As most of you know, this is my first experience with geese, and it's our first winter. I just want to make sure I'm doing everything right to ensure a safe, happy healthy winter, as here in Michigan, it can be brutal, or even mild!
Our daily routine consists of this.... I get up at 6:00, get my 14 year old daughter's breakfast and lunch made, have a cup of coffee, and drive her to school at 6:45. The birds are woken when I drive my daughters to school as they have their pen in my garage. I do not let them out at this time as it's pitch dark out.
I return from dropping her off at 7:00, I then go inside, wake my 12 year old, make her breakfast, lunch, and then drive her to school at 7:45. I say hello to the geese vocally but do not let them see me.
I then wake my 9 year old up, get her dressed, do her hair, make her breakfast, lunch and take her to school at 8:45. I return from dropping her off at about 9:10. I go in the house, fill their feed bowl with fresh varieties of feed and fresh head of Romane lettuce and head out to the garage.
I let them out of their pen while I do my chores of cleaning out their night pen by scooping out dirty or wet bedding, old lettuce/watermelon from the previous night and dumping out their bucket of water. I wash out and refill their bucket, refill their night time food bowl and place fresh lettuce and melon. I then shut the pen and walk them to the back yard to their day pen. They usually fly at this point from the driveway to their pen. They are really good at flying now!
Once I'm down at their pen, I fill their pool with fresh water and put down the food and lettuce I gathered in the house. While the pool is filling(about 15 minutes) I walk them around the house a couple times, they stretch their wings, eat some grass then they follow me to the pen. They go inside, and that's where they stay until after school when the kids come down to play with them and walk them around for about 45 minutes to an hour. It's not a big pen, 10'x10'x6', but they have fresh grass( I move the pen every 3 days) fresh food, a clean pool and fresh air.
Then after dinner, or dusk, whichever comes first, I go down to their pen, open the door and let them come out, fly a little stretch, eat grass and explore while I clean out their pen washing away turds and cleaning out their pool. I walk them some more, sometimes I'll sit with them and just let them chew on my coat, and talk with them. Then I walk them over to the garage and lower the door, and they walk in and start eating the fresh food, lettuce, melons and water. I shut the door to the garage pen, then clean off the driveway of their turds, left over treats, and put their 2nd little pool away. I then close the garage door, and that's where they stay until the next morning.
They seem happy, they have a routine down and things seem well. However, I'm still a noob at this and I want to make sure the routine I have for them is satisfactory. So, any comments or suggestions are great appreciated as these geese are my babies! If I could have gotten them to wear a diaper, they'd be in the house! Should I be stimulating them more? Are there toys you recommend for their long stay in the garage night time pen? Or, leave things the way they are?
My 2nd question is about their chest. What does a healthy goose chest look like? Sometimes their chests seem round, and sometimes there is a line down the middle, like clevage LOL
I still haven't wormed them because I'm afraid if I put them through the stress of force feeding them, they won't trust me. So, I"m planning on a vet visit to make someone else do it LOL
Any and all comments are welcome as I want to be the best goose mommy possible!
Our daily routine consists of this.... I get up at 6:00, get my 14 year old daughter's breakfast and lunch made, have a cup of coffee, and drive her to school at 6:45. The birds are woken when I drive my daughters to school as they have their pen in my garage. I do not let them out at this time as it's pitch dark out.
I return from dropping her off at 7:00, I then go inside, wake my 12 year old, make her breakfast, lunch, and then drive her to school at 7:45. I say hello to the geese vocally but do not let them see me.
I then wake my 9 year old up, get her dressed, do her hair, make her breakfast, lunch and take her to school at 8:45. I return from dropping her off at about 9:10. I go in the house, fill their feed bowl with fresh varieties of feed and fresh head of Romane lettuce and head out to the garage.
I let them out of their pen while I do my chores of cleaning out their night pen by scooping out dirty or wet bedding, old lettuce/watermelon from the previous night and dumping out their bucket of water. I wash out and refill their bucket, refill their night time food bowl and place fresh lettuce and melon. I then shut the pen and walk them to the back yard to their day pen. They usually fly at this point from the driveway to their pen. They are really good at flying now!
Once I'm down at their pen, I fill their pool with fresh water and put down the food and lettuce I gathered in the house. While the pool is filling(about 15 minutes) I walk them around the house a couple times, they stretch their wings, eat some grass then they follow me to the pen. They go inside, and that's where they stay until after school when the kids come down to play with them and walk them around for about 45 minutes to an hour. It's not a big pen, 10'x10'x6', but they have fresh grass( I move the pen every 3 days) fresh food, a clean pool and fresh air.
Then after dinner, or dusk, whichever comes first, I go down to their pen, open the door and let them come out, fly a little stretch, eat grass and explore while I clean out their pen washing away turds and cleaning out their pool. I walk them some more, sometimes I'll sit with them and just let them chew on my coat, and talk with them. Then I walk them over to the garage and lower the door, and they walk in and start eating the fresh food, lettuce, melons and water. I shut the door to the garage pen, then clean off the driveway of their turds, left over treats, and put their 2nd little pool away. I then close the garage door, and that's where they stay until the next morning.
They seem happy, they have a routine down and things seem well. However, I'm still a noob at this and I want to make sure the routine I have for them is satisfactory. So, any comments or suggestions are great appreciated as these geese are my babies! If I could have gotten them to wear a diaper, they'd be in the house! Should I be stimulating them more? Are there toys you recommend for their long stay in the garage night time pen? Or, leave things the way they are?
My 2nd question is about their chest. What does a healthy goose chest look like? Sometimes their chests seem round, and sometimes there is a line down the middle, like clevage LOL
I still haven't wormed them because I'm afraid if I put them through the stress of force feeding them, they won't trust me. So, I"m planning on a vet visit to make someone else do it LOL
Any and all comments are welcome as I want to be the best goose mommy possible!