How to distinguish a goose from a goose: external signs and photos. How to correctly distinguish a gander from a goose

Geese are often bred on private farms for meat and feathers. In terms of productive indicators, they can easily supplant the duck.

To have a full-fledged flock, it is important to ensure the correct ratio of males and females in it, and for this you need to know the differences between birds.

For an experienced poultry breeder, the question of how to distinguish a gander from a goose is not difficult, but a novice breeder may find himself at a dead end, since gender differences in geese are weakly expressed.

What is it for?

Formation of the parent herd

The ability to distinguish birds is very important in order to form a flock with a competent ratio of ganders and geese from the earliest possible age of the bird.

If the number of males is excessive, it decreases, and therefore an overabundance of ganders should not be allowed.

In order to obtain high-quality fertilized eggs in sufficient quantities in the herd, enough 1 male for 5 females. When a duck is taken for breeding, a similar ratio is observed. Birds in the parent flock must be strong and have the best possible weight for their breed.

The photo shows a parent flock of geese with a brood

Geese and ganders that do not meet the requirements must be promptly removed from the herd and replaced with full-fledged poultry. If possible, culled goose are fattened for slaughter.

Feeding

Bird nutrition also differs depending on gender, which also makes useful knowledge about how to distinguish a goose from a goose. For males, food should be more nutritious so that he gains weight better and maintains a high ability to fertilize females. The goose is fed less nutritiously, since with an excess of calories, the bird becomes fat, and its egg laying is significantly reduced.

Correct determination of the sex of geese in early age should make it possible to form two herds. In one of them, healthy females will be collected with a sufficient number of males. The breeders of this flock are kept to produce quality hatching eggs. Birds from the second group will be fattened for slaughter for meat.

Determining the sex of geese

The sex of an adult bird can be determined by external signs or character. It is also worth learning about how to determine the sex of geese shortly after hatching.

By appearance

Kholmogory gander

It is quite easy to distinguish an adult bird by external signs. Males are larger than females. The weight of the male reaches 9 kg. Females do not weigh more than 7 kg.

In some breeds, the male's beak is large and massive, while the female's is small and neat.

Character and habits

Based on its habits, determining the sex of a bird is considered more accurate. This method allows you to identify not only gander and goose, but also drake and duck. Every breeder who has been working with poultry for at least 1 year knows how to identify a gander by its behavior.

Males are distinguished by significant aggressiveness and, when their territory is invaded, they actively attack the border violator, including humans. An adult gander can also be noticed by its leadership qualities. He stands out in the herd, organizing it. Males also regularly engage in fights in the struggle for leadership. The gander is not characterized by fussiness, unlike the female.

This method of determining the sex of a bird cannot be called 100% accurate, since powerful females are sometimes found in the herd big size, or, on the contrary, small, calm ganders.

Sex determination in chicks

Most often used to determine the sex of chicks bungee method. With it, the caterpillar is taken by the legs, holding it head down, and lowered quite sharply, simulating a fall. At the same time, the male will actively pull himself up to his paws, and the female will only turn her head.

In the case when geese (as well as ducks) are incubated on their own, the sex of the chicks can be determined in the first day after hatching. Males are born larger and taller, and they also actively stretch their necks. On the second day after emergence, the goslings may become equal in size. Again, differences in dimensions begin to be visible only by the end of the first month, or even by 45 days.

Leadership qualities are manifested in males from the first days of life. Small ganders are quite noisy, while females only scream if they are hungry.

Video: How to determine the sex of a day-old gosling?

Scientific approach - reliable and effective

The scientific method of determining the sex of a bird is the most reliable. It is applied to both adult birds and young animals. When determining sex in this way, the bird is placed on its back, on a high, flat surface so that its head is tilted back. After this, you should push its tail back and, carefully, so as not to injure the goose, spread the cloaca. If, during such an examination, a process is visible peeking out of the cloaca, then this is, without a doubt, a gander. The goose does not have shoots in the cloaca.

This technique is the most effective, and after the owner masters it, identifying the sex of the bird will not be difficult.

For a novice poultry farmer to carry it out independently, the procedure may seem somewhat complicated.

