Baby Goslings Arriving Tomorrow - So Exicted!

[KDUBinTexas]

We had a wild goose in our canal before the drought in Texas a few years back. She, Lucy, and I became real good friends. Lucy would come "honking" down the canal when I called for her. "Here, Lucy Goosey, Here, Lucy Goosey!" I think my neighbors thought I was the crazy bird lady. I had a personal relationship with Lucy and several other of her family members, who just happened to be a duck family. Needless to say, when the drought hit, Lucy took refuge in a place where she would find more water. I miss her so much. She would jump on the back deck of our boat and allow me to hand feed her bread while stroking her head and back. We would sit out there for hours, just Lucy and me, talking to one another and soaking in the relationship between human and goose. I have been hoping that one day Lucy would make her way back to our canal, but so far, not so. So....I have ordered two new baby Goslings, and I cannot wait to raise them and eventually have the same experiences. Any advice on raising them and how soon can I let them go in our canal?

 

[gritsar]

Enjoy your new geese!

We have two ponds on our farm, though the one doesn't hold water well anymore and completely dries out in the summertime.

I do not let my geese or ducks go to our ponds. Too many snapping turtles and water snakes. They are quite happy with their kiddie pools.

 

[Miss Lydia]

We had a wild goose in our canal before the drought in Texas a few years back. She, Lucy, and I became real good friends. Lucy would come "honking" down the canal when I called for her. "Here, Lucy Goosey, Here, Lucy Goosey!" I think my neighbors thought I was the crazy bird lady. I had a personal relationship with Lucy and several other of her family members, who just happened to be a duck family. Needless to say, when the drought hit, Lucy took refuge in a place where she would find more water. I miss her so much. She would jump on the back deck of our boat and allow me to hand feed her bread while stroking her head and back. We would sit out there for hours, just Lucy and me, talking to one another and soaking in the relationship between human and goose. I have been hoping that one day Lucy would make her way back to our canal, but so far, not so. So....I have ordered two new baby Goslings, and I cannot wait to raise them and eventually have the same experiences. Any advice on raising them and how soon can I let them go in our canal?

Domestic geese and their wild cousins have nothing in common other than being geese. Domestic don't know how to fend for themselves in the wild since they weren't taught to do so from hatch. They will arrive with down instead of feathers so you'll need to keep them warm and out of drafts. Most make what is called a brooder for them using some kind of non slick footing old towels or rubber shelf liner is good then move to pine shaving. Big storage totes work well for brooders. after they feather out then they can begin to enjoy outside time 24/7 but it usually take about 5-6 weeks for them to fully feather. As gitstar said putting them into your canal sounds like just the place a goose would love but there are many pitfalls to doing this and predators is one of them under water on land and from the sky.
Keep them safe since they will only be pets and never wild should be your first priority I'll get you the link to caring for ducklings since water fowl have very similar needs this will get you started, only difference is gosling really go for greens more than duckling since geese are grazers.https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/750869/raising-and-caring-for-ducklings#post_10611711