(Brenta ruficollis)

For many years while the Russian possessions were
more or less closed to foreigners, very little was known
about this very beautiful goose. Occasionally one or
two pairs would be brought out but generally they were
unknown to the avicultural world. The few that were in
the hands of zoos and private breeders were not
producing in captivity. The word got out that they
would not produce in captivity for some unknown
reason. Probably this bad reputation was the result of
the sexes being identical (except the female is slightly
smaller than the male). Some began to produce in
captivity when vent sexing came about and true pairs
were put together in happy environments.

Red-breasted geese belong to a group of geese that are
called "Brants". Included in this tribe are the Canada,
Brent, Barnacle, and the Hawaiian or Nene Goose.
They are members of the same family because of their
similarities, however they are quite different in many
ways.

The Red-breasted are by far the most colorful of the
entire family. They are so striking that most every
waterfowl enthusiast want to have a flock of them.
So what is the secret to get them to nest? Perhaps there
is no secret, but there are several things the prospective
breeder can do to help along his or her success.

Probably, the most important thing about these birds is
their need for privacy. They are not "flock" birds
during the breeding season. In their native habitat they
steal away and nest rather secretly. It was a long time
before their nesting area in Siberia was discovered by
ornithologists. They should be kept away from the
normal traffic of the aviary. Strangers should not be
allowed to be near them during the nesting season. For
years it was thought that they had to be kept in flocks
and allowed to pair up and go off alone as pairs to nest.
This has been proven not to be true. Perhaps this
notion came about because it was necessary in the
early years of captivity to allow them to pair up
naturally as they could not easily be paired up by
visual methods. It is important to have enough space
for the pairs to get away from other nesting geese
(especially other Red-breasted) and have their nest in
privacy.

Some breeders have reported that polygamy is often
observed with ganders taking as many as three hens as
mates. I think that it is agreed that the normal
reproduction habits in the wild is to pair off separately.
With the good nourishment of our feeds today it is
quite common to have domestic bred birds nest the
second year although in the wild it is thought that some
wait until the third or fourth year to nest.

Many pairs wait until this time to nest even with the
good feed of today. Many breeders feel that it is best
have them wait until they are totally mature before
getting them to nest. This is where patience on the part
of the breeder is favored for the sake of getting healthy
and strong goslings. These geese will double or even
triple clutch in a good year. Breeders have found it best
to let the hen lay at least three eggs before taking the
additional eggs away one day at a time as they are laid.
Be sure to use artificial eggs that are near the size and
look of the natural ones as some hens have not
accepted strange eggs as their own.

Breeder geese should have plenty of greens. This not
only helps them go to nest but in the wild they can live
for months on just the greens found in the bottom of
open streams and on the Tundra. Most breeders have
some system of putting the young goslings out on
lawns so they can eat the grass at will. This movable
coop idea works well with any type of waterfowl.
Probably, a low protein diet should be fed as with all
geese. A good general vitamin such as Vionate should
be fed three or four times a week. Plenty of fresh water
is needed for the goslings to drink.

By now there is a large population of hand-raised stock
available. If you plan on raising these birds be sure to
get domestic hand-raised breeders that are unrelated. It
has been proven that wild-caught birds brought into
captivity very seldom breed. Perhaps this was the
problem in getting a domestic raised population going.
When eggs were hatch from the nests in the wild these
birds began to nest and breed successfully.

No matter what your favorite goose is, you will fall in
love with these little fellows. I had a pair years ago and
just loved them. Their call is different from the other
geese and of course their coloration is just outstanding.
They are at the top of my favorite goose list. I notice
that they have leveled off in price which is good as for
years and years they were out of the range to most of
the waterfowl breeders. I can remember when they
were $2000 a pair which puts them way up on the
unobtainable species list for most people. Now they
are much more reasonably priced which is good for the
hobby. I think that the supply and demand has kept
them in the top of the price range along with the other
more rare species of geese.

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By Leland Hayes from lelandhayes.com

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