Conclusion

Accurate determination of the sex of geese is required only when the bird is raised not only for meat, but also to obtain high-quality hatching eggs. In other cases, you can not complicate your life and raise a meat herd without separating males and females. For the first time for breeding, wanting to get a good parent flock, it is best to purchase an already adult bird in the required ratio. This way, it will be possible not only to correctly determine the sex of the geese, but also to evaluate the breed qualities of the bird.

Simple things are sometimes very complex. So, if an experienced farmer needs only one glance to distinguish a male from a female, then to an ordinary person this is difficult to do. It is especially difficult to determine sex in birds. Therefore, in our article we will tell you how to distinguish a gander from a goose.

In villages and farms where birds are raised only for their own consumption, the breed and sex of the birds does not play a big role. The main thing is that productive indicators are high. However, for farms that raise birds for industrial purposes, this is simply necessary. That is why farmers themselves and competent workers know exactly how to determine the sex of geese.

Birds are sorted by sex in order to ensure the correct ratio of individuals of both sexes in the breeding flock. For domestic purposes, ganders are usually kept for breeding and raised for meat. For those who are interested in egg production indicators, they know that the predominance of males in the herd provokes a decrease in indicators in geese. It is also obvious that the more females in the herd, the more eggs. It is also important that males need more high-calorie food in order to gain weight well, but overweight geese will not be able to lay eggs normally.

The optimal ratio to obtain high performance (for each separate breed different) is the presence of one gander for four geese. This ratio is also suitable for breeding. Only taking into account the healthy and best representatives of the herd. If in order to obtain meat, then it is better to choose meat breeds and ganders, which are larger in both weight and size than females. And males gain weight faster.

For those who sell goslings, the ability to determine the sex is a guarantee successful work with consumers. After all, buyers come for a specific purpose, and if, by mistake or ignorance, you sell them birds of the wrong sex, then there is the possibility of not only losing a client, but also a reputation.

Main Differences

Over many years of work on breed selection and breeding of geese, several popular methods for determining differences between the sexes have emerged. Each of them has its pros and cons, but together they give excellent results. There are also tips on how to distinguish by appearance male from female.

Appearance

External signs will definitely appear sooner or later. The surest external sign is the growth of the gander. Even with the same weight, it will be significantly taller than a goose. The male also has a stronger body and a confident gait. The gander's head is larger and its neck is longer.

Often, the male beak is less powerful and has a hump, while the female half has a straight or slightly concave beak. However, it is not always possible to determine the sex of birds by appearance, so it is recommended to pay attention to habits and character.

Character and behavior

The character and temperament of geese differs significantly. While geese behave more calmly, quietly and non-aggressively, noisy males try to sort things out and fight for leadership. Anyone who has met a flock of geese in person has seen that the ganders react violently to any obstacle or irritant, hissing and trying to pounce. This is how they protect their females. Also, with any threat or alarm, ganders stretch their necks, while geese, on the contrary, try to draw them in deeper.

Birds can also be distinguished by their behavior on the water. Males stretch their necks parallel to the water surface, and after swimming they stand in one place and intensively flap their wings.

At a later stage, during mating games, the initiative also belongs to the gander: he stretches his neck and tilts his head, and then imitates building a nest. The female only repeats his actions.

Scientific methods

Not all breeders can wait for external signs to appear. Industrial production requires sex determination already in the first week after the chicks hatch. One of the most common is the Japanese method - determining sex by identifying the genital organ in the cloaca. It is quite effective; you can inspect several hundred birds in an hour. If in front of you is a male, then it will be a penis, if a female - spherical organs resembling balls or curls. This method has significant disadvantages: the possibility of infection of young animals infectious diseases and increased costs for grading birds.

The probe method, when the floor is determined using a special telescopic device, is very similar to the Japanese one. Color sexing or the genetic method, which involves breeding geese with a special set of marker genes, is also popular in certain countries. These genes influence the color of the down of geese, by which birds can then be distinguished. Often the fluff is colored grey colour. The acoustic method is not particularly common, but quite effective - when the sex is determined using a microphone and sound analysis of the chick's voice.

Determining the sex of a chick

The sex of an adult bird can be determined by both appearance and behavior. It's not so simple with kids. One of the most simple ways, which does not require material costs, is the so-called “bungee”. The gosling is taken by the legs and turned over, and then sharply returned to its original position. If the chick does not react in any way, then most likely it is a female; if it bends and stretches its neck towards its paws, it is a male.

