For geese, this time of year is very special. From mid-winter to early spring, it's mating season.
Here at my Bedford, New York farm, I have 16 geese - Sebastopol geese, Toulouse geese, African geese, Chinese geese, and of course my Pomeranian guard geese. Most of them live in a large enclosure outside my stable. Because geese prefer to breed in water, we lined up several pools on one side of the pen, which are cleaned and refilled a couple times a day. In another corner, they have a shelter that provides ample shade, protection from strong winds, and a safe place to nest and lay eggs. In general, males will court the females, but it is the goose that chooses her gander. In my gaggle, the pairs are pretty well established and happy. In fact, we're already incubating a few eggs.
Here are some of the latest photos of my beautiful geese.
My geese have a large yard, but they love to gather close together most of the time. I am very happy that all my geese get along so well. A group of geese on land is called a gaggle. This is because when geese get together they can get quite noisy and rowdy.
The enclosure is adjacent to my peafowl yard and two chicken coops. They all seem to enjoy all the company and activity around them.
Waterfowl don’t need roosts – they are very happy sleeping on the ground, but this shelter does protect them from strong winds. This area is also lined well with hay for laying eggs.
They always have access to fresh, clean water. Because geese do not have lips or cheeks, they drink by filling their bills with water and then tilt their heads back to swallow, using gravity to send the liquid into their digestive tract.
I provide the waterfowl with fresh greens every day. Geese are grazing birds which means they eat a variety of different items. They eat roots, shoots, stems, seeds, and leaves of grass and grain, bulbs, and berries. They also eat small insects.
In addition to the greens, I fortify their diet with a mix specifically made for waterfowl.
And as a treat, all my farm birds get cracked corn – they love it.
We’re testing out some new pools from our friends at Scenic Road. These are the large tubs of their mortar mixing boxes. Because geese prefer to mate in water, it is safer to provide these shallow containers. They seem to like them.
Each pool has steps, so it is easy for the geese to get in and out whenever they please.
While both ducks and geese love water, geese don’t require a pond or large swimming pool – they swim much less than ducks and are content with a small dipping pool where they can dunk and clean their noses and beaks.
Here is one bonded pair enjoying some time poolside.
Although these birds are not good fliers, they do love to spread their wings. Due to their large size and upright posture, domestic geese can’t really fly. Domestic geese have larger back ends than their wild counterparts and stand more upright. During breeding season, a gander’s pre-mating behavior also consists of wing spreading, stretching and flapping.
In nature, geese pairs bond and stay together for life. Most of my geese are paired off, but some males will also have two or three female mates. Here is my pair of Chinese geese. The Chinese goose is refined and curvaceous. Its bill is relatively long and slender, with a large, rounded, erect knob that attaches to its forehead. The Chinese goose holds its head high. Its head flows seamlessly into a long, slim, well-arched neck which meets the body at about a 45 degree angle. Its body is short, and has a prominent and well-rounded chest, smooth breast and no keel. Mature ganders average 12 pounds, while mature geese average 10 pounds.
Sebastopols are considered medium-sized birds. Both males and females have pure white feathers that contrast with their bright blue eyes and orange bills and feet. Sebastopol geese have large, rounded heads, slightly arched necks, and keelless breasts. And what is most striking is the plumage. The plumage of the head and upper two-thirds of the neck is smooth, while that of the breast and underbody is elongated and well-curled.
These are African geese – a breed that has a heavy body, thick neck, stout bill, and jaunty posture which gives the impression of strength and vitality. The African is a relative of the Chinese goose, both having descended from the wild swan goose native to Asia. The mature African goose has a large knob attached to its forehead, which requires several years to develop. A smooth, crescent-shaped dewlap hangs from its lower jaw and upper neck. Its body is nearly as wide as it is long. African geese are the largest of the domestic geese.
My gaggle of geese is fun, friendly, personable and protective. These are my Pomeranian geese – the oldest of all my geese.
Here is another pair of Pomeranian geese – where one goes, they other always follows.
These buff-brown geese are Toulouse – these are two of three that are down in the chicken yard guarding my flock. On this breed, the bill is stout, the head large and broad, and the moderately long neck is thick and nearly straight. Often suspended from the lower bill and upper neck is a heavy, folded dewlap that increases in size and fullness with age. The body is long, broad and deep, ending in a well-spread tail that points up slightly. The Toulouse has a rounded breast, and often exhibits a wide keel. The abdomen is double-lobed and often brushes the ground, particularly in females during the early spring.
This gander is “Bear.” He was hatched as a singleton last year. He and the Sebastopol goose seem to be very happy together. “Bear” and the other sentinels come honking and hissing at anyone who comes near. Thanks to their honks, these geese make excellent guardians. They can scare off any animals on the ground and they’re great at spotting aerial predators, such as hawks and falcons.
Geese also have impressive visual capabilities. The way their eyes are structured allows them to see things in much finer detail at a further distance than humans. They can also see UV light and can control each of their eyes independently.
