Yesterday, we got a call from the post office that our new babies had arrived. I drove right down to the little post office in the little town to pick them up.
If you have babies shipped through the mail, it’s a good idea to call the post office in advance, tell them what you’re expecting, give them your phone number, and ask them to call you when the birds arrive.
Our goslings came from the Holderread Waterfowl Farm and Preservation Center in Oregon. They ship them as day-olds. Babies don’t eat or drink much for the first 36-60 hours after birth, so this makes it a good time to box them up and send them on a trip.
They arrive curious and active.
And maybe slightly irritated.
Not to mention outrageously adorable.
We have a “bargain” assortment of four goslings, though they did tell us that they are three American Blues and one American Lavender, two varieties of the American geese family, which also includes American Buffs (tan/fawn color). The Blues are a sort of bluish-gray and the Lavenders are a lighter silvery-lavender. They aren’t sexed, though, so I have no idea about that yet, but I hope there is a mix. Since they are of two very close variations on the same breed, it will work well to breed them together. The American Blues and American Lavenders look almost identical. You can see what mature American Blues and Lavenders look like here. American Blues and Lavenders are beautiful geese. They’re known to be calm and docile geese as well as good parents.
After moving them from the shipping box to a temporary brooder box, they discovered water–and were thirsty from their trip.
The first one discovers food!
You can already tell which one is the Lavender–it looks a little different from the other three.
We’ll be fixing up a bigger brooder box for them this weekend as they will quickly outgrow this temporary one. When they’re big enough, they’ll go to the chicken yard for a time then on to the pond.
We have geese!
Right after I opened the box at home. (They were still feeling a little ornery.)
lizzie says:
Just love the new babies! :snoopy:
On April 16, 2011 at 2:17 am
Nancy in Iowa says:
Ha! The little one in front cracked me up when he/she attacked the camera – must have looked mighty tasty! Or did the baby see its reflection and wanted to play?
On April 16, 2011 at 2:39 am
Lora says:
TOO CUTE for words!
On April 16, 2011 at 3:45 am
Rose H says:
Ooooh! They are too cute! :yes: (Though I’d really worry about them in the mail in the UK, if it’s marked FRAGILE they’d throw it just for the heck of it 😥 )
On April 16, 2011 at 3:46 am
Sonia says:
I want some goslings! I am going to guess that we have 1 boy and 3 girls. Just guessing, but will be intersting to see how close the guess will be…
On April 16, 2011 at 3:55 am
Jean - MN says:
Aww — sweet!
On April 16, 2011 at 4:18 am
Marla says:
:chicken: Oh they are so cute!
On April 16, 2011 at 4:41 am
Mandy says:
Awww! Adorable. I look forward to watching them grow up
On April 16, 2011 at 5:40 am
Rah says:
You just made my day. How incredibly adorable! Thank you.
On April 16, 2011 at 7:09 am
Tracey In Paradise Pa. says:
:snoopy: OH HAPPY DAY!! I bet it feels like your birthday all over again. I love getting the post office call. SO exciting. They are precious! Thanks for also sharing the video.
Granny Trace
http://www.grannytracescrapsandsquares.com
On April 16, 2011 at 7:13 am
Dianna says:
Thanks for the early morning smile! Now you have gosling slobber on your lens!
On April 16, 2011 at 7:30 am
Gem says:
Now I have to get some!!!
On April 16, 2011 at 7:39 am
Chickenlady62 says:
Too cute. Before I got chickens I had wanted a pet goose. My mom who had raised some as a child said they can be mean . Maybe it was the breed she had? I hope yours are friendly 🙂 I will have “my” pet goose through your pictures :yes: what little fuzz balls ! I….just… want …to… hold…them…. :snoopy:
TinaH
On April 16, 2011 at 8:15 am
CindyP says:
Awwww…. Too cute!!
I could have geese on the creek!
On April 16, 2011 at 8:37 am
DancesInGarden says:
Those things are so adorable, that it almost hurts 😉
When I scrolled down to the little fuzzy heads poking up out of the box I let out a little shriek – startled my husband LOL.
