Keep your expectations reasonable.
At the end of the day, a goose is still a goose. They honk, hiss, and have minds of their own when it comes to just about everything.
Though our girls are much more quiet than other breeds, they still call out to us to say hello when they see us. If you’re worried about noise, pick a breed that’s known to be on the quiet side of the spectrum, and keep your numbers low. I think starting with a pair of female Buffs or Pilgrims is a fantastic place to start.
Even if you hand-raise and imprint your goslings, they are still geese. They might not like you trying to collect their eggs or touch their goslings, and that’s okay! There are ways to work around those boundaries in a respectful way. One thing I am always mindful of is to try and collect eggs when my girls are off their nests. If a goose is broody, I am calm but firm in removing her eggs from under her or encouraging her to get off the nest. Finally, I never ask or allow my kids to disturb our girls when they’re sitting on a nest, and always remind them how important it is to never chase the geese.
Enjoy the eggs!
Over the years, I have raised quail, chickens, turkeys, and a variety of duck breeds for eggs. In our family, we have special dishes associated with each type of egg…quail eggs are for hot cocoa, chicken eggs are the general jack-of-all-trades, duck eggs make fantastic baked goods, and turkey eggs are for chocolate cake and bacon omelets. Goose eggs are no exception! We love them in pancakes, pudding, and sugar cookie bars most notably.
Geese are very seasonal layers, often laying from late winter into spring. Our geese ended up being really amazing layers from about February through June, giving us about two eggs a day during that time. An interesting thing to note is that geese will peak as layers from about 3-5 years of age, but can continue to lay for 10 or more years. That’s a lot of eggs! I suggest playing around, finding your favorite goose egg recipes, and looking into how to preserve their eggs for the off season.
All photos courtesy of Nina Mullins.
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