You can also try turning the chick over so that the tail rises slightly and the head hangs down. When positioned correctly, the cloaca will open and the genitals will be visible. They cannot always be seen due to their small size, so you need to use a magnifying glass.

So, we have presented you with several options on how to distinguish a gander and a goose. Each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages. The choice is always yours. It is better to use several methods at once to get the correct answer.

Farmers or private owners usually keep geese on their farms or farmsteads to produce high-quality eggs or meat. Keeping geese is not expensive, especially if there is free range, or even better, a pond in which they can swim freely. As you know, geese are waterfowl and the presence of water nearby has a very positive effect on them. Despite the fact that they are not in the water that much and prefer to be more on land.

Geese feed mainly on plant foods: greens, grass, pods and ears of cereal crops. Therefore, their maintenance does not require special costs.

Raising geese is not only a profitable business, but also very attractive. After all, it is very interesting to watch little goslings, how they grow and from yellow fluffy babies become graceful and serious geese. No one will remain indifferent looking at the goslings when they begin to nibble the grass and fall because it suddenly comes off.

Signs of difference between males and females in geese

It is worth noting that geese have very few differences in early and middle age. They grow practically no different from each other while they are growing. But still, there are some differences and they can be seen at an early age.

In order to understand what gender the gosling is, you need:

Take the gosling in your hands;
Turn him over onto his back;
Lower the ponytail slightly;
Open the bird's anus slightly.

You will be able to see a small penis there, only 3-4 mm long. This suggests that this is a future gander. If you don’t see such a spiral, it means it’s a goose.

The easiest way to determine the sex of the white breed of geese is one day old. Despite the fact that they appear yellow in the incubator, you can notice that the color of the head and back of females and males is different. Geese will have a light color, while geese will be darker and more saturated. In this way, gender can be determined with an accuracy of one hundred percent.

If the goslings are of a gray breed, then the method of examining the cloaca is very suitable here. The same method can be used to examine older individuals. But it will not be as easy as at one day old.

You can also determine the sex of a gosling by external signs. The gander is always higher on its feet than the goose. And his neck is longer than that of the female. In addition, the gander has a natural hump on its nose. Also, a goose as an adult will weigh more than a goose.

All these methods have the right to life and have been used in practice for many years by both amateurs and professionals.

The method of determining sex by examining the cloaca is considered the most reliable. It is used on large goose farms, private farms, and is also used by private owners.

Why is it necessary to select males from females?

Every farmer and owner of a private farm wants to get the maximum profit from them when breeding geese. To get what you want, you need to know exactly what goal you are pursuing.

The best way out is to keep two flocks of geese at once. In one, select the strongest specimens and use them to continue the goose family. And in the second, large geese are fed for meat. It is known that a good large gander can weigh up to 10 kg, while a goose, even with intensive feeding, can grow to only 6.5 kg.

At what age is it best to choose females and males?

To get full-fledged offspring, it is best to select the required number of females and males at a very early age. In this case, you can raise strong, healthy females that are ready to produce full-fledged hatching eggs.

For raising a herd for meat, it is also best to select young animals at one day old. This will make it possible to provide them with a full range of feeds from the first days of life in order to immediately begin fattening the herd.

Don't be upset if you weren't able to sort the young animals in the first week. As you grow, this can also be done. Inspect the goslings periodically and apply the selection methods described earlier.

Good luck everyone! Everything will work out if you try.

How to distinguish a gander from a goose is an important task, which will subsequently help to form the target poultry house properly. Most professional farmers can do this at a glance and almost flawlessly.

But let’s not lie: the profession of a farmer will gradually sink into oblivion, and the desire of the average person to raise poultry and eat organic products of their own production is growing. That is why the need to independently get to know your living creatures and determine their gender is sometimes simply necessary.

There are several approaches to this procedure.

The purpose of determining the sex of a bird

The right choice of poultry, according to experienced farmers, is the key to a successful farm and also has obvious advantages. Observations of breeders allow us to conclude that females do not fly and are less aggressive, while males have much better immunity and suffer less from diseases. We hasten to dissuade you: everything depends on luck and upbringing.

