How cold is too cold and help identifying gender?

[starrymutt]

I live in Upstate NY and we're getting some pretty cold days. Around 20F but with wind it's about 0F-7F, I have 5 Toulouse geese (3 are nearly a year and 2 are about 8 months) and besides a cough (assuming from weather or I hope so), they all seem relatively healthy. They *do* have access to a pool (drinking water for chickens) and regularly go swimming in it despite the weather and my apprehension for frostbite.

Is it alright to let them out all day and go swimming? The only way I can prevent them from swimming is to keep them in and I feel so bad about it. They do have various shelter to get out from the elements but choose not to. I have noticed them being a bit lethargic after a bit where they don't want to walk (or limp) back down to their coop when they follow me back to the house.

I'm also not sure of the sex of one of them. I definitely have at least 2 ganders and 2 females, but this last one eludes me. It has the stature of a gander but the personality of a goose, even layed down when the more dominant gander (who either has frostbite on his feet or his baby color never fully went away) nibbled at it's neck and tried to mount. They're also the only two to do similar when in the pool as if playing or trying to breed.

Any advice or suggestions?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

It's colder here. Mine go out daily. We only provide buckets of water and they take half baths. If the swimming water isn't froze over, which it should be at those temps, I always let them choose.

Can you share a picture of all your geese together. Hard to tell by the one picture if it's male or female.

 

[starrymutt]

It's colder here. Mine go out daily. We only provide buckets of water and they take half baths. If the swimming water isn't froze over, which it should be at those temps, I always let them choose.

Can you share a picture of all your geese together. Hard to tell by the one picture if it's male or female.

I provide a bucket but because the pool has a de-icer it's mostly unfrozen.

Sure! I think these should be okay?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I can't really see a difference between your geese. Males should have a longer neck and be overall larger than the females. Just because you see mating behavior doesn't mean they are opposite sexes. I've had females pair up and mock mate. Males also tend to have a loud honk at times when vocalizing.

 

[starrymutt]

I can't really see a difference between your geese. Males should have a longer neck and be overall larger than the females. Just because you see mating behavior doesn't mean they are opposite sexes. I've had females pair up and mock mate. Males also tend to have a loud honk at times when vocalizing.

Thank you for trying! They're still pretty young so that could be it? Two of them are definitely smaller, but it could be the picture angles. Do the loud honks kinda sound like screeching sometimes? One does that.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Thank you for trying! They're still pretty young so that could be it? Two of them are definitely smaller, but it could be the picture angles. Do the loud honks kinda sound like screeching sometimes? One does that.

In my experiences those real loud vocalizations are males, although as breeding season approaches everyone will get loud.

 

[Goosebaby]

I would make sure they have somewhere to get out of the wind.