Geese questions

[ameraucanacrazy]

I have some goats and a chicken in a pen and I want to get some geese and wanted to know how often would I have to change the goose waterer if I keep it sepaerate from the goats and chickens drinking water and how often do you give your geese bathing water And how often do you clean it out. And what do you feed them and will they get along with the goats if I buy adults. And if I give them a house to get in at night will the geese not be attacked by hawks and will the geese set on their own eggs and do geese lay eggs year round.

 

[elizabethbinary]

Quote:
My geese don't lay yet but I jave to change and water the geese every single day - they make a big mess when they take their baths and they really love to drink lots of water. If you have room for goats you should have enough foraging room for geese without needing too much supplemental food - I just give the geese my chicken stuff because I can't find goose food here - which is a little high in protein, but they seem to do well stealing new shoots of grass that come up when they can.

I heard geese are pretty crappy mothers to their own eggs, but I don't know for sure. As for hawks - I don't know but I'd imagine geese would be pretty noisy about it. My geese throw a FIT when A QUAIL starts to eat their food - they sound the alarms and chase the birds away (yay for me, I'm saving money not feeding stupid quails I can't eat!).... I find my geese don't really know 'day and night' so putting them away at night just seems to piss them off - they're still awake. They sleep intermittenly whenever they choose, so they like to forage 24/7.

But these are my experiences and I haven't had geese long... so ymmv.

 

[Olive Hill]

I have some goats and a chicken in a pen and I want to get some geese and wanted to know how often would I have to change the goose waterer if I keep it sepaerate from the goats and chickens drinking water

There is no such thing as separate. They'll drink from anything they can reach. And if your goats and chickens can reach it, the geese will be able to reach it to. All of the above will need to be changed daily. If your goats are in a paddock/pasture this may work well. If they're in a dirt lot, it may not work as well. Geese thrive on greens. If they have nothing to forage on during the growing season they can be very expensive to feed and they may not be as healthy mentally and physically as they could be.

and how often do you give your geese bathing water

When the temperature is above freezing it's available 24/7.

And how often do you clean it out.

Every couple days.

And what do you feed them

A custom ground feed mix from the local mill is what feed is offered. They also eat free choice hay in the winter and forage for fresh grasses and weeds during the growing months. For mine, the forage/hay makes up a major part of their diet.

and will they get along with the goats if I buy adults.

This is entirely dependent on the individual geese.

And if I give them a house to get in at night will the geese not be attacked by hawks

It is highly unlikely that your geese will be attacked by hawks at night. Owls, on the other hand, are a certain possibility. Raccons, skunks, possums, mink, bobcat, fox, coyote, and cougar, likewise, can be a threat.

and will the geese set on their own eggs

Some do, some don't. Compared to other fowl, geese in general, are excellent parents. That does not mean every goose is an excellent parent though.

and do geese lay eggs year round.

Not usually. Usually they lay in "spring" or thereabouts. Some beginning in late winter, some carrying on until early summer.​

 

[ameraucanacrazy]

Thanks for the info. I know they will have enough grass because the goats for some reason will not eat it and it gets about 4 or 5 inches tall in the spring and summer.

 

[Hillbilly_Curt]

Goats are very susceptible to urinary stones. If they eat chicken food and/or goose food, you run a very high risk of them developing stones. These stones have a very good probablility of killing them. We had to put down a 1 year old recently due to stones. I would recommend keeping them separate, or somehow finding a way to keep your goats out of the chicken and goose feed.

 

[JROOSTER]

I was told by a good friend of mine who has goats, they dont like grass they like weeds.

 

[ameraucanacrazy]

Okay thanks for the headsup I feed the goats cornnand another type of green feed and the one chicken that is in their eats the corn.