Josh Hoffman wrote:
Kristine Keeney wrote:Goose eggs, at least for my type of goose (African) are roughly 3 times the size of a chicken egg. The shell is thicker, and yolk is larger, and there's more white.
Do you find the geese helpful in other areas besides the eggs? In other words, are the eggs a byproduct of another more primary purpose for keeping geese?
I do not know anyone that keeps them.
We got geese to serve as chicken guardians. They do a great job! Their primary purpose is to be loud - something they do very well - and protect the chickens.
They yell at anything they think is new, different, objectionable, or that they disapprove of.
They will spread their wings in a defensive posture to scare away hawks, eagles, and crows, and dove, robins, cardinals - they don't discriminate, protecting their food from wild birds. They "bonk" the chickens if they get underfoot by poking at them with their beaks. If they're truly annoyed they'll bite at the chickens, but they don't do damage.
They will yell at other animals that they think don't belong, and attack/defend themselves and the rest of the flock against smaller critters.
They make great weeders, but you need to be careful of what stage the plants are that you want them to weed as opposed to the plants you want to keep. Ginger, one of my older hens, ate half my strawberry crowns before I caught her at it and dug up a potted mint so she could eat the roots. Iris, my youngest hen, loves for me to pull the grass for her to munch and is very hesitant about what plants she's going to eat otherwise.
If you've never seen a domestic goose, they seem (to people new to them) to be much larger than they actually are - goose vibes, I think. They fill a large-ish space with "goose-ness".
My tallest gander, standing in a relaxed pose, will arch his head to right under my hand hanging loose, so mid-thigh in height. About ... 29" or 77cm. His wingspan is immense, especially if you aren't used to large birds. My guess on his wingspan, tip-to-tip is about 5 feet.
Domestic geese are too heavy to fly. Two of my girls can get off the ground if the wind is right, but they don't get high enough to make it over the 4ft chain link. They will sometimes try to "migrate" by going for a walk down the road, but they travel as an entire gaggle, only go as fast as the slowest goose, and are easily distracted.
They will charge - a run/glide with their wings outspread and sometimes flapping - to cross distances quickly or intimidate. After the first few goes, you learn not to be surprised by it. A charge by a goose can be very intimidating; by the entire gaggle is a sight.
Roasted goose is wonderful. They're waterfowl and all dark meat, but Africans and young Embdens (the most common 'commercial' goose) are practically grease-free, which is hard if you're used to and expecting your roasted goose to be full of goose fat. I stuffed fat geese with apples, onions, and sage, then cooked it long and slow. So tender.
My last roasted goose had no fat, so I made dried-out goose jerky accidentally. Not the best Easter dinner. My advice? make sure you know what you're buying if you buy a goose for roasting.
I have yet to eat one of my flock. I don't look forward to the plucking.
I haven't eaten any of the goose eggs yet, this year. I'm trying to decide if I'm going to try to incubate any, or what baking I'll do. Making pasta has been suggested as a way to use and store them long term, so I might try that, I need to start forming a plan and moving on it.
I think more people should have a few geese around, for the humor aspect if nothing else. Until the 1950s, they were fairly common, but once people moved into suburbs, they got away from geese.
They don't suit everyone or every situation, but they are fun birds to have and great noise makers (for the most part - there are quieter breeds and individuals).
