Introducing the new geese

I hatched some goose eggs earlier this spring, and the new geese are ready to be introduced to the existing goose flock. Both sides are a little tentative, but the existing goose flock is pretty sure that these guys need to be picked on a little. So there's some neck posturing and vocals.

The new geese have been living in a calf dome inside the range of the older geese, and they've had a chance to look at each other for a couple of days now. I watch them carefully for a couple of hours to make sure that there's no blood. Some feather pulling is expected, and there's a pecking order to establish -- the new geese go straight to the bottom of the flock, and each older goose has to prove it to them and to itself.

Turkey and goose

We hatched a couple of geese this year to see what goose husbandry is about. The geese are HUGE. This is a two week old turkey and a two week old goose. Turkeys are already bigger than chickens, so this goose is Godzilla-sized compared to a chicken. It's an embden goose, probably normal for a goose, but a lot bigger than what we're used to hatching and brooding.

Goose eggs!

Since snohomish county is convinced that my farm is killer whale habitat I figured I might as well start adding some waterfowl.

The goose egg on the left is massive. It's very heavy, feels like a pound or so. It is easily twice as heavy as the turkey egg in the center, and maybe 4 times the weight of the large chicken egg on the right.

This is where those emu/ostrich incubation trays really shine. Here's a picture of the goose eggs sharing a tray with some chicken eggs.

I hatched a batch of call ducks last year and they really worked out well. There's plenty of water around the property for them to play in and they forage very well. Unfortunately they like ripe tomatoes. but I like roast duck, so I guess we're even.