And look, inside my stable feed room we already have some goose eggs. They are taken away to protect them from other adult geese. Domestic geese also tend to be less maternal than other types of fowl. The eggs are incubated for about 28 days. They will remain here until the goslings hatch and then they will be placed into our brooder until they are big enough to join the others. I wonder how many we will get…
There’s always something going on at my Bedford, New York farm.
Owning a farm is a huge responsibility. Not only must I look after all my animals and gardens, but I also have to maintain the safety and upkeep of every house and structure on the property - that means staying on top of necessary repairs, replacements, and routine cleaning chores. Among the items every homeowner should watch is the roof. Here at the farm, I have several different roof types: cedar, lead coated copper, coated aluminum, glass, and slate. Not long ago, I noticed that some areas on my slate roofs needed attention. Delicate slate roofs can last a very long time - 100 years or more— if taken care of properly. We got to it right away, cleaning any grime and debris from all sides.
Enjoy these photos.
A roof is any top covering of a building, including all the materials necessary to support it on the walls or uprights, providing protection against rain, snow, sunlight, wind, and extreme temperatures. Every homeowner needs to take good care of the roof to make sure it lasts as long as possible. Here at my farm, my outdoor grounds crew and I always look out for any damages, or regular wear and tear on the roofs. These are the slate roofs on my chicken coops.
On my Tenant House, Winter House, gym building, Summer House, pool house, and pavilion, I have Alaskan yellow cedar. These roofs age to a nice gray-silver color.
Here are some of the Alaskan yellow cedar roof shingles before they were used on my Tenant House. Alaskan yellow cedar shingles are fine textured, light in color, and moisture tolerant.
We replaced these roofs three years ago. Cedar wood is long-lasting, making it an ideal roofing material. Cedar is also more expensive, but it lasts at least 10-years longer than common roofing materials such as asphalt.
This roof on my pool pavilion is also made from Alaskan yellow cedar to match the other houses.
At my farm guest house and studio, we used a Western pressure-treated red cedar, which also ages nicely and can last more than 30-years if properly maintained.
Over my carport is standing seam lead coated copper. Copper has been used as a roofing material since the medieval times and continues to be very popular. It is lightweight, flexible, resistant to weather and corrosion, and extremely durable. Its minimum lifespan is 75-years. This side of the carport is also where I hang my bird feeders – up to 125 different kinds of birds visit my feeders every day.
I use a different metal on my large Equipment Barn. This is a standing seam aluminum roof. Standing seam metal roofing features vertical legs with a flat space in between. It is very durable and weather-tight. I also placed these antique finials on top. They are made of Swedish or French lead-coated copper.
The roof on my Hay Barn is also made from standing seam aluminum with another beautiful finial on top. I bought these finials many years ago and knew right away they would be perfect for these rooftops.
And this newly installed aluminum roof over my Stable Barn is coated with Kynar. Kynar coating is a metal finish that is chemical resistant, abrasion resistant, flame resistant, and stable under strong UV rays. This barn houses some of our feed products as well as important agricultural equipment and tools.
My vegetable greenhouse and my main greenhouse are, of course, topped with glass – special horticultural float glass that allows in sufficient light for the growing plants.
This is one of several hoop houses on my farm. It is covered with two layers of fabric – one is a heavy-duty, woven polyethylene that features an anti-condensate additive to reduce moisture buildup and dripping. The other side contains UV additives that allow the fabric to maintain its strength through the seasons.
And over my Stable, Carriage House, and stable offices, I use more slate tiles derived from sedimentary rock and clay. Slate roofs are durable, waterproof, and insect-proof…
… but unfortunately, they are not dirt proof. After years under the elements, these tiles can collect mildew, grime, and even moss. Here is a look at some of the build up of dirt from the last year. They are not bad, but definitely need a cleaning.
The areas facing north and west were a bit dirtier than those facing south and east.
Pete uses a cleaner specifically for slate roofs. These are available at hardware stores. He fills a two-gallon handheld sprayer with half solution and half water.
Then Fernando sprays the cleaner generously on the tiles. Regular cleaning should be done once every two to three years, and more if there are obvious signs of mold or other debris.
After waiting about 30-minutes, Pete rinses the solution with a power washer. This is also a good time to inspect the roof closely for any broken or misaligned tiles – everything is in good condition.
Pete does this from the safety of our Hi-Lo cage.
Fernando stands below to control the Hi-Lo and to ensure Pete remains safe at all times. My outdoor grounds crew always works in teams – it is safer and more efficient.
Here, one can see dirt on the left, but the right is now clean. The clouds also rolled in along with some rain. The entire job takes a few days, but already it is looking so much better.
The next morning, the sun was out once again. This is my stable office building. This side of the roof looks good and doesn’t need cleaning, but it’s important to look at all sides to be sure. Whatever type of roof you have over your home, I hope this inspires you to take a close look to see if it needs any maintenance or cleaning – it will save lots of time and money in the long run.
