Geese are geese, right? Yep, and they're also territorial and averse to strangers, even those of their own kind it seems. Unless our geese are just special...The goslings are about 2/3'rds grown already. I remember when one of them would fit in the palm of my hand. Barely five weeks later, they're almost the size of our two-year olds! As you might guess, Tufted Roman Geese have been breed to mature quickly. Small as this breed may be (10 to 12 pounds max), they're considered meat birds. Although we bought them as "guard geese" and think of them as pets, there's been times when thoroughly annoyed by their antics I've thought of them as "meat birds" as well... but I digress. Ahem!
Anyhow, I've been trying to integrate the goslings with the mature geese for three days now. A few hours at a time these past few early evenings. Nothing doing. The mature geese see the new girls as interlopers, and run the goslings all over the pen. Once in awhile the group of young'uns will charge back, frightening a solitary goose, but then the older geese will group up and charge back. There's only the occasional chomp on a wing, otherwise it's mostly posturing and bluff.
[pics: Top left, the goslings. Bottom right, three of the mature geese, with Billy-Bob on the far right.]
This is so cool!! You are a blogger. And a farmer. And a geek. Excellent.
ReplyDeleteSorry Miss Cecily crapped in your boots. Is she still a Very Special Goose? Well?
Anyway, your life there in Texas looks like heaven, it does. Love the pic of "spouse" on the couch looking at her iphone with a goose in her lap. That is SO right.
People here on Capitol Hill are mobilizing to earn the right to keep chickens. There's a group called Hens on the Hill that is tormenting the DC government. I'm sure they will succeed.
Nice to "see" you. xx
@Reya - hey there! Hope folks are successful in their bid to keep chickens :-). How are you doing? And yes, Miss Cecily is still a Very Special Goose, hee!
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