Sebastopol Geese

I got my first geese last year.
Despite having chickens for 28 years I finally got some geese and Muscovy Ducks (from show bloodlines, more on them another time). I have 2 Sebastopol girls setting on eggs. Both first time "Mother Gooses". ;-)
Hope the babies hatch out since I have several people waiting for them.
I am really enjoying the waterfowl, especially the geese. They are so friendly and intelligent and a joy to own!
Any other waterfowl lovers here?
You can learn more about my birds on my website:
http://www.freewebs.com/cottage_rose_birdsnblossoms/

Wow, thats a beautiful goose, I wish we had water for geese.

Waterfowl do not require a lake or a pond to be happy.
We use kiddie pools and they love them.

BTW our first gosling of the year hatched out today!

what a darling Mother Goose you have there!

and all the geese, they are so beautiful, & i love the way they are feathered.

thanks for the link to your site, i will check it out when i can!

tf

Beautiful birds and little gosling Cottage Rose!

We had a pair of Sebastopols on the farm, unfortunately despite information signs we still had complaints from visitors that the geese were not looked after properly LOL I daren't count how many times I stood trying to explain that they are made that way.

At home we now just have a handful of ducks and one hen who is fully intergrated with them (we did have other hens but they died over the years). The ducks are 3 Black East Indians, one Blue East Indian, a Silver Bantam and a Call duck. I don't want geese unless I have some extra land, the garden isn't big enough and they can be such a handful when they have a bee in their bonnet can't they.

This message was edited Apr 5, 2006 2:21 PM

TF Thanks! Glad you enjoyed them. :)

Baa how weird. Did the neighbors want you to brush your messy Sebs more often? LOL
Actaully my Sebs have been pretty gentle but the gander do hiss at me duing the breeding season but thats to be expected. Even then they are not overtly aggressive towards me. Maybe you had a bad strain?

They were from a good breeder and to be honest they weren't that bad in temperament but I meant geese in general.

I can't believe that, they are happy with a kiddy pool. Oh no, I can't show this to DH, he would probably want some. How awsome, a new gosling.

Love geese!

It's the goose poop I don't have room for. sigh...

What a beautiful goose. Would love some.

We had geese for a while, but could never keep them in the pasture or near the pond. They thought they should live on the patio. LOL Too much Goose Poo! They were also bad to chase cars and would not let guest out of their cars. LOL They finally moved to the lake.

Do you ever sell any of the eggs?
One of my sebs is laying right now
she made a nest in my garden in the middle of a duck eggs nest
But I think a skunk is stealing the eggs though

What beautiful geese!! We just bought 10 White Chinese from McMurray and they are the cutest. We have a Muscovy duck that waddles around the yard all the time (she was left when the next door neighbor moved out, so she's ours now) and I bought her a kiddie pool to swim in just the other day. We take the goslings swimming once a day and it is so funny to see them dive under the water and swim to the other end of the pool.

hi merisha, that is soo cute!

welcome to Dave's Garden, and to the poultry forum!!!

tamara

Thank you for the welcome Tamara! I'm enjoying reading all the great posts and the great advice.

Sorry I've been offline.
Old pc croaked.
I don't sell hatching eggs from my Sebs.
They are too valuable to risk shipping IMO.
I do sell goslings and older stock.

Wow Rose I never seen like this before really very beautifully the feather is really pretty that I would love to get one someday so was it cost expensive for a baby geese like this one?

This message was edited Apr 12, 2006 11:34 PM

R.R.
If you ever get any please get 2 because geese are very sociable and need a buddy.
The goslings usually cost around $40. a piece but sometimes you can find them cheaper. I have seen then offered as low as $25. sometimes.

These are the geese I have been wanting! I was planning to get chickens, geese, and 2 runner ducks all at the same time (hoping that way they'd be friends). I decided to hold off a year as we still haven't built a chicken coop (I'd like to have that ready before the chickens come) and also I wanted to wait and see what happens with the bird flu scare.

The house came with a pond, a fenced area, and a duck house, which is way back hidden under the cedars. It's about 4 feet by 8 feet. The roof slopes. I think it's about 4 feet at its tallest point. Do you think that is big enough for 2 runner ducks and 2 sebs? I also like the pilgrim ducks, so I might get one runner and one pilgrim.

The previous owners who put the duck pond and fence in told me that the ducks (they had the short kind) never went out of the fenced area. I'll post a pic of the fence below. Do you think this would keep runners and sebs inside it? I don't want them tearing up the garden areas. I'm in the process of planting roses all along the outside of the fence, so possibly that would help keep them in. But I found it curious that the previous owners' ducks did not go outside.

