Sexing Geese

Sex is difficult to distinguish in all breeds of geese except the Pilgrim. In other breeds, sex can be determined by examination of the reproductive organs, which is done as follows:

Lift the goose by the neck and lay it on its back, either on a table or over your bended knee, with the tail pointed away from you. Move the tail end of the bird out over the edge so it can be readily bent downwards. Then insert your pointer finger (sometimes it helps to have a little vaseline on it) into the cloaca about half an inch and move it around in a circular manner several times to enlarge and relax the sphincter muscle, which closes the opening. Next apply some pressure directly below and on the sides of the vent to evert or expose the sex organs.

from: Raising Geese, USDA, Farmers' Bulletin Number 2251

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