What to feed my Geese in the Winter

[krazynoklahoma]

This is my first winter with my geese. They normaly freerange but I also give them game bird feed.

Now that winter is coming on and the grass is dying out. What else can they eat. Can they eat hay?

Can someone please give me some suggestions.
Thanks
Melissa

 

[christmas goose]

barley, oats, corn timothy pellets...they dont seem to do well with alfalfa as it is too corse for them to chew, also provide them with grit in the winter, and I add blackoil sunflower and , top dress it with shredded carrots and cabbage and kale during the winter months in maine, I keep the ice on their pond chopped so they can drink and swim, and fresh hay for bedding, wich they do pick the seeds from the chaff. I have two pair of geese and 1 pair of ducks.

 

[Mountain Man Jim]

I did not raise my Chinese Geese for meat, but in the winter I fed them alfalfa pellets soaked to a mush. They also enjoyed chicken scratch and chicken layer feed. I had them for several years and they did great on these feeds. I’m not a nutritional expect my any means, so I hope an expect does chime in.

 

[seedcorn]

Any roughage you have they will eat. Hay is somewhat bitter so don't expect them to eat much of that. In winter they need body energy for heat so corn is a good thing altho they won't eat a lot just enough to keep them warm and full.

Geese a lot like cattle in that they will eat things that you think have no benefit but do--dead grass, etc...

 

[greyfields]

Any poultry food will work. I wouldn't over feed them layer feed, though. But, if you want them to put down some eggs this winter, some free choice oyster shell would be a nice idea.

I finish my geese on broiler feed, so I know they enjoy eating that. The ones I keep overwinter usually keep themselves happy on grass and gleaning spilled pig and goat grain. But, I do throw out broiler feed to them every couple days.

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

My geese eat chicken food, but we free range them and give them lots of fruit and veggies too.

I didn't know that they would eat hay. I guess I'll have to try some of that in their coops.

 

[greyfields]

I make hay here, and the geese do eat it. Some of then go into the goat pen at night and they just merrily chomp away at the round bales. I don't think they could live entirely on hay though, but I don't see it as being adverse as long as they have water available.

 

[picklespickles]

i have a duck who is a confirmed hay eater. maybe why he prefers the goats to the hens. he eats other things, too, but he really seems to enjoy it. i don't feed it to him purposefully, he eats alongside the goats and just goes to town. geese eat pretty similar things (as i understand, don't own any) so i think it'd be fine.

 

[picklespickles]

okay. i just traded a hen today for two geese. so, uh, i do own them now. lol. so, now i'll know first person.

 

[greyfields]

that's a very good trade