The following advantages can serve as objective reasons for gender selection:

Abundant egg production. Obviously, only geese lay eggs, so a large number of males will negatively affect egg production. Buying goslings “by hand” without determining sex disproportionately mixes females and males, and only in the ideal ratio of one to four can a sufficient number of eggs be obtained.
Plenty of meat. If your plans do not include selling goose eggs, it is more advisable to breed males, which, according to statistics, weigh a quarter more than geese.
Healthy offspring. If the breeding of geese is not for one-time rearing, but for the purpose of offspring, select one best gander for an average of four geese.
Sale of goslings. If you want to set up a business selling poultry, it is advisable to focus on the needs and requests of customers, so knowledge of how to distinguish a gander from a goose is essential so as not to lose trust and good name.

Methods for determining sex at an early stage

If you are new to sex determination, it would be a good idea to first turn to a professional who will competently teach you the techniques. However, if this is not possible, start with the main thing scientific method described in the instructions for farmers.

Scientific approach

Place the gosling on the surface on its back, make sure that the head hangs down slightly and the tail rises reflexively. In this position, the chick's cloaca opens, making it possible to see the genitals, if present, painted red.

If there is a penis (namely a small appendage), we can safely judge that the chick is a goose. The difficulty lies in the small size of the bird and the simply microscopic size of the genitals, so not every farmer is able to determine this with his vision. Using a magnifying glass solves the issue to some extent and in most cases males are identified correctly.

In the absence of 100% vision and a magnifying glass, it is recommended to use fairly effective traditional methods.

"Bungee"

The chick turns upside down by its legs, then drops sharply and the reaction is assessed. Its absence indicates a female, and the male should arch and pull his neck towards his paws.

Appearance

If there are many chicks in the incubator, you can even distinguish a gander from a goose by their appearance. Ganders have more tall even with the same weight, a slender and confident gait, a strong body. Their head is larger and their neck is much longer.

Habits

There is a certain opinion that if you watch the chicks, you will notice that the males are constantly making noise and do not calm down. At this time, the females remain humble and silent, vocalizing only when they feel hungry.

As in nature, males stand out leadership qualities, the first to explore new territories and run up to the feeding trough.

Water procedures

A grown bird that gets acquainted with the water while simultaneously stretching its neck over the surface of the water is a male. After bathing, they are also characterized by standing in one place and flapping their wings.

Fright

Scare the herd in any way, paying attention to who cranes their necks upward. With the help of such a conditioned reflex, it is not difficult to distinguish a goose from a goose, since males instinctively look for danger, and females press themselves to the ground.

The above tips together will undoubtedly give one hundred percent results. However, if there is no need to determine the sex of the bird at such an early stage, use the tips on how to distinguish a goose from a goose in adulthood.

Methods for determining sex at a later stage

Scientific approach

This method is similar to the method of determining the sex of newborn goslings, but is more effective, since at this age the genitals of geese are easily distinguishable.

It is enough to place the goose on its back, using its tail and legs to secure the bird’s body. With your left hand, you need to throw back the tail, with your right hand, spread the cloaca, in which you can see the penis, twisted in the form of a curl and measuring about seven centimeters, if we are talking about a male.

The penis does not always have time to develop by this time, so it can be three to four centimeters.

Females have spherical genitals that may resemble bubbles or curls.

Observation of habits

Considering that the character of chicks and adults does not change, sex determination can easily be carried out by analogy with chicks.

Most breeds are characterized by gender differences, such as a different beak shape for males and females, and a significantly different frontal part. Ganders may have different colors, especially if you have a Dutch breed.

Obviously, the wide variation in methods for determining the sex of geese allows even an inexperienced breeder to almost accurately distinguish between a goose and a goose.

Determining your goals for raising poultry will help you navigate when creating your own poultry house. Properly set tasks and well-chosen individuals will allow you to achieve your goals, bring home eggs, meat, profit and pleasure from quality work.

In fact, right choice poultry plays a very important role and has many advantages. Some farmers believe that males tolerate diseases much better and gain immunity faster, others think that females are less aggressive and do not fly. In fact, these are all subjective arguments and they depend only on chance - how lucky someone is with their offspring and how they were “raised.” If you take a substantive approach to this issue, you can identify several objective advantages of correct gender selection. Let's take a closer look at them.

