My Geese Hate Snow, and I'm feeling really sorry for them!

[Miss Lydia]

Yes, I live in a subdivision. My neighbors are totally fine with them. The neighborhood kids like to ride their bikes up the driveway to see them, but they get hissed at and I tell them they are shy of strangers. So, most of my neighbors wave as they drive or ride their bikes by.

I was really worried that one or more of my neighbors would complain at the yearly sub meeting, as it clearly states in the by laws, No Fowl. And, I didn't even go to the meeting. But it was never brought up or mentioned.

I keep them only on my small 1.5 acre lot, and their day pen is in the back yard where no one can see but my immediate neighbors that love them! Behind my house is a small lake(Large pond) and thick woods. It's very private. For being a subdivision in a township, we have more wildlife than my 10 acre home in northern Michigan!

I hear coyotes almost every day. They are yipping and making noise as they chase the deer through our yard. Then we have wild turkeys, fox, bald eagles, hawks and tons of great horned owls.

I have to keep a close eye on my babies. At one point not long ago, I counted 15 racoons in my yard! No, we don't feed them!

However, today, I was making my homemade sauce for Thursdays dinner and I heard a noise from the geese. I went on the deck to check them and there was a squirrel, in their pen eating their food! Even tried to take their corn on the cob! So, I went down and removed the food. They just played in their pool and I fed them when I brought them in at 4:30.

I went grocery shopping today. I bought them Timothy hay, Dandilion leaves, romane, green leaf lettuce, chickory(endive) letttuce, and escarole lettuce. No, they aren't spoiled at all!

They are too spoiled!! wow that's alot of wild life I do enjoy seeing them all too as long as they stay away from my flock, yesterday there were 2 beautiful red tail hawks hanging around gosh they were so pretty but they are stalking my flock, that I don't like but I won't try to hurt or kill them, it's my duty to protect my animals so now my property looks like a party is going on all the time I have so much predator reflective tape up. lol All the romaine in my refrig is for my water fowl, the chickens get whats dropped on the ground. Where did you find the hay?

 

[Amanda39]

Well, we have no access to the pond. There is thick forest between us and the pond. We just admire from afar. The geese have a plastic pool, and they are happy. I took them to the lake once. They saw the fish and wanted nothing to do with it. I tried to coax them in. I even picked them up and swam out for a bit, they high tailed it back to shore.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Well, we have no access to the pond. There is thick forest between us and the pond. We just admire from afar. The geese have a plastic pool, and they are happy. I took them to the lake once. They saw the fish and wanted nothing to do with it. I tried to coax them in. I even picked them up and swam out for a bit, they high tailed it back to shore.

It's probably a good thing, snapping turtles really can put a hurting on water fowl even as adults after reading and seeing pics of ducks and geese that have been atacked I see snappers every time I see a pond now. I always admire ponds when I see them though. Mine love their pools so that makes me happy.
Tomorrow for Thanksgiving my flock will get romaine, dried meal worms and whole corn for their afternoon feast.

 

[Amanda39]

Oh your babies will love that feast! My geese get that everyday actually, but, I only have 2, so they are WAY spoiled! Last night at the grocery store, I bought fresh corn on the cob, that's their favorite treat. I also bought timothy hay to see if they would like it, they don't LOL

 

[Miss Lydia]

Oh your babies will love that feast! My geese get that everyday actually, but, I only have 2, so they are WAY spoiled! Last night at the grocery store, I bought fresh corn on the cob, that's their favorite treat. I also bought timothy hay to see if they would like it, they don't LOL

It's something that has to grow on them. Mine just nibble on it it's not something they spend alot of time in front of. so just leave it out they'll warm up to it, as you know anything different takes time. Even my chickens will go over and peck on it. Having 32 makes a big difference in when they get specials, but usually 3X a week in winter they get something special as far as greens then whole corn and meal worms almost daily. I have 3 geese who love meal worms my gander won't touch them. he's a whole corn guy.

