geese

wombat · **Joined:** Sat Nov 07, 2009 11:55 am **Posts:** 25

is there anyone out there who can tell me how to sex adult geese & how many females to 1 male. we are new to geese and would like to keep them happy AND we think we have more males than females :-?

Roova · **Posted:** Sat Jan 29, 2011 6:13 am

Regarding sexind adult geese what type do you have? Are they purebred? Can you supply pictures which always help?

From what I understand you can keep more than one female with a male but he'll probably just bond with one of them. He may mate with both, but it will just be his favoured one who he'll sit near while she's broody etc Don't forget they prefer to mate in water rather than dry land. More males than females could be a problem at breeding time as it will probably lead to fighting.

Regarding keeping them happy I've read they like grass, grass and more grass (but shorter grass which they can graze on) but wheat and pellets made available before bed makes sure they don't go hungry. Make sure they always have water near their food.

The following is from a website: http://www.ashtonwaterfowl.net/keeping_geese.htm
Geese also like greens such as cauliflower trimmings, small amounts of carrots and potatoes, and bread (not more than 10% of the diet). They do have to acquire a taste for new food though; geese tend to eat what their parents ate. Be careful that geese do not get too fat. A good regime is to feed them only morning and evening and to let them graze for most of the day if they have access to clean grass. More wheat is needed winter because temperatures are lower, and the the grass is poorer quality.

Supply mixed poultry grit containing limestone, oyster shell and flint in the breeding season. This also supplies calcium for the goose. Also supply coarse sand, containing larger pieces of grit, throughout the year. The coarse sand punctures the grass and makes it more digestible. Coarse building sand is suitable This should be pure sand - no additives. If grit is not supplied, geese will look for hard material to pick up, and are even more likely to find bits of old wire and nails in the soil. Avoid problems by providing grit and tidying up any objects likely to cause damage internally.

oozcorpse · **Joined:** Sun Nov 04, 2007 8:15 am **Posts:** 2715

well answered roova :-D

adult female geese are smaller than the males with a finer head
depending on the breed the females develop a fold of skin under their bellies - some males display this but not are large as the females. This fold of skin can reach the ground in breeding season
I don’t know if the Toulouse develop this as they have very rounded low bellies

the easiest way in breeding time [late winter early spring] is to walk near them = the male will put his head down and 'go you' to chase you away from his girl or girls

one on one is best, if able, for the guarding the nest issue but the pairs would all need to be seperated to avoid fights

I run 4 males with 12 females as I have the facility to have each goose in her own secure nest pen area once she goes broody

the absolute best/easiest way to sex them is to have someone that knows how to check internally take a look at them for you

wombat · **Joined:** Sat Nov 07, 2009 11:55 am **Posts:** 25

first I would like to thank you for your replies. [smilie=thanks.gif]

sorry I have no pictures and even if I did, woudn't know how to put them on, am not very computer savvy
as far as we can tell by looking at pictures and what we were told from previous owners , we have: sebastapol x pilgrim, blue eyes; pilgrim, mostly grey/brown, some others that knowone seems to be able to tell. the closest description going by picture is emden or similar. these are big birds, some are all white, others are white with browny-grey heads, one with wings of this colour too. some have blue eyes others have dark eyes.
we have small acrerage, plenty of kykuyu grass, they are locked up at night with feed and let out in the morning with feed. they get cut up carrots, cellary, spinach, pears, apple etc every second day. we have some fruit trees.also have large pond in pen under large mulberry tree and fresh water daily in tubs set out around under the trees

Roova · **Posted:** Sat Jan 29, 2011 11:49 am

What a life!! Is there room for one more....me? :lol:

wombat · **Joined:** Sat Nov 07, 2009 11:55 am **Posts:** 25

sorry, just a pair of aged pensioners battling with what we've already got; but husband says females welcome, he'd drop dead if they arrive though

oozcorpse · **Joined:** Sun Nov 04, 2007 8:15 am **Posts:** 2715

Geese thrive best on grass – grass grass and more grass but treats of other greens and fruit don’t hurt :D just make sure they have access to small rounded clean pebbles all year round and shell grit for a month or so coming into and during breeding season to help with the egg shell production

Embden are very large birds they weigh about 18-20 kg. The Roman breed are a smaller version at about half the size [both sexes are white in both breeds] and some do mistake Roman for Embden

What your whites probably are if not that big are male Pilgrims = the girls are coloured the boys are white
Even most [not all, but most] cross bred Pilgrim males will be white and they normally have blue eyes.
Often the ‘Common Grey’, a species almost as large as the Embden, is bred into the Pilgrim to up their size the Common Grey have dark eyes.

But regardless of what you have it sounds like you have a mighty fine mixture of patterns! And you WILL find out in due course what the sex of each is.

Toogoolawah · **Joined:** Sun Feb 06, 2011 9:34 am **Posts:** 1

Can I ask with the cross of Pilgrim and Roman will they be all white in both sexes or do the ganders have grey patches on their backs and wings?

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