Hello and Advice Needed

[Kate Fraser]

Hello there - after keeping chickens and ducks when growing up, I'm finally getting to enjoy keeping poultry again. That's one goose (widowed) and one peacock (divorced). They exist in mutual stand-offishness....

The broody goose is sitting on her last remaining non-viable egg (we ate the rest). It's been almost 6 weeks now and she's still sitting tight, and in the last week or two, only getting off very rarely (some days not at all, or not that I've noticed). Should I now remove the egg next time she gets off? Force her off?

Also, she has straw stuck in one nostril - should we be concerned? Or will it work its way out once she spends more time on - and in - the pond?

Many thanks!
Kate

 

[RichmondHens]

Broody geese can be tricky (personally I would rather tackle a gander than a broody goose) but if the egg is non viable then next time she leaves the nest to bathe or feed, shut her away from the nest (is it inside or out?) and remove egg, nest and all bedding completely. If she has nothing to return to then she will stop sitting, although she will shout and moan for at least a week afterwards - be prepared!!

 

[RichmondHens]

I wouldn't worry about the straw, once she has had a good bath it will probably work its way free.

 

[rick]

Hi Kate,
and sorry, I can see you have a dilemma there but it's been tickling me all day.
I find that straw stuck in the nostril is a definite sign of needing to get out more!
Hope she isn't too upset at being evicted.

 

[Kate Fraser]

Thank you both! I'm very fond of poor Goosie, and really feel for her since she lost her mate to a fox the winter before this after a long time together. This winter, she was nearly taken by the same fox - cue much noise and kerfuffling in the middle of the night and I ran downstairs to find her standing right outside the back door on the mat, under the two back door lights that stay on all night (and very close to the pots that the dog pees on all the time). The other half (mine, not hers) refused to let me let her into the kitchen to keep her safe, despite my tearful protestations, but she anyway took herself off to the pond for the rest of the night.

So the next day, I moved and laid out one of the posh but nowadays unused chicken coops for her use, under the granary, with the side permanently open and the door propped up. I put straw in there as I had the thought that I might get her used to it and then shut her in to keep her safe from Foxy each night. But she's far too wise to get trapped in a chicken coop, and would spend the day in and around it, but then head to the pond at twilight. Until early April, when she started nest building and spending each night in said coop. The nest was pretty good, as she added to her clutch (and as I quietly removed the plus ones). Then she started sitting in earnest, lining her nest with down and plugging holes in the roof of the chicken coop with bits of hay to stop the draughts (which made me smile as the entire side of the coop is permanently open...)

So, to cut a rambling tale a bit shorter, she is indoors - kind of - at night, albeit indoors with an open side and under the granary. Next time she leaves the nest and I am here, should I simply shut up the chicken coop, effectively shutting her out, and hope the she sleeps on the pond as she did, or remove egg, nest, etc from the coop, but leave her able to go in there (open as it is)?

Yours, concernedly, Kate

 

[RichmondHens]

I would remove the nest but still allow her access afterwards. She needs to see that her nest has gone and make the decision herself to return to the pond. She may still try and sit on a bare patch of ground but I don't think she'll do it for long. Last year one of my geese made her nest in a stable and sat on a huge pile of eggs, most of which went rancid. The stink was horrendous! I needed to get rid of all but the goose knew what I was up to and despite shutting her out of the stable area she went completely beserk when she saw me loading nest and stinky contents into the wheelbarrow and shouted at me loudly each time I went near. I did really feel for her though when I allowed her back into the (now clean) stable, she made these awful keening noises for days, mourning her rotten eggs. I did placate her later on though by giving her a couple of half grown goslings to foster.

 

[Marigold]

Would a couple of goslings be an option for Goosie, Kate?

 

[Kate Fraser]

Would a couple of goslings be an option for Goosie, Kate?

Oh I so wish! Still working on the other half to agree to that..... If I do persuade him, is there a risk she won't accept them? There are day old goslings for sale just up the road....

Goosie came out today, to eat some feed I put down for her (though she was very wary of me) and to go for a bathe on the pond. I swiped the two eggs (she'd obviously snuck in another one at some point) but she came rattling back before I could do anything else. She's back on her nest, which is a true thing of beauty, every now and then hunting for the missing eggs. I'll see how she goes, and if she stays on there, will swipe the nest next time she gets off.

Thank you all for your feedback!

Kate

 

[LadyA]

For all you know, there MAY have been a stray gander that happened by, at some point, and so there MAY just mysteriously "appear" a couple of goslings some day......! Nobody's fault. These things happen. And bless her, she must have been lonely.

 

[Minorcafan]

As the goose is guarding one egg, can you swap it for a gosling? Or will OH know

 

[Kate Fraser]

For all you know, there MAY have been a stray gander that happened by, at some point, and so there MAY just mysteriously "appear" a couple of goslings some day......! Nobody's fault. These things happen. And bless her, she must have been lonely.

As the goose is guarding one egg, can you swap it for a gosling? Or will OH know

Heck! Both great replies! Wish I'd had these before I swiped both eggs. We have had the odd greylag stop by the pond. If she lays another.....

Anyway, Goosie came off her nest four or five times yesterday after I'd taken the eggs, to bathe, stretch and preen and to eat grass, and she generally looked pretty happy (and maybe just a little relieved?). She certainly wasn't rushing back. She called out only a few times when she discovered the eggs gone (though I did feel mean, watching her hunting through her carefully woven dome of straw and down).

Thank you again for all the help. Now, anyone know anything about peacocks...?

 

[RichmondHens]

If there are geese up the road then might you consider getting her a friend? Could be another female, doesn't have to be a gander.

I have had peafowl, but only briefly. Obtained as young adults they didn't hang about despite keeping them penned for at least a month, but migrated across the fields to another house and their peafowl ....... Still there as far as I know!
Have since learned that to keep peafowl they need to be hatched on the place so they fix on it as home but there is still a risk of the females migrating (apparently they are the ones to do this while males tend to stay put).

 

[dorsetduckowner]

Hi I have really enjoyed this three and agree that removing the nest is the best option. I am in the same situation with three of my geese, one has been sat for 6 weeks now (on a stone) and its time to destroy her nest
Keep us posted!