Geese & Chickens - Can they live together?

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BarredRockGirls said:

2 girls! Haha it was a long wait to find out . But they are both laying like crazy . Was every other day. Now it's every day . Chickens ducks geese - so many eggs!!

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Glad I was wrong. My gander hates the chickens and sometimes tolerates the ducks if they don't get too close.

As far as feeding goslings. Start then on chick starter with high protein until they are 3 weeks old, then change to a 15%max protein and two weeks later go to 13%max. This is to prevent them from getting a condition called "Angel Wing" which is caused by prolonged feeding of a high protein diet. After they are 16 weeks the condition is no longer a concern.

I purchased chicks and goslings 8 weeks ago as day old babies. I brooded them together and they now live in the big bird home together with no injuries or fighting. The chicks and goslings have a strange bond. When I let the geese out in the morning, the chicks cry for them. And when I let the chicks out in the afternoon they immediately run to the geese and stay with them for the rest of the day. The chiens often peck bits of stray food off the bills of the goslings, and the goslings hold still while they do it! When it is time to put them up for the night, the chickens will frantically run after the geese so as not to be left behind. The chickens seem to be confused though, they won't roost like proper chickens. I put them up on their roosts at night, and in the morning I find them on top of and cuddled around the geese. I don't have deep water in the pen, the pools and buckets are outside to prevent accidental or intentional drowning of chickens. The biggest draw back of housing them together is the mess they make, it's a lot more clean up than if it was just chickens or just geese in the pen.
My goslings are white Chinese, I chose them for many reasons. 1 being how loud they are. We have stray dogs and cats who are a threat and I want the geese to sound the alarm in case of trouble. They constantly talk to me, I am not allowed to get more than 5 feet away before they get upset, and my lap is the perfect place for them to snuggle down when distressed or just to prove they can!
Here are a few photos of them being sweet and silly.

so do you leave the geese out during the day? We live in the country on around 20 acres and have frequent/daily visits from the neighbors beagle...i yelled at him this a.m., he ran off and the geese seemed to understand that I was protecting them, however when i start back to working and being away from home 8 hours - should i try to pen them up or leave them to nature?

Is anyone still here on this thread?

mjamell said:

Is anyone still here on this thread?

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I raised a pair of geese and they were cute. My geese got bigger and bigger until one day, I caught the Male holding a silkie hen in its beak and slamming it against the ground. The Silkie died. Chickens and geese do not live well together... In my experience.

IdealisticRoo said:

I raised a pair of geese and they were cute. My geese got bigger and bigger until one day, I caught the Male holding a silkie hen in its beak and slamming it against the ground. The Silkie died. Chickens and geese do not live well together... In my experience.

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I have both and ducks too they all free range together but I'd never close them all up together or pen them together. Geese are unpredictable especially doing breeding season.

Very sorry for your loss @IdealisticRoo