Many farmers keep geese on their farm. It is a productive poultry producing good meat and eggs. Even experienced poultry farmers sometimes confuse geese and geese. If it is not difficult to distinguish a cockerel and a hen from each other, then this cannot be said about geese. Let's figure out how you can identify the sex of these individuals.
Purposes of gender determination
If you plan to breed and sell geese, then you definitely need to be able to determine their gender. Based on this criterion, it is necessary to select suitable individuals. Consider for what purposes a gander should be distinguished from a goose.
- Knowing for sure whether the male is in front of you or the female, you can choose the best representatives of both sexes for further reproduction and breeding of the bird. The rest of the representatives of this species, which have not passed the "rejection", can be sent for slaughter.
- Knowing how to determine the sex of geese will greatly simplify the process of pairing to breed healthy offspring. It will be possible to avoid confusion of kindred blood, since you will be able to separate brothers and sisters, preventing contact between them.
- Separation of young individuals based on their sex will make it possible not to face violent conflict situations and a fierce showdown in the pack. In addition, you can significantly save on feed - geese spend much less energy, and their weight will grow faster with the same consumption of suitable food.
- The correct ratio of geese to geese will eventually lead to a good offspring, making it possible to breed poultry in the right quantities.
Some farmers are engaged in breeding geese, starting from some of their selection criteria. For example, there is an opinion that geese are much less susceptible to various diseases than geese, and in terms of their size they are ahead of females. Someone, on the contrary, believes that females are more useful in the economy, behave peacefully and do not think about escapes.
A well-formed herd will be more productive and will bring much more value.
If everything is done correctly, then in the future there should be no serious problems with such poultry. Let us consider which criteria should be used as a starting point when forming a productive herd.
- If you plan to get high-quality meat of good quality, then for this purpose it is necessary to form such a herd, which will mainly consist of males, since they are more impressive in size than females.
- If the goal is to get good eggs in large quantities, then the emphasis should be on breeding geese. If there are too many ganders, this will negatively affect the level of egg production.
- If you want to breed strong and healthy offspring, then you only need to choose strong, powerful and healthy males.
- Breeding chicks for sale must always provide buyers with correct gender information. You should not make mistakes here if you want to acquire regular customers.
Physiological structure
To distinguish a gander from a goose, first of all, you should pay attention to their direct physiological structure. It is possible to check what gender a particular person belongs to using a simple biological method. It allows you to identify the specific physiology of this poultry. You need to act as follows:
- an adult is taken and turned over on its back;
- fix the body of the individual with your feet to make it more comfortable;
- with your left hand, carefully fold the tail of the individual, with your right hand you need to push the cloaca apart;
- if you notice that the bird has a penis in the shape of a curl, then this will mean that in front of you is a goose, that is, a male;
- if spherical genitals, similar to small bubbles, opened in front of you, then you are holding a female goose in your hands.
A similar method of sex detection is used for goslings. However, in older birds, this method is more effective and reliable. We must not forget that during the examination of the physiological features, the bird can offer strong resistance, especially at the moment of opening the cloaca. In order not to get injured and not inflict it on the goose, you should squeeze the bird between your knees, but this must be done carefully, not too hard.
It is worth considering that the length of the male penis is usually about 7 cm.But it is not uncommon for the organ to reach only 3-4 cm.Such parameters are still within the normal range.
External characteristic
You can distinguish a goose from a goose by paying attention to their external differences. Most poultry breeders, especially experienced ones, are able to determine the sex of this poultry only on these grounds, without going into physiological characteristics.
First of all, you should take a closer look at the size of the bird. Over time and as the geese mature, their differences in size are more striking, becoming more noticeable. Gander as a herd protector and a real leader will be quite powerful and large. On average, males are 10-15% larger than females. They have a characteristic long and thick neck, which is constantly in tension. Geese, on the other hand, have a more modest size and body weight, and their neck is thin and shorter. These external characteristics are immediately noticeable in most cases.
There are situations when such external qualities do not help to correctly determine the sex of a given poultry, because representatives of different breeds are specific in their own way. For example, individuals of the "Linda" breed do not differ in size. Even adults of different sexes can be difficult to distinguish from each other.
It is equally important to pay attention to the color of the described poultry. Many people are used to thinking that the white color of the plumage of these individuals is the main one. This is true. But in geese, the down has a characteristic yellowish tint, while in geese it is grayish.
The heredity of birds plays an important role. In the same representatives of the Linda breed, both females and males have an identical color. They all have white plumage. If viewed as an example of Dutch geese, then their males are gray. They can be easily distinguished from females. Representatives of the Dutch breed today are extremely popular and widespread throughout the world. Toulouse geese are very similar in color to them.
Another external sign by which it is possible to determine the sex of poultry is the head. In geese, it is much larger than in geese. She is always massive and looks somewhat menacing. If we are talking about the modest size of the female, then her head will be more graceful and refined. All features are neat, there are no sharply protruding parts.
The beak of this popular poultry is also worth a look. Males have large and massive beaks. It looks quite rough and most often has a characteristic dirty tint. There are also gander with a black beak.
The appearance of the goose is direct evidence of its evolutionary role - it is the dimensions of the beak that are designed to demonstrate the status of the individual. This is very important in the struggle for leadership positions.
Females in these matters are the exact opposite of ganders. Their beaks are thinner, neat and graceful in appearance, and their color is more intense. On these grounds they are most often distinguished. Of course, if we are not talking about those breeds of geese in which both females and males have the same external characteristics.
