So I ordered my first ever waterfowl this week, (1 Cayuga Drake, 2 Cayuga Hens, and a pair of Brown Chinese Geese) and I was wondering if I could put them on a feeding schedule instead of offering food free choice? If so, what would that schedule would look like?
Free choice is probably the best method to use. It's simple and the babies usually know when to stop.
I would suggest free choice for at least the first 3 weeks. Geese consume alot of food during this stage due to their rapid growth. I keep the goslings food available to them 24 hours a day, even when they are eating grass. I have always fed all of my geese, even as adults, free choice and then I remove the food at night. They don't consume as much during the the spring and summer months due to the abundance of grass they have but they still eat quite a bit of their food throughout the day. Enjoy your new waterfowl
I do not feed free choice. My food is fresh at eat meal. I feed it wet. It is a floating food. I do restrict there feed to slow growth. They do get good waterfowl starter food (Mazuri). I don't want fat geese or wing disorders. Mine will not be eaten. They are future breeders. I let them eat for about 5-10 minutes and then they get nothing but water for a few hours. They get 5 to 6 small meals rather than free choice. I give greens once a day. After two or three weeks they get two meals a day. All that they can clean up in 10-15 minutes.
Quote:I've been feeding my little gosling in this manner, so he doesn't over eat or spoil too much food with his messy habits. I don't think we ever fed our ducklings free-choice, either, because of how messy they are. Food that gets damp and left out can develop dangerous molds. I'm not saying everyone ignores the condition of the food, but it's still very possible. 9_9 I don't like taking chances.
