We Got Geese!!

When we first started farming/homesteading about 9 years ago I was warned. We were preparing to buy our first chickens and everyone told me they were the “gateway” animal. “Build a bigger coop than you think you need” was some of the best advice we were offered. And boy were they right! Chicken math is real.

Chickens led to turkeys which led to livestock guardian dogs. Many friends had raised ducks and loved them, but my daughter Brittney had a very different experience. So ducks were scratched from the list. But then I started seeing more and more geese on homesteads and small farms. The first time I saw a Sebastopol goose I was completely enamored! Their frilly lacy feathers were so beautiful. After doing tons of research and discovering they were a more docile breed (even the males), I just had to get some. A sweet Instagram friend just happen to have 5 goslings she was selling……..and the rest is history.

They came home with us the first weekend of May and they were almost two months old at the time. They were the softest fluffiest little things you’ve ever seen. And don’t even get me started on their teeny tiny wings!

The transition and integration into our chicken flock was so smooth! I had feared the worst, because if you’ve been around chickens much, you know the pecking order is a REAL thing. These tiny geese seemed to know how big they would get. They were immediately at the top of the pecking order…..if they were together. They’re like a little gang.

A LOT has changed in the one month they’ve been on the farm. They are huge! We still don’t know the sexes as geese are really hard to sex. We plan to give them all “G” names when we eventually find out who’s who. Sebastopol geese are smallish for geese. They will be in the 10 to 12 pound range when fully mature……and get this, they can live up to 25 years!! We are so thankful to have them and are enjoying watching them grow and warm up to us. Hopefully one day they will love me (one even has a heart on it’s chest).

You can follow their journey on Instagram @thefourteenacres