Of Chicks and Goslings

Remember how excited I was that one of our "missing" hens was in fact sitting on a clutch of eggs and hatched out six chicks?  Well, she's down to one now.  I tried for over a week to corral her in to a pen or otherwise catch her little chickenbutt, but couldn't manage to do it.  I thought that was the sign of a good chicken momma, but apparently she's not so good at protecting her chicks at night.

I have some idea of the general area of her night time roosting spot, but have not found it.  So several days after first seeing her and her six chicks, I noticed that she only had five chicks following her.  The next day, only three.  Then a few days later, only one.  She and her lone chick have been strutting around the edges of the chicken / goat yard and when I get close, her & her only offspring high tail it out to the woods.

So I'm just writing this batch off as "survival of the smartest / fittest".  It would have been nice to have a few more laying hens (especially ones that I didn't have to care for), but given the track record for free-range, hen-raised chicks around here, they were pretty much doomed from the start.  I just hope that the mother hen doesn't end up dead and if she eventually loses her last chick that she decides that it's much safer to roost in the coop at night rather than start another clutch of eggs out in gawd-knows-where.

As for our little gosling, he (or she?) is putting on some weight.  I've also noticed his feet are getting much bigger and "webbier".  It's been almost-Africa-hot here the past week so Rhiannon has been spending time in the kiddie pool and the sprinkler and the gosling is never far from her.  I finally moved him out of the barn (where he stays when unsupervised) and into the chicken tractor.  Paul moved it out of "storage" (i.e. out in the back 40 leaned up against a tree) to the front yard so now he has sunlight (and shade), breezes and fresh greenery to peck at instead of bring cooped up in the coop.

Outside Kitty watching the gosling.  Now that I think about it,
he may be the reason we are down to only one chick.

Never having been a keeper of geese, I was wondering about a few things and was hoping those of you that have (or had) geese could give me some pointers and answer some questions for me.

Exactly what is meant by the term "Weeder Geese"?  Is it just a generic term for a mutt goose?  Kind'a like when they call a goat a "Brush Goat"?

What do you feed your goslings and older geese?  Our feed store doesn't carry "Goose Food", so right now he's getting Game Bird Grower (21% protein I believe) and he's nibbling on grass/clover/weeds.

When is he going to get "real" feathers?

When are we going to be certain that "he" is a he and not a she?  Not that I care, just curious. Don't want to give him a complex if we give him a masculine name and it turns out he is actually a she.

Is there going to be a problem if he is a he?  I've heard that male ducks will try to do anything that stands still.  Not sure I really want a horny gander hanging around my toddler.

And lastly, if he is a total peckerhead, how do you cook your goose?  I have to admit that the thought of a Christmas Goose is pretty tempting.