2 Brown Chinese Swan Goslings coming in on the 11TH!

[TheUrbanGoose]

This is my very first post on BYC and it regards 2 little goslings coming in just a few days. I've raised cayugas and muscovy ducks before but this is my first time raising geese, so is there anything i shoud know about their care? Such as feed and enclosure which im for the time being placing them in a pretty large card board box with a feeder and heat lamp. Any suggestions would be appreciated

 

[shelleyd2008]

They won't need a light for very long if they are in the house, I have some that range in age between 5 days and 3 weeks that don't have any heat source. They also spend the entire day outside unless it is raining. I feed mine flock raiser almost exclusively the first couple weeks, after that they should have as much forage (grass) as possible. They are herbivores, eating mostly grasses. Mine only get a small amount of feed twice a day, other than that they have all the fresh clover they want

Cardboard probably won't last long, geese are messy! I would get a plastic rubbermaid tote to put them in

Also, I've found that a tall waterer that they can't tip over, as opposed to a chick-type waterer, seems to work better. Just be sure they can reach over the side

Mine have a margarine bowl with a hole cut in the lid for their water. It has a pretty good-sized rock in the bottom to help weigh it down. When they aren't quite so tall they have a plastic coffee can with holes cut in the sides, just big enough for them to get their heads in.

Good luck, goslings are very addictive!

 

[TheUrbanGoose]

Hi and Thanks for your reply

The cardboard box is temporary until they get bigger of course, then they'll move outside where i intend to construct a pen so that they can forage at their pleasure. Lol and ducks are messy too, and from experience il definetely make sure to get that rubbermaid which i didnt think of before.

 

[shelleyd2008]

Ducks are nasty, they are beyond messy! I don't think geese are quite that bad, but they aren't much better

Mine have a pen they stay in during the day, then come inside at night. The range in age from 1 to almost 4 weeks, and are all still fuzzy

 

[Kim65]

Well, you get them tomorrow . . . you know we'll need baby pics as soon as you can . . . we'll be anxiously waiting

Now having both goslings and ducklings, ducklings are about 25% messier. I think most of the 25% is smell, and goslings don't do that sluicing the water with their bills (and spraying it all over ) like ducklings do, so the water mess is marginally less. They grow faster too, they are huge when they still have just down feathers. They mature more slowly, not feathering out completely till three months old. The ganders don't get "sex feathers" on their tails, so sexing them is more work.

ETA geese don't sexually mature at the rate ducks do either. It's much slower. My female was hatched June 09 and laid eggs starting in April. I've never seen the gander do his deed, not once (he "flirted" with my boots and legs for a few weeks). The goose will lay but the gander might take an extra year to get with it and mate her, at least that's been my experience.

 

[TheUrbanGoose]

Hey kim i'd love to post their pics once i figure how to upload 1 as a thumbnail lol.