STEEPLE DUCKS

GEESE

Pilgrim pair 16/9/08 with new feathers. He needs to have a snort in the water to clear that fluff out of his nostril.

Close up of heads to show eye colour at bottom of page.

The white is coming through on a male Pilgrim in contrast to the grey female. At 4 weeks old the goslings are now beginning to out grow the ducklings they hatched with.

Goslings need a lot of grass to eat. The growing tips of the wings are pink with blood supply. At this stage it is particularly important they have plenty of grass to eat but not too much growers pellets to avoid problems with angel wing. This occurs when the wings grow too quickly and the unsupported weight causes them to drop and grow in the wrong position.

Rearing goslings with ducklings

From my photographs it would appear that this is OK to do. If you have small numbers of birds as I do it is a practical way to start them off and my experience is that goslings and ducklings get along beautifully. However I would recommend that they are raised separately in order that they can identify with their own kind. I do have problems with 2 drakes that were reared with an orphan gosling that now pester my female goose. This does cause problems particularly but not only during the breeding season and injuries can occur.

2008 hatched Pilgrim goose. The white on the face starts like this but extends a little more every moult. 

Goslings need good quality short grass to graze on as soon as they begin to eat at a few days old.

It is not necessarily for nutrition as this can be supplied by chick crumbs or pellets. It's because they need to graze, it's what they do. If they don't have grass they will start to graze on each other. This gosling is showing the problem is starting as she has a soggy patch of fluff on her back - she is being chewed by the others. 

If they cannot be put out on grass it can be managed in the short term by providing them with turves of grass to divert their attention. However as they grow they will eat enormous quantities that can only be satisfied by putting them in a secure run on grass and then could need to be moved during the day depending on the size of the run. However if not overstocked geese leave grass in excellent condition. 

....... to climb down off the muck heap

Pilgrim gander waiting for his missus ...........

I have a pure breed pair of 5 year old Pilgrim geese. Pilgrims are an auto sexing farmyard goose. This means the goslings and adults can be identified by colour. Adult ganders are mainly white with some silver-grey feathering and blue eyes. Geese are mainly grey with some white around the heads and brown eyes. It is rare to find true Pilgrims that produce the correct autosexing offspring and correct eye colour.

This pair produce day old male offspring that are yellow and grey with orange beaks and females that are olive-grey with dark brown beaks. So far they have proven 100% autosexing.

The gander has more grey on his flanks than is desirable for showing, but it denotes a male that will produce the auto sexing offspring. His male offspring have only slight silvering.

The goose began with only white by her beak and spectacles but this has extended over the years.

Their nature is charming. They thrive on free range needing grass and water. These will eat a little layers pellets and mixed corn, and sand for digestion is appreciated plus a few dandelion leaves and some apple but grass is their preferred diet.

 ........... to slide down off the muck heap

1 female & 2 male goslings just hatched

Goslings with ducklings & broody mum.

At this age they are only out of the covered run when I am with them.

There is a picture of this one in her mature feathers below right

They went to Julie and Martin who had not kept geese before but had ponies, ducks and chickens (and spiders). They enjoy being greeted by the goslings and their company on walks around the fields. The goslings did squeal about their dog but now it's only when he gets too close. They also tried to gently bully the call ducks but when they turned their backs the ducks then jumped on them, so they squealed a bit about that too.

Females have brown eyes and males have blue.