My DW and I are having a disagreement on how much feed I should give to my geese to make it through the winter.
We are in central Minnesota where the temp without windchill will get to -25 regularly during a cold snap. The geese are fed cracked corn and can go into my old canvas fish house to get out of the wind and cold.
They have slimmed down quite a bit and I am worried they are not getting enough to eat, but she says they are getting a bit too much.
I have 16 geese and they are getting 2 large blue scoops (regular grain scoop) daily. I will weigh the amount they get tomorrow when I feed. But how much is everyone else feeding?
We are in central Minnesota where the temp without windchill will get to -25 regularly during a cold snap. The geese are fed cracked corn and can go into my old canvas fish house to get out of the wind and cold.
They have slimmed down quite a bit and I am worried they are not getting enough to eat, but she says they are getting a bit too much.
I have 16 geese and they are getting 2 large blue scoops (regular grain scoop) daily. I will weigh the amount they get tomorrow when I feed. But how much is everyone else feeding?
You may be able to keep geese alive over the winter on corn but it is not even close to a complete ration. Sort of like eating only rice every day, you wouldn't starve to death but you wouldn't thrive and I think it would stress your system. Corn is high in carbohydrates (hence calorie dense) but low in protein and most micronutrients. Corn makes a nice supplemental winter food for livestock in the north, but you may find that you're actually feeding less total feed if you switch to something more nutritionally complete for your geese. Quality hay is excellent goose feed by the way as geese are grass eaters extraordinaire!
