The Scoop on the Goose!

There were whispers at first. “Did you see the goose?,” one said. “Was that a goose?,” said another. “A goose is on the loose,” said the musician over the speaker. “Ok, who brought goose?,” said a vendor.

Then the customer said, “Did you guy’s hear there’s a moose on the loose?” But then the children all screamed, “It’s a goose, not a moose!”

Finally, a lady took charge and said, “I’m going to get to the bottom of this goose.” Then she grabbed a man and they pushed through the crowds until they caught the owner of the goose and demanded, “Hey You! Give us the scoop on that goose!”

Finally, here’s the scoop and juice on the goose:

What is your goose’s name?

Our goose is named Gabby. She does know her name and some other words as well!

What type of breed is your goose?

Gabby is a Pilgrim goose. Pilgrims are the most calm and friendly breed of domestic goose. They are somewhat rare.

When did you know your goose was ready to go out on adventures? What adventures has she been on?

When Gabby was about 6 weeks old we put a harness and leash on her and started to train her. Gabby was already very attached to us because we saw her hatch and she imprinted on us right away. That means she sees us as her mom and dad and always will. Geese grow very fast so she was a good size at 6 weeks to begin to take her places.

Gabby has been on so many adventures! She was on stage with a rock band at New Hampshire Pumpkin Festival. She has been at the Wolfeboro Christmas parade for 2 years. She was at a local town hall petting zoo for kids where she walked around making friends with all of them. She has been featured in a few newspapers too.

Was she hard to train?

Gabby was not at all hard to train. She was a natural! Because she sees us as mom and dad goose, she already would follow us all around the yard even when she was a little gosling. When she was tiny she was in a bin in our bedroom. If I left the room she would cry like a baby does. I had an apron with a big mesh pocket all across the front, I would have to put her in the pocket when I went to work in the kitchen and she would be quiet and was very happy in there close to me—goose mom!

What is your goose’s favorite food?

Gabby is a vegetarian—That means she does not eat things like bugs or worms. She eats grass and weeds and gets chicken feed since we have winter where nothing grows. We give her snacks. She loves lettuce, red grapes, watermelon, cucumbers, and peas. I think peas are her favorite. She goes crazy when I come out with a bowl of peas in water. Whenever we are out with her we always bring a ziploc bag of cucumber pieces. She loves them almost as much as peas! We let everyone feed her the treats we bring with us. Kids and adults love to give Gabby her snacks!

Does your goose fly south for the winter?

No. Only wild geese migrate. Gabby is a domestic goose. She cannot fly so she would have a hard time surviving in the wild like Canada geese do. Domestic geese are farm or homestead animals, like chickens.

Does your goose have any friends at your farm?

We don’t have a farm but we have a nice yard in a fairly rural area. We have chickens and 3 girl ducks. The chickens have their own coop and we built a coop and run for Gabby and the 3 ducks. Gabby and the ducks are friends who get along very well together, but she is not attached to them like she is to us. We will always be mom and dad to her. The chickens, ducks, and Gabby all have fun milling around the property together for awhile every day.

What other water fowl do you have?

We have 3 ducks, all girls. Two of them are a breed called Welsh Harlequins. We named them Harlie and Quinn! We have a Buff duck named Charlotte.

Does she have a favorite human?

Gabby is very friendly and loves to go on her ‘meet and greets’ and interact with everyone. I have to say though that she is a daddy’s girl! She is very attached to my husband. He goes out every evening to clean the coop and let them go into the coop from their attached run. He sits in the doorway and talks to them, and Gabby usually will waddle onto his lap or put her neck and head under his arm while he pets her and says “I love you”. She is very attached to me too. She loves to ride in the car on my lap and she will put her head against my chest and go to sleep while I rub her neck! No doubt–Gabby loves her mom and daddy!

What is a day in the life like for your goose?

I go out every morning very early to clean their coop and open the little door that connects it to the run where their food and water is. They start squawking with excitement when they hear me. They are in their run for most of the day but we let them out when we are with them. It’s dangerous with predators out there that could attack them, so they only go out when we can be with them.

We dug a pond for Gabby in the yard and she and the duck girls love it! They are so happy wandering through the yard of wildflowers we have where the beehives are and swimming in their pond. We make sure to bring them favorite treats every day.

In the colder weather, Gabby loves to come into the house and be with us for awhile. She has goose diapers for when she is in the house! Yes! Goose diapers are a ‘thing’! She loves to lay on mom’s lap in our bed and watch Youtube videos with us! She absolutely loves goose videos!

Of course Gabby also loves it when daddy puts on the harness and leash and mom puts on a pair of her fashionable ‘goose boots’ and we go out on an excursion! In summer she loves to go to the local beach with us and she floats around with ‘daddy’. She likes to be very close to him in the water.