|
Although I'm terrified of small birds (Stephen King' fault!!) I have no fear
whatsoever of Swans and Geese. I've always admired them as they're so proud,
elegant and graceful and totally dedicated to each other and their offspring
protecting them no matter what cost. When I was younger there was a farmyard
guard goose called Hissing Sid at the livery stables where I kept my horse and
he had a thing about my backside. He used to stalk me and whenever I passed any
doorway he would charge out and bite my bum. One day when I was mucking my
horses stable out he came in and pinned me in the corner so I used the pitchfork
to pin him down by the neck grabbed hold of him and carried him round for half
the day (quite a feat for a skinny 15 year old girl) By the time I put him down
he was my new best friend and followed me faithfully from that day forth and
craved a fuss every day. My family then left the area and some 5 years later I
visited the livery yard and enquired about 'hissing Sid' only to be told that
they'd eaten him the previous Christmas!!! He was 15 years old by then and I was
devastated that they could have eaten their faithful guard goose. I cried all
the way home but promised myself that one day I'd get a pet goose and now I have
my beautiful pair of African Geese pictured above. They were a little wild and
filthy when they arrived and I was warned that the goose was currently laying
and whilst the goose is laying or sitting on eggs, both goose and gander might
be aggressive and protective, so I was a little nervous to say the least.
However for the first few days of settling in and getting used to her
surroundings, she didn't lay and though they were both very wary and frightened
of us, never once have they attacked anyone, if anything they're very very
timid. Within a few days she'd obviously decided that she was safe and
comfortable here and started laying. From their first arrival they've been
absolutely spoilt rotten and they're becoming more confident, relaxed and happy
now and are an absolute pleasure to own. They've settled in really well and
we've built them their own pond and they have the whole garden to themselves and
access to a huge field adjoining the garden. The female is currently
sitting on seven eggs so I'm really looking forward to the arrival of the
goslings, though don't know if I'll be able to part with them when the time
comes!!
African Geese are not native to the UK and are quite rare in this country.
Contrary to their name they are not native to Africa either, they are apparently
of Chinese descent. They cannot fly so do not need to have their wings clipped
and are grazers so they need access to plenty of grass for this purpose.
Although I was warned that they can be quite difficult and demanding to look
after, their care has been plain sailing from the onset, all they require is
good quality grass, good quality corn, clean fresh water daily (preferably a
small pond with suitable pump and filter) and a secure fox proof fence and
housing, oh and lots of TLC.
I'll post some piccies of the babies once they're hatched approx end of May.
I have two male geese for sale currently, theyre called Sonny and Clyde and get
along fabulously, with no bickering. Delilah has two two eggs that should be
hatching by the end of June, so hopefully I'll have mates available for the boys
and can sell them as pairs.
|