 

[Amanda39]

My geese LOVE the meal worms, well, mostly just Moose. Lucy just wants to chew the bag. LOL Lucy likes watermelon, Moose doesn't. Neither of them like Honeydew or cantaloupe. They don't like apples or carrots or strawberries or raspberries or blueberries. They are actually quite picky! My duck(RIP) would eat anything. I mean ANYTHING! I actually once chased him while he ate a garter snake. I miss him very much!

 

[Miss Lydia]

My geese LOVE the meal worms, well, mostly just Moose. Lucy just wants to chew the bag. LOL Lucy likes watermelon, Moose doesn't. Neither of them like Honeydew or cantaloupe. They don't like apples or carrots or strawberries or raspberries or blueberries. They are actually quite picky! My duck(RIP) would eat anything. I mean ANYTHING! I actually once chased him while he ate a garter snake. I miss him very much!

What happened to your duck? I remember when you were hatching. Mine like watermelon/ grapes but I have to bite into then then hand out, kale, romaine/ cabbage. collards/ they don't like pumpkin or cantaloup haven't tried honey dew. did try carrots, naw didn't like them either. apples they didn't like either, haven't tried them on strawberries or blue berries some things we don't share. lol

 

[Amanda39]

Well, we originally weren't keeping them, but I didn't have the heart to take them back to the farm they came from as it's huge and they fend for themselves. I looked all around to find a safe home for them and nothing. Then my friend that lives by my upnorth house said he knew someone that wanted them. It's her own home, they had a safe coop they will be spoiled she said. So, when they were 9 weeks old, I took the 3 of them up there, site unseen. She had a coop, there were 2 other ducks in there and a bunch of chickens. It was heart wrenching, but I couldn't keep them. We had vacations planned and I had nothing to keep them in. So, we dropped them off. Every time we came up north we stopped and visited them. The coop wreaked! It smelled so bad! They were never allowed out of the coop, so the only greens they got were the heads of romane we brought every other week and she said she would throw grass clippings. Every time we would leave, they would yell for us. We left in tears every time we visited. Then I got a call while on vacation with my kids and she told me Levi got sick and died that it must of been genetic because it certainly wasn't anything he picked up from her coop. Let me just say, this duck was incredibly healthy when I dropped him off. Also, she had another male duck there that was also pestering him and Moose. Well, I took her work that it must have been genetic because she has been raising chickens all her life, so she knows. I after all, am just a city girl with no clue, which is actually true, I learn every day about my geese. So, Levi was buried at her farm and the girls and I left flowers. We cried the whole way home and I made a decision, then next time I go up, I"m taking them home!

And that is where we are now. We sure miss Levi though. We talk about him almost daily.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Well, we originally weren't keeping them, but I didn't have the heart to take them back to the farm they came from as it's huge and they fend for themselves. I looked all around to find a safe home for them and nothing. Then my friend that lives by my upnorth house said he knew someone that wanted them. It's her own home, they had a safe coop they will be spoiled she said. So, when they were 9 weeks old, I took the 3 of them up there, site unseen. She had a coop, there were 2 other ducks in there and a bunch of chickens. It was heart wrenching, but I couldn't keep them. We had vacations planned and I had nothing to keep them in. So, we dropped them off. Every time we came up north we stopped and visited them. The coop wreaked! It smelled so bad! They were never allowed out of the coop, so the only greens they got were the heads of romane we brought every other week and she said she would throw grass clippings. Every time we would leave, they would yell for us. We left in tears every time we visited. Then I got a call while on vacation with my kids and she told me Levi got sick and died that it must of been genetic because it certainly wasn't anything he picked up from her coop. Let me just say, this duck was incredibly healthy when I dropped him off. Also, she had another male duck there that was also pestering him and Moose. Well, I took her work that it must have been genetic because she has been raising chickens all her life, so she knows. I after all, am just a city girl with no clue, which is actually true, I learn every day about my geese. So, Levi was buried at her farm and the girls and I left flowers. We cried the whole way home and I made a decision, then next time I go up, I"m taking them home!

And that is where we are now. We sure miss Levi though. We talk about him almost daily.

I'm so sorry about Levi. That had to be heart wrenching.

 

[Amanda39]

It was, and still is. We miss him very much!