Things To Know Before Raising Geese

Are you thinking about introducing geese to your homestead?

Geese are remarkably easy to keep, and in many ways, they're easier to raise than chickens plus they're self-sufficient and usually great mothers. While they can be easier than chickens, they're also quite different from chickens.

Geese Are Grazers​

Unlike ducks and chickens, which prefer bugs and high-protein feed, geese are grazers. Their digestive system is similar to that of a horse, and they're designed to quickly turn grass into meat and eggs.

Make sure they have enough access to green forage as well as fresh feed.

Geese Are Very Hardy​

Even in very cold climates, they prefer to stay outside during the day. Some lie contentedly in the snow, grooming themselves, even in the worst blizzard. For this reason, they need only the most rudimentary housing, just enough so that predators can't get to them.

While Free-Ranging, Geese Can Defend Themselves Better Than Chickens​

Geese are excellent for free-range poultry because they're excellent at defending themselves against predators. Some poultry farmers who keep mixed flocks add them to their flocks to protect the chickens when they're free-ranging.

While geese are excellent at defending themselves against intruders during the day, their night vision is very poor. What they can't see, they can't fight off. So make sure they're safely confined in the evening.

Geese Don't Roost​

Geese have large feet that they can use to walk across wet ground or paddle through the water. These feet are quite different from those of chickens or other birds that use a perch.

Geese are ground-based birds and need a clean floor area in their coop as well as large nest boxes on the ground. They cannot get into elevated nest boxes for chickens.

Geese Are Water Birds​

Geese are waterfowl and are most comfortable when they have water to bathe in, but you don't need a full pond. In the warm months, they're happy with a small kiddie pool to splash in.

Make sure their waterer is small in the winter and not easily spilled. They'll try to climb in to bathe, and afterward,4 their breasts and feet will freeze and ice.

If you live in a cold climate, keep them as dry as possible during the winter months. Eating snow may seem hard, but it's much more pleasant than freeing a panicked goose from the ice.

Goose Eggs Needs Moisture To Hatch​

While chickens are land birds with very dry nests, mother geese actually need to bathe to moisten their feathers to keep their eggs moist during incubation. This extra moisture means that goose eggs are a little different than chicken eggs when cooked. The yolk is much larger and richer, but the white is thinner.

Goose Meat Is More Like Beef Than Chicken​

If you want to raise geese for meat, you'll be pleasantly surprised to find that goose meat tastes more like beef than poultry. For small farmers, goose meat is a great way to add variety to their harvests without the responsibility or expense of raising a cow.

Even if you don't plan to harvest geese for meat, there's always the occasional gander that can't be tamed. It's good to know that you can look forward to a rare treat when you have to harvest to stop attacking behavior.

Aren't Geese Aggressive?​

Geese have a bad reputation for being aggressive, but in most cases, that's more to do with handling than anything else. Hand-raised geese are devoted to their owners and accept them as part of the flock.

While they'll accept you as part of the flock, it may be different with visitors. Anyone who's not part of their known flock may be harassed. This "watchdog" behavior makes geese a great addition to the homestead in very rural areas where you don't see many visitors.

Are you currently raising any geese? What are your experiences with them so far?