Geese & Chickens - Can they live together?

[UGHstressed pet]

so please any help we live in the upper pen. of Michigan and only have 2 pens but 1 is winter close and 1 far out for summer we have 2 geese not sure what they are other then 12 years old brought them home in my pocket 12 years ago male can be very mean to me in the winter I can't get near them in the spring my husband can't however we just got a wonderful rooster he is very funny we like him very much but come winter we have to move the geese up to winter house ( very small) and not sure if we should even try to put Bud ROOOODSTER in with then ??????????????????????

please help before fall
thanks,
debbie

 

[Going Bhonkers]

Debbie, I think the post before yours might be helpful?

 

[flockman]

Gardenergal, it sounds like I will have the same sort of set up. I have two large stalls in the barn. The entrance to one is through the other. The plan is for the chickens and possibly ducks in the front one and our geese and possibly ducks in the second one. This way the geese can be separated for breeding and at night when they are locked up. During the day they will be in an acre of pasture. I figure that I will feed the ducks and geese in the evening as I lock them in with separate raised feeders and water containers for the chickens.

 

[Bluebirdie1]

Our geese and chickens free range together during the day and get along just fine. At night the geese have their own small house and the chickens have a larger coop with an attached run. The geese and chickens are trained to put themselves into their house when the sun goes down and we just close the doors. (We used cracked corn as a treat to bribe the greese into learning this). I don't think they would get along so well if they were confined together in a small space The geese hate being locked up and free range even in the winter (snow) but because the foxes/racoons in the evening it's a necessity.

 

[ooptec]

hey,

I have had cayuga ducks, toulouse geese, meat, banty and layer chickens, guinea's, peafowl and turkeys for several years now.



In the winter I pen the ducks and geese in separate outdoor pens





Tho this winter I think I will turn the geese loose from the pen during the day as they do OK in snow.

The ducks got turned loose as soon as it started thawing in the spring but I pen them at night till there is open water that doesn't ice over at night and they start nesting in the grass surrounding the ponds.

The geese lived in the pen and in spring when I turned the others loose during the day the were loosed too but penned at night and when the goslings hatched I kept them in the pen w/momma to fatten up a little on starter. I can only get chick and turkey starter so start them on chicken starter as the turkey is medicated and they don't do medicated feed. Once they have approx doubled in size which is not long they get free range w/the adults which all look after them very well. Although they do drag them over hill and dale, but everything seems to be good.





At night everyone goes to the same coop. The most of the birds roost and have their spots and the geese and goslings stay on the floor where the goslings get some starter. One turkey tom has a little bit of a gimpy leg so can't roost and the geese will pick on him but he started staying on the back steps instead. I don't shut the coop door at night as it gets daylight here at about 0500 and the doggies are wonderful as guardians

cheers

 

[LarissaBuffMom]

wonderful post Ooptec, I enjoyed the pictures with it, i too raise Geese and find that My little ones must be locked up at night I had often wondered if I should house them with My chickens.After a lot of reading I have learned that it wouldnt be to wise because they need there space and could hurt my chickens , during the winter i will have a stall installed inside my chicken coop but divided from the chickens with a fence so that no one gets hurt. I think that the risk of the chickens getting injured from a grumpy gander is to great to lock them in together at night but free ranging during the day together is not so bad of an idea since the chickens will have plenty of room to run and hide if the gander gets a nasty mood about him during there breeding times.

 

[gooseville]

We have 9 geese and 17 chickens. The geese don't really pay much attention to the chickens. Of course all of our birds are free to roam our yard so they could easily escape if there was a problem. I also think that geese should not be confined to a small area. They need room to spread their wings and fly low to the ground. Our geese do this often.

 

[fabfowl]

Hey, how about if I just have one goose kept with my chickens and ducks? How do you think that would work out?

 

[aoxa]

Hey, how about if I just have one goose kept with my chickens and ducks? How do you think that would work out?

Don't do that. Get at least two. Geese need their own kind.



My geese were raised with the chickens. They are great with them. Only issue I watch out for right now is that the chickens have plenty of space to move out of the way if the geese are going somewhere. The geese are huge, and to be stepped on by a goose if you are a little silkie can be an issue.

 

[gooseville]

I think it will be fine. I have a silky bantam that looks just like that one-Mr. Yetti lol.