On April 16, 2011 at 8:51 am
Barbee' says:
Maybe if you handle them from the very beginning, and give them treats often and forever they will be pets and not mean. Sure are cute little fellers’, and spunky. I’ve been thinking about them, but I knew you would show us when you got them. Thank you!
On April 16, 2011 at 8:55 am
Wendy says:
They are adorable. I can hardly wait for a future article that’s titled: ‘When Geese Attack’….lol
On April 16, 2011 at 9:09 am
Claudia says:
How cute is that! I predict that the attacker is the agressive male. The pictures of the adults are beautiful. Good luck with your new pets.
On April 16, 2011 at 9:17 am
brookdale says:
How cute! Just in time for Easter. I love that they peep just like chicks. Thanks for sharing with us.
On April 16, 2011 at 9:21 am
holstein woman says:
Cute, cute, cute. Blessings
On April 16, 2011 at 9:22 am
4jsMOM says:
I loved the video. Brings back memories of my grandmother getting new baby chicks each spring. She kept them in the kitchen near the coal stove to keep them warm. Keep us posted on their growing-up days.
On April 16, 2011 at 9:24 am
jennie miller says:
Oh, my gosh, I am so envious. I can’t stay away from the feed store when they have them in. I also know when spring has arrived when I go to the post office and hear all the chirping in the back room. Lucky you!! :snoopy:
On April 16, 2011 at 9:33 am
prayingpup says:
What adorable babies! We used to live down the street from a hatchery & my kids would go down at the end of the day and the owner would give them the left-overs. We had many chickens & ducks from that hatchery – and ONE MEAN ROOSTER! His name was Mr. Peck-Peck! But, they made for lots of eggs later on & my kids learned all about keeping poultry – what great memories!
On April 16, 2011 at 9:43 am
Deb Martin-Webster says:
Too cute!!
On April 16, 2011 at 9:47 am
Cheryl LeMay says:
I’ve heard of American buff geese before but until I went to that site I never knew they came in blue and lavender too.They are just beautiful.You got very lucky with getting such unusual colors.Congratulations! I can’t wait to see them grow up.
On April 16, 2011 at 9:49 am
lauren says:
Beautiful babies!!! cant wait to watch them grow 🙂
On April 16, 2011 at 9:53 am
Ramona says:
They are so cute! This brings back memories of raising 300 chickes to butcher and sell. We got little babies in the same type boxes. My small children enjoyed helping feed them.
This will be a nice addition to your farm.
Hugs,
MN MONA :smilerabbit:
On April 16, 2011 at 9:56 am
Urbanite says:
I laughed out loud when the one gosling attacked the camera. The adults are gorgeous! I hope you enjoy your geese for many years.
On April 16, 2011 at 10:14 am
Jennifer says:
Oh they are so cute. My son and I would love to have one but husband doesn’t. I’m gunna keep working on him though. I am so excited to watch they grow.
On April 16, 2011 at 10:15 am
Lisa says:
:snoopy: I’m in love..so CUTE ! :snoopy:
On April 16, 2011 at 10:22 am
Tina says:
Awww, new babies! The peeps…the fuzz…the cuteness!!! Happy for you and your family. :duck:
On April 16, 2011 at 10:24 am
Melissa says:
I love the lavenders. I went to their site the other day when you posted about them and fell in love with the lavender goose. I can hardly wait to see how yours do.
On April 16, 2011 at 10:31 am
Joy (from Illinois) says:
Beautiful geese and really cute babies. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that you have just one agressive male. Male geese are great “watchbirds” and should help protect against pedators. Be sure to tame them well before you let them go or they WILL attack you everytime you try to go into the yard they’re in. I suggest some daily handfeeding/petting sessions. What about the rest of you guys? Any tips for Suzanne on raising happy geese that will let her near them?
On April 16, 2011 at 10:46 am
Suzanne McMinn says:
According to an article I read on raising geese by the University of Minnesota, feeding geese from the hand is Not a good practice if you want to keep them from getting aggressive. It can make them demanding from people, which leads to aggressive behavior.
https://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/livestocksystems/di1190.html
On April 16, 2011 at 11:03 am
AnnieB says:
Many types of geese mate for life. Do you know if this is true for American Lavender/American Blue?
