A little over a year ago, I went to the feed store and fell in love..with two goslings! They are Chinese Brown Geese. They follow me anywhere, respond to my voice, and as babies grew upset if I didn't allow them to come out of their pen with me to go feed the horses. One of their funniest moments was on one of our walks around the property. The neighbors have about 8 geese, 5 of those just about a month older than mine. They came rushing around the corner in all their glory with wings out and lungs blareing!!! My babies were horrified by the sight and came running to mama and stood behind me. "Dusty" is my male, and we have a very strong bond. Last summer on a particulary hot day, he peeked through a knothole in the wooden fence and honked constantly while I was in the pool. I let them both in and we all swam together for about an hour. (fortunately, and much to my surprise, there were no 'accidents'). Every time I go outside he comes to me. I pet the base of his neck and between his wings. He carefully rubs his bill on my cheek. I would be lost without him. When I have any bags (feed,trash,bread), Dusty follows me around, hissing and attacking the bag. He's not to keen on rakes either, but he never takes it out on me. I would recommend geese as pets to anyone who truly loves animals and will "lower" themselves to the animals thought process. Although, truly I feel I raise myself to theirs. My son has no desire to get along with Dusty, and provides great entertainment as he jumps around avoiding Dusty pecking at his shoes. I think I've just about convinced him that if he'd just stand there, there would be no issue. I think what people 'fear' is the loud noise, the lowered head, the outspread wings, and most of all...the hissing. We have been taught all our lives that if it hisses, it is dangerous, i.e. cats, snakes, etc... But for a goose, that is a way for him to express himself.

Since she's a wild duck she's a seasonal layer and not really designed to keep laying one clutch after another. Ensure that she's eating a well balanced diet with sufficient protein and calcium. A layer feed and lots of greens should be sufficient. Wild ducks are excellent mothers and nesting/brooding instincts are very strong. Maybe someone else in your area raises ducks and has some fertile eggs your duck could raise. You could sell or keep the ducklings when they're grown.

Hi Askew, We're approaching our third year raising geese so are around the curve a bit. Welcome! Of the four types of fowl we raise, geese are my favorites for many reasons. You'll need a kiddie pool (or two) if you don't have a pond. A few comments if I may - I'm not at all convinced that geese mate for life. The dominant male may have a favorite (and she may stay his fave) but he'll service others. Not sure that equates with what we concieve of as 'mating for life'. You didn't mention the breed, but no matter - be ready to assist with some management during breeding season (which starts early by the way). The males and females will get feisty. It's natural, but be careful - particularly if you have children about. Structured routines help the birds, but give them a wide berth, and watch your back! Don't underestimate the damage a gander can do. Ours calmed down after it was over, so hopefully yours will too. With 3 males, there may be some fighting. Too few females can also cause the males to oversex the girls. You may wish to cull a male, but it depends on your space and set up I'd imagine. As for predators to worry about - ALL predators! Regardless of size of your geese. Coyotes, weasles, dogs (even small ones) can wreak havoc - if nothing else, geese risk breaking their legs in attempts to flee. We keep ours penned in a goose paddock at night. INside the paddock we provided a large wooden shipping crate filled with straw for the females to nest in. (7' X 3' / 4' high) We fabricated screened doors on it, and put in a divider, so the crate supplies 2 nests areas. I fill it with a nice layer of fluffy fresh straw. If there seems to be no more suitable place, the gals get in the habit of laying in the crate, and will share the nest until someone goes broody. Thereafter, I have to intervene, otherwise I have dominate females fighting to use the nest - and a broody female valiently defending her right to occupy it - full time! A broody goose will fiercly protect her nest! So, as soon as we have one go broody, I shut her in (with food and water, though they don't eat as much), and give her opportunity to leave the nest for ten or twenty mins morning and evening. She doesn't always care to, but will occasionally stretch her legs, graze a bit and bathe - which is important as she needs to keep her eggs moist somewhat, so be sure she has access to the community pool as well. Now, this means i have to be prepared to provide alternate nest boxes for the other gals...and mind that gander! Last year some of them decided that the blackberry bush which aprons a large pine was a keen place to lay each day. (They'll cover their eggs, so you'll have to follow them to find their hiding places). For some reason, the two that went broody still elected to nest in the crate, which was good. Again, I made the crate a much more appealing place. They need the protective shelter at night, broody or not, so I can't let them sit anywhere. Goslings are fair game for rats, and raptors. The geese are good about herding their young under cover when an owl flies over, but that crate is sound protection for them too! The first few days, I leave mom alone with her babes. The rest of the community get awfully curious and anxious to meet the new additions. I believe incubation is about 30 days. Ours begin to lay in Feb/March and quit about the end of May. Goose eggs are delicious! We've lost a number of geese from free ranging - so fair warning. If you're property is fenced, you'll be better off - but no goose is a match against most predators. It's tough to manage because they really do thrive when they're able to graze. I hope this helps some. Good luck - welcome to geese. -LFRJ

Dumor makes an egg laying mixture, get that and you won't have the problem anymore. I had the two elements separated at first, and the tiny little shell fragments by themselves aside from the food is not going to make them want to eat it. My ducks didn't even bother trying to eat the shell pieces. They would eat the food around the shell mix and leave it alone. Dumor takes the shells and turns it into a powder so it blends in with the food and they eat it regardless. And they love it, youll see a big change in their interest to eat. The shells in the food that the specific manufacturer produces were so tough i had to pry them open after the whole egg was cracked all over. The membrane on the inside of the egg had to be torn through it was so well made. Theres not much else to say other than to use that feed. All ducks were laying eggs of that quality. They also need tons of water to produce them but it sounds like you have that covered. The food is formulated specifically for Ducks and Chickens. Other Full flock feeds contain a broad range of grains that Ducks sometimes don't need as its not what they eat naturally, but its food nevertheless and its in front of them so they eat it. Or parts of it. You also have to give them worms every now and then which contain protein. They go absolutely crazy over them. But youll have super healthy Ducks with this feed. Good luck with it/them...