Duck 'n goose house advice

[Ruralhideaway]

I surely don't want to short them on space but they'll have lots during the day exactly. It's a somewhat sheltered spot too, attached to the barn wall and the chicken coop, then with a half hoop fully enclosed thing on the other side. Seems they'd be mostly outside. I could give them hoop house space but it'll be hot in there in the summer.

 

[bekkanblue]

Geese less messy than ducks...?
Nope!
Just my humble opinion. When given similar opportunity my geese delight in being pound for pound as messy as any of the ducks.

 

[Ruralhideaway]

I recall my geese drinking with gusto. The ducks also drank with gusto. From inside the buckets, while spraying water everywhere!

 

[Miss Lydia]

I can say with experience geese and ducks don't sleep well together during breeding season. My gander[Embden] and drake[Muscovy] will fight, so although everyone is fenced during the day together 1/2 acre the geese and ducks have separate housing for night. Geese are very temperamental during breeding season.

 

[Ruralhideaway]

I can say with experience geese and ducks don't sleep well together during breeding season. My gander[Embden] and drake[Muscovy] will fight, so although everyone is fenced during the day together 1/2 acre the geese and ducks have separate housing for night. Geese are very temperamental during breeding season.

That actually rings a bell. I have a funny story about their mating behavior I'll share one day. But I do remember my Africans getting edgy with visitors vs their usual steer clear system.

I'd planned to divide their house but not necessarily their dedicated 24 hr run. This might be worth revisiting, thanks!

 

[Miss Lydia]

I actually had 4 geese my older pair and their goslings but when the goslings grew up the 4 became like a gang of hoodlums they would gang up on the chickens and some of the ducks too. Finally I had to make the hard decision to rehome the younger pair, things improved a lot although breeding season just started here for the geese and boy do they have attitude. Soon my Muscovy's will be in breeding season that is when the fun begins with my drake and gander There is no way my geese and ducks and chickens could be penned together. The smaller birds need to be able to steer clear of the geese.

 

[Ruralhideaway]

Oh thank you so much, I have my heart set on call ducks as well so the size difference will be great.

My upcoming run expansion will have many gates and flexibility so I can prepare for this.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Always nice to make adjustments before getting started on your project I'd just hate for you to come back later and say your geese killed your ducks. Once grown and in hormonal stage is when things can get dicey.
I would have never thought my geese would gang up on another bird and possibly kill it either till I saw them surround a chicken and then a duck.

 

[Ruralhideaway]

Always nice to make adjustments before getting started on your project I'd just hate for you to come back later and say your geese killed your ducks. Once grown and in hormonal stage is when things can get dicey.
I would have never thought my geese would gang up on another bird and possibly kill it either till I saw them surround a chicken and then a duck.

Now is best! I can work with it no problem.

I had a muscovy try to mate a baby goose, suffocated to death. No thanks, never again do I want to find that happening.

 

[bekkanblue]

My top male goose is quite full of himself. Would definitely chase my ducks. He ignores me chickens for the most part, they're beneath him. The females chase them.... but the chickens free range so have their escape routes planned.