Alternative Feed Question

[AuroraSprings]

Hello all! Our geese have recently had some devastating results with the neighbors toy poodle (it weighs 2lbs, who would have thought it could kill the geese?), so we penned them and chicken-wired the whole yard off. When I say yard, I mean dirt lot. We have no grass back there and I know the geese are putting up with it right now, but once I start rationing their layer pellets, I'm betting they will need plenty of greens. What can I feed as an alternative to grass? We throw horse manure in the pen occasionally to give them something to forage through. But, that's all I can think of right now.

 

[chickensducks&agoose]

i cut grass and give it to my geese when they're penned. Some geese will eat alfalfa if it's soaked in water...

 

[Hillbilly_Curt]

They love lettuce! Most grocery stores dispose of their old vegetables and such. They love most greens. I have people put it aside for me and go pick it up. I suppose you could try decent quality hay if you didn't have any options.

 

[goosedragon]

Quote:
Even with good milled feed they do much better if you can find some rough feed of some type that they will eat. They love good quality hay if it still has a little green in it. On leafy hay like alfalfa they tend to strip the leaves and leave the stalks. the person above that spoke of alfalfa soaked in water, I think was talking about the pellets and cubes sold as horse or cattle feed. Really your best bet would trying to get trims and discards from a produce section of a store, but if there are pig farmers around they may have that supply source wrapped up for their pigs.

 

[sydney13]

sprouts are really nutritious and my goose loves them. they especially like it when i mix boss sprouts in with the feed.