Features of behavior
It is possible to distinguish between a female and a male not only visually and by physiological characteristics, but also by their immediate behavior. It should be noted that gander literally from the first days of life are trying to demonstrate their leadership abilities, which are inherent in them by nature. They try to master and conquer new territories as soon as possible, make a lot of noise, often enter into serious conflicts and behave aggressively.
The same cannot be said about females. They are peace-loving, behave calmly, do not enter into conflicts or provoke them. The goose's voice is given only when necessary, when, for example, they are hungry and want to eat.
Certain behavioral signs can also be noticed when the bird is frightened. At such moments, you can also recognize a female or a male in an individual. You can tell what gender the gosling is by scaring them with a sharp sound. The female will try to hide as soon as possible, press herself to the ground. The reaction of the male will be different - he will immediately stretch his neck, raise his head to fully assess the whole situation.
The latter method of determining the behavioral characteristics of birds of different roles works well and is effective, but it is strongly discouraged to resort to it too often.
The sound irritating factor will contribute to the development of not the best conditioned reflex in young individuals, which will further adversely affect the health of birds in general.
During mating, the behavior of different-sex birds will also differ. The ganders become very aggressive. These individuals also swim in different ways. At the same time, the female gently tilts her head down, and the male stretches his neck and keeps his head parallel to the water surface. After completing the swim, the gander will take a stance, flapping its wings intensively.
Pay attention to the gait of the geese. In males, she is always more confident, straight. Due to this, they look more serious.
Difference in the sounds emitted
You can also find out the sex of the described poultry by the sounds that it makes. As you grow older, your gender will only become more prominent. It is by the sounds that it is easiest to understand whether the male is in front of you or the female.
Ganders usually make louder and louder sounds. The cry is like a trumpet. And also for ganders a peculiar hissing is characteristic, which is easily distinguishable. Such sounds are produced in jerks.
As for the fragile females, they emit more drawn-out and sonorous cries. It is believed that geese make more pleasant sounds. They almost do not irritate a person, which cannot be said about the cries of ganders. They are often very irritating.
We must not forget that the sounds emitted by these poultry also largely depend on their belonging to a particular breed. For example, representatives of the Chinese breed make characteristic sharp and thin sounds. Females of this species differ in this characteristic - their voices are lower and coarser. Classical European breeds do not fall under this description.
Bungee method
You can determine the sex of a gosling using a method called "bungee". Many goose breeders use it. Let's consider in detail how to act.
- Turn the goose head down. Hold it with both paws at this time.
- If there is no reaction to these actions from the chick, you need to sharply change the height of its location. Due to this, the vestibular apparatus will give the chick the sensation of falling.
- In a similar situation, the goose will try to stretch out and reach the middle of the body with its beak.
- Geese in such conditions show little activity - they slightly move their head, but do not try to get up.
This method is effective. It is even better if you use it in combination with other methods. An integrated approach is the most effective and productive.
Helpful hints and tips
Determining the sex of the described poultry is not an easy task for many poultry farmers. This can be especially difficult to do if the birds belong to a breed in which representatives of both sexes do not have striking distinctive features among themselves. Novice poultry farmers also often make mistakes in determining the sex of geese. If you are faced with such a task, then you should have a few useful recommendations in stock.
- There are many ways to determine the sex of these poultry. However, the most reliable of them is the one in which the physiological characteristics of birds are considered in detail. In this case, mistakes are made the least often.
- Experienced poultry farmers recommend a complex approach to determining the sex of thickets. You can access several methods at once.
- If you decide to find out the sex of the gosling by fright, then you often should not do this. Otherwise, you run the risk of harm to his health.
- The older the goose, the more difficult it will be to determine its gender. And this is not at all connected with age-related changes, but with the strength of his resistance. Geese resist especially actively, using the most reliable biological method.
- Many goose breeders recommend filling the feeders while monitoring the reaction of the little goslings. In most cases, it is the males that are the very first at the feeder. Moreover, at the same time, serious conflicts can arise between the gander, reaching fights.
- Geese are larger than geese. This is noticeable from an early age - you don't have to wait until the birds grow up.
- If you decide to use the most effective biological method, then you should prepare a loupe. There are times when the genitals of geese are too small, and it is not easy to notice them just like that (such situations are especially common when it comes to small goslings). In such situations, a good magnifying glass is essential. In 80% of cases, such manipulations make it possible to correctly determine the sex of the bird.
- Even if there are many goslings in the house, you shouldn't worry. Even in a “large company” of chicks, males can be identified immediately. They always stand taller than females and keep their heads raised.
- If you have used all the above methods, but you do not have complete confidence in the result, then you should contact the professionals. Many of them are specially trained to determine the sex of geese. This way you will save both time and money.
- It is not always possible to distinguish between birds of different sexes by size. Many breeds of geese differ in that both females and males have the same proportions.
- It is more difficult to determine the sex of goslings - this is important to consider. In some cases, young males behave more passively than young females. Immediately after birth, the size and color of these individuals is also more difficult to determine.
- If you have chosen a biological way of treating a bird, or a method called "bungee", then you should be careful with the bird. At this moment, the birds are under severe stress. As a rule, they knock out and try to break free. Hold them tightly, but do not overdo it, otherwise you can seriously harm them.
How to correctly determine the sex of a goose, see the video below.