Gwendalou

This message was edited Apr 13, 2006 11:00 AM

Gwendalou
Ducks and geese do not always get along. 4 X 8 is not very big.
I would say 4 waterfowl OR 6 chickens
Critters prefer to be with their own kind. Geese are highly intelligent and socialble with each other and you should have at least 2. Geese are like dogs and ducks like cats personality wise.
Runners can be quite hyper and skiddish.
Buffs, Pilgrims and Sebastopols are calmer than some other breeds of geese so I've been told
I would not mix waterfowl and chickens. Thye both have different needs.
Hope this helps. :)

Maybe I'll get the pilgrims instead of the runners then. I'm hoping by getting them all at the same time, as teeny little babies, that they'll be friends. I know a number of people that keep all their fowl in the same yard(s). I will be keeping the chickens in a separate yard separate but was considering letting them all out to free range.

I have a year to investigate further! I'm sure I'll be asking you more questions. ;)

Gwendalou

Feel free to ask questions anytime and I'm sure there will be alot of people on this forum that can help you.
I know some people mix their birds but ideally its better to give them their own space especially if you want them to hatch out eggs.
If they all free range that helps vs. penning them all togther.
Just make sure they all have a secure building to be closed up in at night or they will make tasty dinners for the local varmints.
Heres the Sebastopol goslings that were born on 4/4

We have banty chickens, ducks(hens only of different egg laying breeds), 2 goose hens, 1 guinea hen, 1 peacock, and dozens of domestic pigeons. They are all free range most of the time and share the same building at night.

Anytime one of our geese thought about becoming aggressive when the children were home(we had dozens of geese and ducks back then)the children would catch it and cuddle and kiss it until it stopped bothering them. We have never had any really 'mean' geese.

LOL, that'll teach 'em!

I had to do that with my 2 ganders at the beginning of the breeding season when they decided they were hot stuff and kept coming after me. I pin them down on the ground, ruffle up their manly feathers and call them insulting names. Cures them real fast! ;-)

sounds just like a kid!

Wish that worked on my rooster...

well, if you are going to dream, dream BIG lol

The lady who bred my chickens also has a flock of 18 adult Sebastopos and 15 babies. She told me that if she had to give up all her chickens, ducks, dogs, cats, all animals, except for one pair, she would choose a pair of Sebastopos. They are incredible and, she says I'm the only person they tolerate, they hiss and chase my grands and their friends and any visitor, I don't have a clue why they leave me along, except I talk to them like she does. They are absolutely wonderful and I wish I could have a pair but they would be a little too much for my neighborhood...

I absolutely love the Sebs, I hope to have a pair one day! I live on 3/4 acre- that should be enough shouldn't it?
Only problem is that i have a creek running thru my property and wild mallards that have taken up permanent residence around here. I adore them though. They come so close to our house looking for seeds under the bird feeder. And a particular female plops down under it- her drake doesnt seem to be happy about it when she does. LOL
Would the Sebs- or other fowl for that matter- take off down the stream, never to return?
I wonder.
Ness;-)

Oh gee that could be a problem but if you raised them from babies I would hope they would stay close to home but ya never know!

OOh OOH OOOHHHH!!! oh my my my !! Just love 'em, they are sooo beautiful!! Do they get as big as a regular goose? I would love to have a pair, but I'd have to keep them closed in a run because of dogs! That would be to cruel though, best I keep to my bantams!!!

They are considered sa medium size goose.

hi Cottage Rose,
What beautiful geese! I have an assortment of fowl. I also use kiddie pools for my ducks and geese.

I have 5 geese, 4 Toulouse and 1 White Chinese.

One of the Toulouse (I call him Goose-goose) Has a mate but he really prefers to be with me. He will not let anyone come close to me when we are walking together, this list includes my goats, child, and my DH! It is so funny to see how much he loves me :0) He will put his head down and charge anything that comes near me. He will sit in my lap when I sit down next to him. He loves to go on "walks" with me and helps me while I work in the flowerbed! Spoiled rotten I say....


My White Chinese goose was found a little bit battered on the side of the road. Found him in the middle of a sugar cane patch as a little gosling. How he got there is beyond me. I took him in and got him well. He has been with me for 7 years now. Two of my Toulouse Geese have been with me for 12 years. They are fun and are great watch dogs. They don't miss a thing.

Will they chase rabbits out of my garden? I'm so sick of the rabbits eating everything!

Gwen

Lisa sounds like you geese have found a wonderful home with you!
Gwen the geese will eat stuff in your garden too.

How beautiful!
Ahh maybe oneday I can add some to my family.

But will they decimate it like the rabbits do?

Gwen

Yup, pretty much.

..down to the roots :)


and then some.