Geese vs chickens

[kman cloquet]

First off I;m going to start up by saying I'm new to all of this so please excuse me if this question is bad.

I want to get either a chicken or goose this spring but I'm having a hard decision on what to decide.
I think geese are cheaper because they don't require a big shelter.On the other hand chicken coops are not hard to build.I guess my question is if I was to keep 2 chickens(hens)or 2 gooses(1 male 1 female) which one would be cheaper.

Due to this forums rules I canot post a link of the chicken coop i would use but if you go to instructables.com and type in How to make the perfect chicken coop for three chickens! then the first post you get is the one I was considering

For Ducks I don't know yet about shelter I live in the Northeast so It gets cold in the winter.

Finally based on the input you guys give me I am also unsure of the breed I should get.Something quiet that is good for meat and produces quality eggs is preferable.


Thanks
Kman Cloquet,

 

[rearrolled]

well i would get chooks because they lay eggs a lot u can get chep chickens or $$$ chickens and

i love chooks

i say get them i would just get chooks


the chook is red and the goose is blue

hahahahaha

sorry for braging just get chooks

 

[dkosh]

I have more chickens than geese. I have gone from 50 geese down to 1 poor goose that stays with my chickens. I think the chickens are friendlier than geese. I would do both if you have room because I'm a sucker for all animals but if I had to choose I think I would go with chickens. If you ask my husband the only good goose is a dead one. Especially when the one goose fouls up all the sheep's water and he has to clean all the troughs.

Let us know what you choose.

 

[Shiloh Acres]

If you are planning for eating eggs, then you need chickens or ducks. Geese are seasonal layers and won't produce eggs for table.

As far as meat, in my opinion geese are FAR superior to chickens in production. They reproduce more easily on their own, can be raised on pasture so much less feed needs to be bought, and produce a larger bird. But goose is NOT the same meat as chicken. I've heard people say that it is an acquired taste and one or two say they don't like it at all. I think it's wonderful, but has more in common with beef than chicken. Likewise some do not like duck, so before you chose duck I'd say make sure you like it as well.

And geese in general aren't going to be that quiet. I've had a few VERY noisy chickens too. With them it's more the individual.

But if you're wanting meat AND eggs, you are probably going to be happier with a dual-purpose chicken.

 

[Shiloh Acres]

I read your post again ... With two hens, meat is not going to be an issue? You won't have any chicks to raise, and if you eat the hens you're losing your egg production, so that wouldn't make sense?

As far as cost, chickens are likely to cost more to FEED than geese if you have grass available for the geese to eat.

Waterfowl (ducks and geese) don't require much in the way of shelter from the weather. In fact mine would never use shelter unless I herd them in and lock them up. Chickens like to have a shelter to sleep in. Besides weather, predators are a major reason to look at shelter needs. It depends what predators you have. In a city backyard you might not even need to lock geese up at all, but chickens CAN be killed even by wandering cats and need more protection.

But if you really want only two, you need only a small coop either way, so the cost won't change much. Chickens in fact can be costlier to contain, since they are more in need of solid walls than geese, and are more likely to need a run as well.

If you have never kept any poultry before, chickens are easier to manage behavior-wise than geese. Geese and ducks are hardier as far as temperatures and disease resistance. Geese and ducks are also much messier with their water, which makes more work in a small yard and takes more vigilance in the brooder. So it's really a lot of trade-offs.

 

[kman cloquet]

Thank you so much.So I guess I'm going to go for chickens but my main concern is how to build a coop.I don't want to use a heater in the winter so I need to insulate but I also don't want rats,so It has to be rodent proof.If you've seen the coop on instructables.com then you can see I want something really small.Dose anyone have any coops like that i would love to see how you made it or pictures Also How often do you have to maintain the chickens in the winter I go on vacation for 2 weeks and sometimes in the summer the same so I don't want the chickens to starve







Thanks,
Kman cloquet

 

[Shiloh Acres]

What are your winter conditions? You might not have to insulate or heat, but two birds won't stay as warm as a flock. You also will have concerns about humidity build-up if it is TOO tight. I used hardware cloth over all gaps to prevent rodents. It's not a bad idea anyway if weasels are around.

Leaving chickens for two weeks is a bit long. Many people easily get away with a few days and there are self-opening and closing devices for coops but ... What if there is a problem with the water? If it goes two weeks without being noticed, well ...

You're probably going to need to have someone look in on them. A responsible 4-H kid will probably take on the job for a little money, or maybe a neighbor who would like the eggs?

 

[Shiloh Acres]

And I've never built a small chicken coop. Just small coops for ducks and geese but those would be too open for you. BYC has a lot of coops pictured, divided up by size. I've never looked at the small ones but I'm sure there are lots on the link. I'm sure you'd get better answers by posting a new question under the coop section for chickens too.

Good luck with them!

 

[kman cloquet]

Thanks I'll do that.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Try right here on Byc there are alot of really nice coop designs and at different prices too,