Better egg production. And the goose understands that only females will lay eggs, so if there is an excessive number of male representatives in the herd, then egg production will suffer greatly. As statistics show, in 80% of cases the ratio is incorrect, since the bird is purchased at the market or “from hand” and a disproportionate mixture of sexes is obtained. If we select a ratio of female to male individuals of 4:1, then it will be possible to get a lot more eggs and adjust production as needed.
Large amount of meat. It is known that an adult male is 15-20% heavier, its weight can reach up to 8-9 kilograms, depending on the breed. Thus, you can significantly increase the amount of meat obtained, especially if you do not intend to sell eggs.
The right offspring. In order to select the best individuals for breeding next year, you must be able to determine the sex and arrange one gander into 3-4 females.
For the subsequent sale of chicks and young animals. If your goal is to sell poultry, it would be better if you start supplying it depending on the wishes of customers - this will attract trust and help you gain regular customers.

There are actually many more reasons why you need to know how to distinguish a gander from a goose. For example, it could simply be the personal wishes of the owner.

How to determine the sex of geese in the early stages

If you do not know how to distinguish a gander from a goose, then first it is better to take the help of a professional who will show you how to do it correctly. However, if you don’t have the opportunity to ask someone, you need to train yourself. Let's first consider the scientific method that is given in every instruction for the farmer.

To do this, you need to tip the caterpillar onto its back so that the head hangs slightly back and the tail is slightly raised to the top. When you carefully open the chick's cloaca, you can see the genitals of a slightly reddish color. If you can see a small appendage (penis) there, then it is a goose. The only difficulty is the small size of all the organs and the chick itself, so only a highly sighted farmer can see anything there, or with the help of a magnifying glass or magnifying glass. However, in 80% of cases this method allows one to identify the male. There are also traditional methods that give fairly high chances. Let's look at the most effective

"Bungee" You need to take the chick by 2 legs and turn it upside down; if there is no reaction, sharply change the height so that the vestibular apparatus feels the fall. The chick should suddenly pull itself up and reach with its beak somewhere in the middle of its growth - then it is a male. Females hang as if dead and only move their heads when any manipulation is carried out with them.
Appearance. If there are many individuals in the incubator, then choosing representatives of the stronger sex is always very easy. They are the tallest, even with the same weight as females, they are taller because they constantly raise their heads and walk more slenderly. They look stronger and stand more confidently on their feet. If they are already 15-20 days old, then they are superior in weight and size to females, they have a little longer neck, and also larger than the head.
Habits. If you don’t know how to tell a gander from a goose, listen and take a closer look at them. The former are always much noisier and almost never calm down, while the ladies remain constantly quiet and only sometimes raise their voices, and only when they are hungry. If you listen, you will notice that their voices also have different tones. There are very squeaky and quiet voices, and there are rough and very loud ones. As for habits and habits, everything here is like in nature. Male chicks are leaders from the very first days and always appear in front of the herd, are the first to move to a new place, and approach the feeders and drinkers.
If the bird has grown a little and is already released into the water, then you could see how the head and neck extend parallel to the water - t Mostly only ganders do this, and after swimming they straighten their wings and begin to flap, standing in one place.
Scare the herd. In any way convenient for you, the main thing is that the ganders feel the danger, then they will stretch their necks to the sky and raise their heads a little. This conditioned reflex, since when there is danger, males begin to determine its nature and rise higher to assess the situation. Geese are the opposite - they hug the ground more.

If we consider these methods in combination, we can determine gender with 100% accuracy, and this can be done at the earliest stages. If you don’t need to rush and need to know how to distinguish a gander from a goose before the formation of new offspring, then everything is much simpler.

How to determine whether an adult is a goose or a goose

If the bird is already 3-4 months old, then sex determination occurs with 100% accuracy, since it is quite easy to distinguish the genitals of males. To do this, you need to turn him over on his back with his tail away from you, and fix his body with his legs. Then pull the tail back a little with one hand and open the cloaca with the other. You will be able to see the genital organ, which will be twisted in the form of a curl; in some individuals it reaches a size of 6-7 centimeters, but, as a rule, at this age it has not yet formed in everyone and can reach only 3-4 centimeters. In females, in its place are spherical genital organs resembling curls and bubbles.

As for the habits of geese and determining sex by appearance, everything is by analogy with chicks, since their character remains the same throughout the entire period of life. Many breeds have morphological gender characteristics. For example, males may have differently shaped beaks or the frontal portion of the skull may differ significantly. Often ganders even have a different coloring, especially if we're talking about about Dutch breeds, so at 2-3 months you can easily see who is who.