Ella & Fella, my Sebastopol geese have grown up . I love them so much. Until recently they followed me around like doting puppies ,but I guess like all youngsters, they grow up and other things become more important. Spring has come to Cedar Pond and Ella & Fella along with the ducks, chickens , sheep , birds, frogs, etc., have followed their instincts to reproduce .
We placed a kennel in our vegetable garden last month to house Ella & Fella while they got used to living near the pond. They got used to the kennel for a week before I began opening it up during the day to let them outside the veggie garden , giving them access to Cedar Pond. The pond is fairly large. There is an island in the middle and we can row a boat around it, so it easily accommodates geese that need a large body of water for successful mating, along with our flock of ducks, the wild ducks, Blue Heron , occasional Bald eagles and hawks.
Another view of the veggie garden . You can see the geese in the kiddie pool .It was their sole water source when they lived in the back poultry yard. My husband opened some of the fence wire in his veggie garden so the geese could come and go during the day. They also ate all the weeds and much of the greenery in the garden ( fertilized it too ) so he can rototill the garden next week and begin planting without as much work. Yesterday I blocked off all the garden but the kennel and pond access from my geese to protect my husband's garden from their efficient browsing. This allows them access to their home while Ella has started incubating the eggs she has laid in her nest in the back of the kennel. The geese have to be penned up at night, as do my ducks and chickens or predators would eat them. We have many raccoons, coyotes, dogs, possums, and feral cats who find my poultry tasty.
Ella on her nest. Since Ella is a first time mama I want to make sure she can incubate and raise her young. Sebastopol geese are not too common and they are expensive , so I gave 6 of Ella's eggs to friends to incubate in their incubator , replacing her eggs with fertile duck eggs . She is sitting on 9 duck eggs. Duck eggs have the same incubation time and requirements as goose eggs. Plus, if she successfully hatches them, they will thrive with her as a mama. If she does well I'll let her tend her own eggs next spring.
Fella guarding Ella. Geese can be scary as they run at a person with their wings spread wide, hissing and biting, but Fella does not do that to me. I think he still loves me and knows I'll not hurt him or Ella, but he's not so nice to our dogs and the ducks ! Good for him.
I'll keep this blog updated regarding Ella & Fella's nesting. Whatever happens, I am still very happy with these geese. For now , here's a view of Ella & Fella heading back to the nest.
