BIG Birds this time!

[Nicos]

Cor- they look big enough to see off foxes !!!!


..mmm...yup- we went to market today and looked at some Barbary and some 'grey' geese...and some ducks!!!...I had to DRAG my OH away from them in the end....he's worse than me!!!!

...need to do some research!!!

out of interest.....what age do you cull geese for Xmas?????...just wondering what the minimum age would be to buy for them to be ready???

( interestingly the breeder at the market said he had no idea as to what sex the little uns were!!!

[RedThorn]

we made them a bath/pond out of an old Land Rover roof we had laying around (as you do!).

ok.....hmmmm.....nah.... not gonna ask!

thanks for the pics they look great!

[Glutton4...]

Well, Nicos, as this all happened in twelve hours, I'm still on the steep learning-curve myself! DH has decided not to tell me about unwanted animals in future too lol! Don't think they'll go in the pot though, coz it looks like two girls and two fellas (by size and behaviour - obviously I'm not an expert ), so although they are siblings they will probably pair up. Incidentally, round our way Goose eggs go for 50p each!

Most of what I've learned so far is from 'Googling' (where would we be without it?), but I have to say they do actually look happy splashing around in the water. We do have a (dry) pond, but it hasn't got beyond the digging-out stage yet, so yet another project on the list ! It's getting easier to see why I chose my Vine name innit?

RT, if HayleyB can have a Landy axle for her Chooks to perch on, then I can have a Landy roof as a Goose Pond OK!? It's a Land Rover thing, you wouldn't understand!

[HayleyB]

RT, if HayleyB can have a Landy axle for her Chooks to perch on, then I can have a Landy roof as a Goose Pond OK!? It's a Land Rover thing, you wouldn't understand!

Yep, and why not?

Anyway - Geese - Mates (yep Jane friends I do have 'em ) came for dinner last night and we were talking about this they 'had' two geese, one taken by Charlie and the other (doughnut) has apparently been taken twice (both times saved by her dogs. Doughnut is half the goose he used to be, so don't depend on them............

[Flummery]

Aren't they gorgeous? They look like galleons in full sail! (My imagination does take over sometimes)

[Glutton4...]

Ta for that Hayley, always good to hear the other side of the coin - I'm a realist after all! I'm under no illusion as to what can happen, and although we lost our 'local' fox this winter, I don't doubt another will move in to the vacant territory in due course.

The conditions they have now far exceed where they've been for the last six weeks or so. They seem happy and relaxed, and spend their time either sit sunning themselves on my newly planted spud patch (I'll have to fence it off now!) or dabbling about in their 'pond'

The response from my Folks by the way was; 'Got a good recipe or two for them!'

[Hilary B]

Geese for Christmas dinners are usually hatched in Spring. Because geese are mostly wanted for that purpose, no-one has ever tried to breed geese which will lay all year round. Once they are in feather (as opposed to down) they can live on grass (as long as there is plenty of it, they need LOTS) until mid November, when you start feeding grain to fatten them for Christmas. If the grass runs short (as it may do in autumn) you can feed them on grain, with perhaps a modest proportion of 'growers pellets' if you can get unmedicated.

I wouldn't keep siblings as potential mates if it can be avoided. You don't know whether the parents were siblings, and 2 generations of that is a step towards trouble. One gander can happily look after 2 geese, 2 ganders may fight (or if you find you have 2 ganders and NO goose...... yes they do sometimes make the best of that situation!)

[Glutton4...]

Hi Hilary. I've been 'Googling' and have found loads of information, which is encouraging. I'm not planning to let them breed, if I find any eggs they'll get eaten or sold.

I guess if these were hatched last August time they'll be too big or tough for eating this coming Christmas, unless they are culled and put in the freezer. I'm not sure I want to eat them anyway, I just like having them around! If they manage to devour the grass in their half acre (the Chooks' run is in there too now) then they can go out into the paddock which is about three acres - I don't think they'll run out of grass!