11.10.2008

Queenie, meet Craigslist

One Tufted Roman Goose - free to home with established gaggle

Reply to: xxxxx@craigslist.org
Date: 2008-11-09, 5:15PM CST

Queenie is having issues with one of the other geese in the gaggle, and we need to place her in a different established gaggle. It's either place her, or eat her. Since she was our first goose raised by hand, we just can't bring ourselves to do the latter.

She's 9 months old, very healthy. Raised on combination of organic and commercial feed, with additional green fodder (due to drought, we've had to supplement - nothing green growing around here for them to graze on right now). Never been sick, so has not had medicated feed or antibiotics. She's been part of a gaggle that free-ranges during the day, and then placed into a large enclosed pen at night. Tufted Romans are small compared to the majority of commercial geese, and laid back in general.

Since geese are social creatures, they need other geese to be happy. Because of this, we ask that ONLY people with established gaggles respond. Pickup near XXXXX.
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She got into a huge fight with Godzilla, battling beak-to-beak. Since then, she constantly chases him away from the rest of the group. We even kept her sequestered away from the gaggle for a day to see if that would change her attitude, but as soon as we let her out, she went tearing after Godzilla again. I don't understand, as we raised Godzilla and Queenie together, and he's a very good gander/mate to the entire gaggle - sweet and protective. I'm sad about having to give her away, but we need Godzilla's protection skills. Hopefully, placing her in a new group will make her happier.

*sniffs/wipes tear*

6 comments:

  1. Oh, what a shame you're so far away! Our lone goose could use a badass friend like Queenie!

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  2. Oh man! So sorry you have to let rid of her my friend! Good luck in finding her a new gaggle. xoxo

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  3. @karen, @farm mom: thanks for the condolences. Wish I knew why she was being such a snot! Poor Godzilla is forced to stay about six feet away from the gaggle at all times. You can see he's unhappy :-(

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  4. @natalie: it sure is... on the other hand, the first Craigslist taker has bailed, so I'm hoping it's A Sign(tm) to give Queenie a few more days to straighten out. I sure hope she does.

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  5. What a bummer. Crossing fingers that she finds her bliss in a new home--or changes her mind about where she is and makes her own bliss.

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