On April 16, 2011 at 11:15 am
Suzanne McMinn says:
Annie, I don’t know re mating for life. I’m looking forward to learning more about them. There’s not much information out there about this particular breed.
On April 16, 2011 at 11:29 am
Nana Ellen says:
:snuggle: love, love, love it! Did NOT know it was possible to mail goslings! I WANT some…problem…same as all adorable babies…the grow into full-fledged geese (cows, donkeys, ducks, and so forth) and my cottage is within the city-limits. Won’t work! Too bad for me. I’ll have to watch your babies grow up. Thanks for the opportunity! Hugs, e
On April 16, 2011 at 11:29 am
Brenda E says:
Oh how cute they are – how long were in they in transit and what keeps the P.O. from turning them upside down ?? This is so funny – when I was playing the video my big fat cat Taz came running out of the closet and had his paws up on the desk looking for the birds that were peeping – he just knew there was a bird in this room – he’s still looking around the room for them. HA.
On April 16, 2011 at 12:22 pm
Shirley T says:
HOW DO YOU STAND THE CUTENESS. Well, clearly you have one with att-iii-tude. :hissyfit:
On April 16, 2011 at 12:24 pm
CarrieJ says:
I’m curious, once the geese are in the pond, are they on their own or do you herd them into shelter at night like chickens? Incidentally, everytime you get babies I want babies. I live on a large corner lot…soooo….in my mind it’s full of calfs,goats, chickens, sheep….but in reality all I have is 5 cats. And we all know you can’t milk cats!
On April 16, 2011 at 12:27 pm
Suzanne McMinn says:
There is a duck house out there and they can come and go as they wish!
On April 16, 2011 at 1:04 pm
Nancy Stickler says:
Oh you trouble maker!!! I said “no babies this year”…. now I just have to get some! The adults in the pics look very similar to the Pilgrims. Fat butt and handsome! I feed all my babies by hand, ducks geese and chicks…I’ve never seen that it makes them aggressive. Enjoy!! :duck:
On April 16, 2011 at 12:35 pm
Suzanne McMinn says:
Nancy, I don’t know, that’s just what I read (re feeding geese from the hand).
On April 16, 2011 at 1:05 pm
Kathleen H in Indiana says:
So sweet! I say call them eenie, meenie, minie and moe! The adults are beautiful.
On April 16, 2011 at 12:46 pm
Lynette says:
The gosling attacking the camera was so cute. Thanks for adding a video of their chirps. Love it!
On April 16, 2011 at 1:28 pm
Rosemeri says:
My 3 year old grandson sat on my lap and had to watch the video at least 10 times. He loves them and so do I. Thanks for posting.
On April 16, 2011 at 1:46 pm
Runningtrails says:
Those little goslings are so cute! We will have wild Canadian geese here soon 🙂 There’s a marsh nearby where they nest and the dads walk around our property in the spring.
On April 16, 2011 at 1:58 pm
trish c says:
I can’t wait to show this video to my 3 yr old grandaughter. She will love them too.
On April 16, 2011 at 2:10 pm
farmershae says:
oh…my….gosh. They are killing me with cuteness!!! Why can’t they stay like that forever?
On April 16, 2011 at 2:43 pm
Shelly says:
Very nice they should be fun to raise… :snuggle:
On April 16, 2011 at 3:49 pm
Rosered says:
So, so, so , so, SO CUTE!!!! HAVE SO MUCH FUN WITH THEM!!!
On April 16, 2011 at 7:17 pm
Lindsay says:
Oh my gosh their little chirps! They’re so cute! I adore ducklings/goslings/baby anythings, thanks for sharing that video, that was adorable!
On April 16, 2011 at 7:30 pm
Deborah says:
Those look just like the four that we got for my son got when he was 3 years old. We had chickens, rabbits, ducks, geese and of course dogs. We still have one original goose left, my son is now 23. Yes, that’s right! He or she is now 20 years old and meaner than ever. I even have to plan my exit from the house and my car because it will bite me. It’s the bite/twist that kills me. Ouch! Hope yours turn out nicer ~ they are so cute when they are babies. 🙂 :chicken:
On April 16, 2011 at 9:28 pm