How to Tell a Male African Goose From a Female

Vent Examination of Goslings and Young Geese

1). Hold the gosling under a strong light and turn the gosling upside down so that the vent (anal opening) is exposed.
2). Place the thumb and first finger over the vent and press down lightly. Part the fingers slowly so that the vent is fully extended.
3). Look for a small penis sticking out of the vent. The penis will be spiral shaped and white. If a penis can be seen the bird is male. If a penis cannot be seen, the bird may be female, or the bird may be too young for the penis to be seen. Female birds have a genital eminence, folds of tissue that meet in a straight line in the middle of the vent, but this can be very difficult to identify in young birds.

1). Examine the appearance and size of your geese. Adult African ganders weigh about 20 lb. A gander will be taller than a female goose, and will have a larger knob above his bill. An adult African goose weighs about 18 lb. An older female may also have noticeable paunch or pot-bellied appearance.
2). Listen to your geese. According to information published by Cornerstone Farm, an adult African gander has a high, long double syllable honk, "resembling a tug boat." The female goose has a deeper, short single or double syllable honk.
3). Watch the behavior of your geese when something threatening approaches the flock. Male geese will generally stand their ground, puff up and hiss at potential enemies. Females will ignore the threat, or back away while honking. Keep in mind that females will also hiss when they are alone or when goslings are threatened. You should also watch for mating behaviors. Male geese will chase female geese and mount on top of female geese when mating.