Egyptian Geese Seem Unhappy

[drdoolittle]

I purchased my first pair of Egyptian geese last weekend. This is a breed I had been wanting for 2 years, but I didn't research them far enough to know how really wild they are. I have only ever had domestic geese before. This pair are in a 16' x 16' pen with a big house and a wading pool. I keep my Muscovies and Pekins in pens just like this and they are very content. The geese, however, seem to spend all day either staring down the ducks (whose pens are on either side of their pen), or pacing the fence bordering our woods. They seem very unhappy, and I am considering giving them to my SIL who lives on a small lake, or putting them on my neighbor's pond. But either solution will have to wait until their wings grow back in from being clipped. Any suggestions? Their pen has no grass, and I feed them duck pellets/game bird grower/cracked corn mixed.

 

[The goose girl]

I have no first hand experience with Egyptian geese, but I'm guessing they'd like to forage.

No grass in their pen means not much to do all day - regular geese would be bored senseless and probably also pace the fence trying to find a way out, so they can get to the delicious greens on the other side. How about digging up some squares of sod for them to rummage through?

According to Wikipedia, Egyptian geese are mostly terrestrial, although they're good swimmers. Most ducks are much more water orientated than geese - that may be the explanation for why your ducks seem more content.

 

[Starfire669]

I'd guess that your geese want grass. Mine spend a lot of time foraging for grass and nibbling my gardens. Romaine lettuce is a favorite of my geese as a treat. If you can't let them out to forage for themselves, throwing in some greens for them to rummage through.

 

[Speceider]

I'd guess that your geese want grass. Mine spend a lot of time foraging for grass and nibbling my gardens. Romaine lettuce is a favorite of my geese as a treat. If you can't let them out to forage for themselves, throwing in some greens for them to rummage through.

Egyptian geese are not true geese, they're sheldgeese. Foraging wise they are more like ducks than true geese. There is nothing surprising here. They are not a domestic species, so even young I have raised behave like this.

Clint

 

[Starfire669]

Egyptian geese are not true geese, they're sheldgeese. Foraging wise they are more like ducks than true geese. There is nothing surprising here. They are not a domestic species, so even young I have raised behave like this.

Clint

I don't have Egyptian geese, so I am not familiar with their specifics. I do have Chinese and African geese, some crested ducks, and am getting some Cayuga ducklings this Thursday. My ducks and geese love foraging. they don't like all the same greens, my ducks love kale the geese prefer romaine lettuce, and the ducks love insects where the geese only eat grass, type of thing. But actively foraging seems to be a high need for both my ducks and geese, that is mainly what I was suggesting, giving them something to do.

Thanks for the tip about Egyptian geese, I hope you can help the OP make hers happy with the knowledge you have raising these lovely birds.

 

[drdoolittle]

Thank you, everyone! I will get some greens for them and maybe even build some type of moveable pen so they can really forage. My Hubby has talked about turning our big trampoline into a moveable pen for our poultry, so that's an option.

 

[Speceider]

The pen or a trampoline is far to small for Egyptians, I wouldn't consider anything less than 50x50 with some hide spots. They are high strung and can be very aggressive.....the old joke is the reason zoos keep them in the rhino paddocks is because that's about all they cannot kill.

Clint