he was bored and needed a girlfriend so I bought him a lovely young pilgrim goose named Roanie. He is brutal to her! I honestly have never seen him be so incredibly mean to another bird. my original plan was to have the two of them sleep together seperated from the other ducks at night. After one night of that She was so beat up that now Simba is sleeping with the muscovies and seperated from all the other ducks and Roanie is with all the ducks. When I try to get Simba to calm down around Roanie he grabs her at the bottom of her neck and doesn't let go. She just screams doesn't fight back. Most of the time I rescue her and manage to fight Simba off, even with me defending her he goes after her. I'm half afraid to defend her because is that like me 'claiming' her or something. How can I get him to accept her and the brown ducks without anyone getting hurt?

It's going to take time and patience, you can't just bring in outsiders[which is what he thinks they are] and plop them down in his territory and think all will be well. The way you have it now will be best till Simba realizes everyone belongs there. Can you keep them separate but where they can all still see each other?Last August I finally found a goose for my gander, he was hatched by a Muscovy ducks and has thought of himself as a giant duck for over 5 years, so I go and bring home a goose for him, she of course being only 4 months old was in love right off him not so much, she was an intruder. We built them a stall and I used plastic poultry fencing to make a divider so I could lift it up in the morning to let my goose out but it would be between them at night for sleeping, he wanted no part of her, so after 3 months of him acting the fool, I separated him from his Muscovy mother and the other 3 Muscovy's that he was raised with and who he had mated with, and soon he started paying attention to the goose, but it wasn't till mating season started that they became 1. Now they are inseparable, and he finally knows he is a gander and not a duck. He can actually be around those he grew up with and it doesn't affect him at all. This started in August when I got the goose and they mated in Jan. So saying all of that bring me to this, they will most likely become a pair, it's just going to take time and a little work on your part to figure out how to get them together. When I first separated my gander from his ducks, I even put up a barrier so they couldn't see each other. I am just fortunate to be able to have my place set up where i could do that, I realize not every one can.I hope this helped some. and All the best as you work this out for your flock.

 

[memew3]

Similar problem, please advise. I have had a pair of African Grey geese for 4 years. A year ago, I purchased another pair (m/f) of goslings. When I introduced them to our lake in June, everyone was accepted. In January, the old gander, Mr. Goosey turned on his mate and started attacking her. The pecking and dragging under the water has last for 15 plus minutes at a time. Now he has joined the younger pair and the old Miss Goosey has to stay at least 10 ft away or he will rush her. The older pair have never laid eggs that I have seen, but I do know that the new female is laying. Is he trying to cull Miss Goosey? I penned her up this past week to see if everyone will come down and the three roaming are content, but he will charge Miss Goosey's pen on occasion. She will just cower down in her pen.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Similar problem, please advise. I have had a pair of African Grey geese for 4 years. A year ago, I purchased another pair (m/f) of goslings. When I introduced them to our lake in June, everyone was accepted. In January, the old gander, Mr. Goosey turned on his mate and started attacking her. The pecking and dragging under the water has last for 15 plus minutes at a time. Now he has joined the younger pair and the old Miss Goosey has to stay at least 10 ft away or he will rush her. The older pair have never laid eggs that I have seen, but I do know that the new female is laying. Is he trying to cull Miss Goosey? I penned her up this past week to see if everyone will come down and the three roaming are content, but he will charge Miss Goosey's pen on occasion. She will just cower down in her pen.

Are you sure Miss Goosey is a goose? sounds more like gander behavior, they were content till new female came of age now Miss G who may not be Miss G is not welcome in the group. He is keeping the other gander away which is normal, how about the other gosling is it a female too? you might want to get one of the younger and put in with Miss G and see how that arrangement goes. then at least till mating season is over you can keep them separated and when it's over they can all be together again, maybe rotate so one pair can be out the other locked up. Poor Miss G shouldn't have to live alone. and

 

[memew3]

I'm sure that Miss Goosey is a female. Sad to say someone shot her with an arrow last week . ( We filed a police report). We rushed her to A&M University Vet school and when they X rayed her leg , she was identified as a female. This is what is so proplexing.

Miss Goosey is th smaller one on the left.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I'm sure that Miss Goosey is a female. Sad to say someone shot her with an arrow last week . ( We filed a police report). We rushed her to A&M University Vet school and when they X rayed her leg , she was identified as a female. This is what is so proplexing.

Miss Goosey is th smaller one on the left.

Very strange behavior in you gander then, That is just awful someone would do such a horrible thing to her, did you see the one who shot her? Well what about your other goose that came with the goose thats laying is it a gander if so I'd place him with Miss Goosey so she can have some company. or get her another friend its a shame she is being treated like this by her mate, but if she has never laid maybe that's his reasoning.

 

[TheGooseGirl14]

I did something similar, I have a small pen that I cut in half with a screen. Simba is on the far side, he can see all the other ducks but Roanie is closer. He's still really bad, on Wednesday we had to leave them in the pen instead on free-ranging them because we saw a fox the day before. Simba picked on her so bad that the back of her head was raw and hot when I got home. Simba seems to focus on grabbing her back, neck and the back of her head.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I did something similar, I have a small pen that I cut in half with a screen. Simba is on the far side, he can see all the other ducks but Roanie is closer. He's still really bad, on Wednesday we had to leave them in the pen instead on free-ranging them because we saw a fox the day before. Simba picked on her so bad that the back of her head was raw and hot when I got home. Simba seems to focus on grabbing her back, neck and the back of her

I don't think I would keep Simba in with Roanie unless you can supervise. He may warm up to her eventually if he can't see the ducks. I would be concerned he may seriously injure her. It took a while before my gander warmed up to our goose and it took me separating him from "his ducks" where he couldn't see them at all. took about 3 months.

 

[TheGooseGirl14]

I don't think I would keep Simba in with Roanie unless you can supervise. He may warm up to her eventually if he can't see the ducks. I would be concerned he may seriously injure her. It took a while before my gander warmed up to our goose and it took me separating him from "his ducks" where he couldn't see them at all. took about 3 months.

He can't touch her. There's empty space between Simba and Roanie so that he can't touch her. I would not put her in a situation where she could get hurt.

 

[Miss Lydia]

He can't touch her. There's empty space between Simba and Roanie so that he can't touch her. I would not put her in a situation where she could get hurt.

Oh sorry I guess I read your post wrong, how'd he peck her head? I just assumed they were together.