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February ""Fur"" Baby of the Month - Meet Pitty Pat!!

by on ‎01-31-2013 04:30 PM

This month's Fur Baby actually has FEATHERS!! She is a lovey dovey little Goose Girl named Pitty Pat!



Since many of you caught a glimpse of my "Gaggle of Pet Geese" on the QVC Christmas Reel this year, as part of the "Day in the Life of Carolyn" video, I thought I would introduce you to one of the bunch!!


Her name is Pitty Pat. The photos here are from three years ago, when she was a little yellow fuzz ball.



She is now a big, beautiful, LOUD White Chinese Goose!! She was a leftover baby at my local farm store, when I spotted her in her little pen, making little "peep peep peep" sounds (baby geese and ducks sound like a rubber ducky squeaker when they are small!) Someone had put a hand-written sign on her pen that said "Are you my mother??"...and needless to say, I scooped her up to join the two Brown Chinese Geese that I already had at home....Rosie and Jasper. Our goosey group now includes two more White Chinese, Gertrude and Heathcliff, as well.


 


The older ones teach the babies how to swim in our little pond....it is so adorable! They grow very quickly, replacing their yellow fuzz with beautiful brown or white feathers and immediately take to the water. Geese do not need to swim as much as ducks, and they spend a lot of time "grazing" in their goose yard and napping in the soft mulch. They will eat nearly every type of plant, except my evergreens, hollies and rose bushes. I've had to experiment with that, in order to find something they WON'T eat, to plant in their yard, to make it pretty!


They are terrific with helping me WEED the garden too! They follow me around and help pull the weeds...and then eat them!



They are also terrific watch dogs....and will alert us to any newcomer to the the property! If allowed, they would also chase any said newcomer completely OUT of the yard!! They do not fly away, as domestic geese are much heavier than the wild geese you may see flying around in your area. They can flap their wings and run very fast....but cannot take off. We have built them their own little house, which they sleep in at night. We have foxes nearby, who are predators to the geese, so they cannot stay outdoors during the night. Each morning they LOVE to come bursting out of their house, as soon as I open the door, squawking and flapping to greet the new day!



They are a joy and are wonderful pets! 


XO, Carolyn


 


Here is our "interview" with Pitty Pat:


Name: MISS Pitty Pat Gooseberry


Age: 3 years (I will hopefully live to be 20 years or so!)


Weight: Not sure, but Mom can still pick me up, if I don't flap my wings too hard!


Breed: Chinese Goose (We come in white and brown varieties. We are a cross between Toulouse Geese and Swans and we love to TRUMPET. We also have a big knot on the top of our beak...especially the boys!)


Likes: Nearly any green plant and our Purina Goose Chow!


LOVES: to swim in my pond!!


Dislikes: Foxes....and when our pond is frozen in the winter time!


Best Fur Friend....Rowdy the Fox Terrier. He is annoying and sometimes chases us....BUT he also keeps the Foxes away!! He also helps mom open our goose house door every morning, so he's a good pal!!