Meet George and the Girls

Meet George the Gentle Giant.

 

Now that the white Embden Geese have settled down, they are actually quite likeable. But more than that, they are useful, as they have kept the grass down for us since the lawnmowers got put away for the winter.

In fact, they've grown on us so much that, a while ago, I started to consider the idea of getting in a small second flock. I didn't want white ones, as I wanted to be able to easily separate the two goose groups. Trouble is, in these parts it's pretty tricky to find any geese which are not white!

So I began looking on the internet and last week I came across an advert for a breeding trio of Giant Dewlap Geese. These are grey geese, docile and as the name suggests, giants. They weren't super cheap, but these three birds, from the photos posted, looked like a really smart trio.
I made enquiries, but after three days was beginning to think that they must already be sold.

So it was with some surprise that I received a phone call on Friday evening. The reason for the delay in responding was that the gander had come down with a slight limp and had been off to the vet to get checked out.
My plans for the weekend were shifted around and on Saturday morning I was on my way to Hull.

Once there, we were introduced to George and his two girls. George lived with an emu (yes, an emu!), several Rheas, 4 Alpacas, a Great Dane, some very fancy and rare chickens, some horses and a few other geese. The emu was absolutely amazing, a female which was somehow producing a deep, big bass drum booming sound in an effort to find a mate.

George was being sold as he just could not get on with the other older grey gander who lived there. George's limp was almost imperceptible and, with his two girls, they were indeed a handsome trio.

And so it was that George and his girls found themselves heading down through Lincolnshire in the back of my car. They dealt well with the journey and were shown to their accommodation when they arrived. A welcome trug of water and another of corn helped them settle in and feel at home.

As I write this, George and the girls have spent their first day in the goose paddock taking in their new surroundings. They have met my good neighbour Don and honked their approval. They have seen the white geese and joined in a little honking with them, and now they are back in their stable after a first full day in The Fens.

I think they will enjoy it here and I think they will become three much-liked animals on our farm.