In order to keep my working farm and all its gardens, allées, and groves as beautiful as possible, I pay lots of attention to the maintenance and care of all my trees. This time of year, my outdoor grounds crew is busy pruning many of the trees, including my allée of lindens.
Lindens, Tilia, are medium to large sized shade trees that are easy to maintain and attractive in any landscape. I have two linden tree allées - one that runs from the old corn crib all the way down to the chicken coops and the other slightly older allée near my stable. These trees, with their pyramidal shape and slow growth, are excellent specimens for the type of pruning called pollarding, a very severe method that involves cutting the branches back either to the trunk, or even all the way down to the top of the trunk to promote the growth of club-headed stems and dense new foliage and branches. Pollarding should be done annually. We started pollarding these lindens in 2021, and we've noticed good development in the years since.
Enjoy these photos.
This allée of linden trees is in its third year of pollarding. Pollarding is started when a tree or shrub reaches a certain desired height. The technique helps to shape them so that the trees stay healthy and safe.
These lindens have grown beautifully here at the farm over the years. This photo was taken in fall when the trees were full of leaves and just starting to turn a golden hue before dropping. Lindens have a loose canopy that produces dappled shade on the ground below, allowing in just enough sunlight for shade grasses and flowers.
The bark of the linden tree is gray-brown and on mature trees it is also ridged or plated.
The branches are light brown to gray and the growing twigs are mostly red-tinged. Here, Pasang starts the process of pruning and pollarding this linden. The best time to prune and pollard trees is when the trees are dormant, during the cold winter months. It’s best to complete all pruning before early spring when the buds begin to form. Dormancy pruning reduces the amount of stress placed on the tree. And, the reduced flow of fluids in the tree during the time helps the pruning wounds heal quicker.
Pasang cuts off suckers and low dead, damaged, diseased, or crisscrossing branches. He uses a good pair of Okatsune bypass pruners. Each crew member always carries a pair of sharp snips. Remember, a sharp tool always cuts clean, and helps the plant to recover better. Dull cutting tools rip and shred the plant tissue.
For those branches that are higher or farther away, Pasang uses our STIHL extended-reach pole pruner. It has a cutting capacity of up to 3/4-inch making it perfect for suckers and new growth. The blades are crafted from hard chrome that resists rust and corrosion – it’s a great tool for this job.
It also features an ergonomic, 250-degree rotating arm for precise cutting.
Here, one can see the unpruned branches on the left and the pruned branches on the right. Notice the tops are starting to develop the “nubs” or “knuckles” – these will look even better in a couple more years. More thought and planning goes into pollarding than regular topping, and lopping. Pollarding is similar to coppicing but when a tree is coppiced, it is regularly cut back to ground level to stimulate the growth of vigorous, new stems.
By the next day, an entire side was complete. This day was much more sunny. This entire process takes a few days to do properly by hand, but it is all worth the efforts to have well-manicured, healthy trees. In pollarding, each year the long slender shoots that grow below the cuts are removed, and a set of new shoots develops creating this gnarled appearance.
Down below, the crew spreads out a large tarp to catch all the fallen branches. This makes cleanup a lot easier and a lot faster.
Once the tarp is full, the branches are loaded onto a truck and taken to a designated pile for the wood chipper. Moises just pulls the tarp onto the back of the truck. Traditionally, the cut branches were either burned as fuel or used for building. Pollarding was a way of using wood over time, rather than cutting it down and having only one-time access to its wood.
My outdoor grounds crew foreman, Chhiring, manages all the work from below and controls our trusted Hi-Lo – lifting Phurba and Pasang from tree to tree. It’s important to have someone on the ground watching out for the safety of the crew.
When cutting, Phurba is essentially forming a “knuckle” or “bole” by removing growth back to the main stem.
At the base of every branch is a distinct bulge where it connects to the trunk of the tree or an older branch, known as the branch collar. Phurba makes the cut just beyond the branch collar. On longer, heavier branches, it is wise to make a couple separate shallow cuts before the final to prevent any bark tears if the branch falls while being removed.
Here is a closer look at one branch completely pruned for the season. The small branches are cut close to keep their growth compact.
It is good to see the progression from year to year. This photo was taken in April 2021, a couple of months after we first pollarded these trees.
Notice the tips of the branches – the nubs are quite small.
Last year, the nubs are larger and more pronounced.
And this year, the trees are looking even more nubby. And don’t worry, pollarding isn’t harmful to trees at all as long as it is done properly and on a regular basis.
Pollarding can actually help make trees live longer by maintaining them in a partially juvenile state and by reducing the weight and windage of the top part of the tree. By the end of the second day, nearly all the trees are complete. Some of the other types of trees that can benefit from pollarding include beech trees, black locust trees, catalpa trees, hornbeams, horsechestnuts, London planetrees, mulberry trees, redbuds, and willows. There are many ways of pruning and training trees to grow in unusual shapes. I am pleased with how this allée is turning out. Wait until the trees are all full of leaves this spring – they are sure to be beautiful.
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