Goose Facts

For a while now, Charissa has been posting facts about Geese on their Twitter feed, alongside other farmers who share other animal facts that you can find via the links below:

• Sheep Facts (Happy Valley Free Range Farm)
• Cow Facts (DDFarmerette 365 Days 365 Cow Facts) <- This is the monster that birthed it all.
• Goose Facts (charissa-goose facts)
• Bull Facts (Farmcat)
• Pig Facts (kelly)
• Calving Facts (Blair Gilmore)
• Bison Facts (BuffaloGuyRon)

The facts listed below here detail slightly more information than the Twitter posts due to Twitter's maximum character allowance.

Goose Facts 1

Goslings will bond to anything.

Whatever a gosling sees when they first hatch, they will bond to. This includes anything that moves, whether it is alive or not. It may also include people if you happen to be around when the goslings are hatching.

Goose Facts 2

Geese do not have teeth. They do, however, have tooth-like structures that line the inside of their bills and the edge of their tongues. These structures, known as tomia, are ridged with sharp lamellae, almost like the blade of a saw.

Goose Facts 3

As well as forming strong bonds with their mate, geese are incredibly loyal towards other geese too. In fact, they are so loyal that if one bird becomes sick or injured while they are flying in formation then two other geese usually drop out to stay with it.

Goose Facts 4

Geese are able to sleep with one eye open. They can shut down one half of their brain to rest, and can even adjust how deeply they sleep by how wide their eye is open or closed.

Goose Facts 5

Goslings the name for goose chicks, can learn to swim within one day of being born. As they get older, they sometimes form groups with other goslings called gang broods. The gang brood travels and feeds together under the watchful eyes of the parent geese.

Goose Facts 6

Goose is actually the term for female geese, male geese are called ganders. A group of geese on land or in water are a gaggle, while in the air they are called a skein.

Goose Facts 7

Geese always fly in the shape of a ‘V’, as it allows at least 71 % greater flying range. When the goose in the lead gets tired, another goose takes over the position.

Goose Facts 8

When their mate dies, a goose will exhibit mourning behavior. They also mourn when their children or eggs die.

Goose Facts 9

Geese eat a wide variety of things. They mostly eat vegetation from underneath the water’s surface, including most water plants and grasses.However, they will also eat bugs if they can get their beak on them. Insects make up a much smaller part of their diet.

Goose Facts 10

Geese are very territorial and protective, so they scream and hiss at humans or other animals who get too close to their nests and babies.