Geese care in winter?

[SimoneG]

Hi! I've been thinking about getting a couple Sebbie geese. They had some at the fall exotic sale here (North Dakota) and I loved them but I don't know what they require in winter or how cold hardy they are. I do have chickens, guineas and peacocks. But nothing that swims. Do they need a heated pool in winter? or just a bowl big enough to water the food in? Currently I use heated dog bowls for water for the other birds. Do they need heat? or are they ok just bedded in straw/shavings? Any other details would be appreciated, If I were to get them I was thinking 2-3 of them.

 

[BYCforlife]

All I know is that they don't need a pool in the winter, because the water could freeze to them as soon as they get out of the pool.

 

[Percheron chick]

I have Sebastopol in Colorado. Not as cold as you but we do have our moments. Last week maybe? They are more sensitive to cold than hard feathered geese. Mine only have the protection of dogloos in snow storms but choose to not use them except for laying. I'll throw fresh straw down on top of the snow to give them a dry place. They do seem to be sensitive to the snow. Their feet get bright pink. My geese are not big swimmers They will take a dunk but they are done in 3 mins. I dump their pools in the winter months but if it warms up above 40*, I'll give them some to bathe in. They can give themselves a decent bath out of a bucket. They do get rather filthy with the feathers dragging in the gook.
Good luck finding them. Take your time and buy the best. I know that there is someone in MT who sells goslings every year but beyond that you might be looking at shipping them. I have 15 in the incubator plus 2 girls sitting on another 10 but i'm all the way down by Denver.

 

[SimoneG]

I have Sebastopol in Colorado. Not as cold as you but we do have our moments. Last week maybe? They are more sensitive to cold than hard feathered geese. Mine only have the protection of dogloos in snow storms but choose to not use them except for laying. I'll throw fresh straw down on top of the snow to give them a dry place. They do seem to be sensitive to the snow. Their feet get bright pink. My geese are not big swimmers They will take a dunk but they are done in 3 mins. I dump their pools in the winter months but if it warms up above 40*, I'll give them some to bathe in. They can give themselves a decent bath out of a bucket. They do get rather filthy with the feathers dragging in the gook.
Good luck finding them. Take your time and buy the best. I know that there is someone in MT who sells goslings every year but beyond that you might be looking at shipping them. I have 15 in the incubator plus 2 girls sitting on another 10 but i'm all the way down by Denver.

good to know! was planning on giving them a stall in the barn for the winter? so they'd be protected for the most part and no snow (I keep everyone else in all winter) but at -30 outside its still -30 in the barn. Do you ship goslings or hatching eggs by chance? I'm still kicking myself for not buying them last fall. there were 2 curly feathered and 1 smooth together and they went for $10 each I know I'll never find that again! lol. I've been told they aren't as aggressive as other geese though? Would they get along with guineas & silkies? (I'm sure the guineas wouldn't be around them much as they seem to like the rafters more than anything.)

 

[Percheron chick]

My "coop" is a converted stall and I kept my geese (3 at the time) in with them. It worked fine until Jan when typical breeding season started up. Chickens wouldn't come off the roosts until I let the geese out in the morning. Having their own stall would be the only way to
make it work. They would have enough space to stay up as well. My geese are always chasing the chickens out of their pens. No way would i trust them with silkies. Guineas can hold their own. My ganders are semi aggressive this time of year. I do not turn my back on them (sign of submission) and they will attack your boots ( don't do your chores in leggings).
Check out the Sebastopol FB groups. You will start seeing goslings for sale in another month through September. I am not NPIP so i can not ship. Many sellers are willing to transport birds to national shows or vacations and drop them off if you are on the way.

 

[Iain Utah]

Geese are more cold hardy than chickens. I have a large barn that I leave open, and put down hay/shavings for them to bed down in, if they choose and most do (but not all). I use 3 gallon rubber tubs for water. It's easier to break ice.

Craigslist, facebook community groups, feed store bulletin boards, county fairs are all potential places to find geese locally. You'll be surprised how many listings will pop up in 2-3 months.

 

[SimoneG]

My "coop" is a converted stall and I kept my geese (3 at the time) in with them. It worked fine until Jan when typical breeding season started up. Chickens wouldn't come off the roosts until I let the geese out in the morning. Having their own stall would be the only way to
make it work. They would have enough space to stay up as well. My geese are always chasing the chickens out of their pens. No way would i trust them with silkies. Guineas can hold their own. My ganders are semi aggressive this time of year. I do not turn my back on them (sign of submission) and they will attack your boots ( don't do your chores in leggings).
Check out the Sebastopol FB groups. You will start seeing goslings for sale in another month through September. I am not NPIP so i can not ship. Many sellers are willing to transport birds to national shows or vacations and drop them off if you are on the way.

Thank you! good to know. The silkies have their own smaller pen in a different stall (they are 16 x 16) so I will likely keep them in there. I'm afraid if I let them loose the barn cats would have a snack. They don't bother the guineas or Peas but the cats are bigger than the silkies. lol. I just joined a few groups on FB so I'll keep my eyes open! Good to know about turning back. I'll have to keep that in mind. I'm hearing the same with Peas but so far mine are ok. not very tame though so maybe that helps?

 

[Iain Utah]

Hard to say about handling and aggression. I have unhandled ganders that can act aggressive and super handled ganders that are sweethearts year round. And visa versa. I think age and space are big factors. Ultimately, it depends on individual personality, although some breeds tend to be more aggressive than others.

 

[Gray Farms]

Mine slept out on the snow all winter. They never went inside the barn even during our worst weather this winter.