Questions about Pilgrim geese breeding and goslings

[LarkMeadows]

My pair of pilgrim geese have just started hatching their first batch of eggs. Initially the goose laid 5 eggs but something got into the coop (we suspect a raccoon) and ate 4 of the eggs. We reinforced the coop and have made it as predator proof as possible (knock on wood) and she laid 5 more eggs for a total clutch of 6 eggs.

The first one hatched yesterday and 3 more hatched today so now I've got 4 goslings with maybe 2 more on the way. The parents have been fantastic! They were never aggressive with us before but have been super protective of the eggs during incubation. The gander in particular is very protective and constantly trying to bite us if we enter the coop (he will stand at the door when he hears someone coming and will flap and hiss until we go away). Now that the goslings have hatched they are even more protective but are being wonderful with the babies. The gander stands at the edge of the nest and honks to them, it is so sweet.

Problem is that, while mom is still on the nest with the other babies and eggs, the gander keeps trying to get the older one (older by around 20 hours) to go over to the shallow water dish that is there for the adults to bathe. The baby will follow him over and then he will get in it and honk at the baby to try to get her to follow. So far she hasn't been able to get in because the sides are too big.


So on that note, now to my questions.

Firstly, I know that people don't recommend letting goslings and ducklings in water until they feather out. I've heard this only applies to goslings that are hatched with an incubator and that it's okay for goslings hatched by mom to go in the water. Is this true? I'd figure it is since usually wild geese get in the water pretty much right after hatching but I want to be absolutely certain, before I allow this overly eager gander to take his kids swimming, that it won't hurt them.

Secondly, at this point I'm pretty certain three of the babies are female and one is male. I was planning on keeping a few of the babies but I'm not sure how that will work out. If I keep a female, how much do I have to worry about her inbreeding with the gander? If I keep the male will I have to keep him and dad separated so they don't fight?

I have hatched ducks before and have kept both female and male ducklings and have never encountered issues with them but geese are kind of new to me in the breeding sense.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

They can in the water. They are very waterproof. I usually put food in a shallow ceramic pot base, and water in a gallon chicken water right next to the next. They generally stay in the area for a bit before moving off. Generally a week.

I personally wouldn't keep 2 gander without enough females. They can very quickly overmate and cause bare necks. I had that happen and we had to remove the extra males which was sad because they already bonded with the female. Generally it should be 3-5 females for one gander.

 

[fowltemptress]

They can get in water, but make sure they can get out of whatever they get in, else they could drown. I usually make stairways going in and, more importantly, out using pavers or whatever other cement blocks/rocks I can find around the property - nothing slick they can slip on.

Why are you concerned about inbreeding? Problems with inbreeding usually only manifest after several generations, and usually first in the form of decreased fertility. If these geese are for your own pleasure, I wouldn't worry at all. If you're wanting to sell or have a robust breeding program, I'd be more concerned. As a breed, a lot of Pilgrims already have the issue with decreased fertility, so that may need to be taken into account.

Whether or not your birds fight is up to the individuals. I tried keeping a male raised by my birds that I eventually had to cull because he had something to prove and wouldn't quit attacking all the other males once breeding season hit. None of my other males have an issue to that extent. There is fighting, but none of it is serious enough for separation. I do keep multiple feeding and watering points just in case there's issues with anyone bogarting those areas. As for overbreeding, that's just another thing up to individuals. I keep my birds at a ratio of two females to one male, and other than a bit of feather loss on the head of the favorite female of my most amorous male, it hasn't been an issue. I know it's not the most helpful advice to hear, but "try it and see" applies so often to goose behavior that it's almost unavoidable.

Good luck with everything! There are few pleasures in life so cute as a family of geese.

 

[Jenbirdee]

i had to put a gosling to sleep because he was born with a deformity due to inbreeding and he was the only one who hatched out of six eggs and it broke my heart .
i got my geese from a breeder who disappeared shortly after my purchase so i wasn’t able to ask him how many generations of inbreeding happened.
anyhoo, I’d be concerned.
I read that it’s OK for the children to breed with the parents, but not the siblings with each other. You could always pen them accordingly when breeding season comes.