Tell me what you feed your geese in the winter...

[Kathryn4629]

Ok, so I have four African geese and this is my first winter with them. They are currently getting apples, pumpkin, alfalfa hay and some layer feed. They free range all day in the field with the sheep and chickens. Currently they are still eating grass but considering its 8 degrees outside and should start snowing soon I am worried about nutrition.

So.... what do you feed your geese when the snow starts falling? Advice?

Thank you!!

 

[Iain Utah]

Got hit with the artic blast too? I woke up today to 11F. No one is ready for that kind of cold yet. Anyway.... I live in the northern mountains of Utah by the ski resorts, so get lots of snow and bitter cold. This will be my third winter with geese. I feed them grass hay, mazuri waterfowl, flockraiser and whole corn.

 

[Kathryn4629]

Do you give them free choice flockraiser? Or ration?

 

[Iain Utah]

I ration the grain and free choice hay.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I just set out their first bale of timothy mixed grass hay yesterday and feed FR/Corn/whole oats no foraging going on here. Artic blast to be here Tomorrow night.

 

[Iain Utah]

I also gave my dewlaps some hay yesterday, which they were happy to nibble on. We had another night of 10F temps with a breeze that cut through the bones. I gave Spirit and his companions a sleeping bag to sleep on and blanketed my elderly horse last night. Brrrr.....

 

[Miss Lydia]

I also gave my dewlaps some hay yesterday, which they were happy to nibble on. We had another night of 10F temps with a breeze that cut through the bones. I gave Spirit and his companions a sleeping bag to sleep on and blanketed my elderly horse last night. Brrrr.....

And to think it's heading this way..

 

[Kathryn4629]

Got hit with the artic blast too?  I woke up today to 11F.   No one is ready for that kind of cold yet.  Anyway.... I live in the northern mountains of Utah by the ski resorts, so get lots of snow and bitter cold.  This will be my third winter with geese.  I feed them grass hay, mazuri waterfowl, flockraiser and whole corn.

Yeah its been in the single digits every night for 4 days now. Burrr! Doing chores seems to take so much longer when its thus cold.

 

[servpolice]

Your weather sounds cold bit last night it was minus 5 which might not seem cold for ye but if it comes out of the blue in a night thats also a brrrrrrr and i put all my geese in their winter sheds first time since march this year and my lil goslings of this year never saw frozen water until today when they ran flapping their wings to the pond next to the river and slipped ! Which was quiet funny
When i threw my dog on the pond they were happy they had water and enjoyed chewing the ice

 

[Iain Utah]

Not only do chores take longer, but it seems to take twice as much energy.

Normally we get more snow than subzero temps, but last year was one of the coldest on record. The weather we are having now is unusually cold for November, which makes me worry about how it will be in December & January. I have spent a lot of time yesterday/today breaking ice in all the kiddy pools and buckets..... and winter is still a month away!