Goose pastures, pictures and experiences, please

[Rare Feathers Farm]

I think I have my DH convinced to make me a fenced, pasture area for my sebbies.

It would be on the east side of our house and not huge but bigger than the 16 x 16 area they are in now. It would have green grass (with sprinklers), a buried pool or pond of some sort and a shelter that I could lock them in at night or if the weather was horrendous. The area is slightly sloped and I would be planting a few shade trees as well. I would guess the area is 40' wide x 100' long but I wouldn't have to enclose the whole thing. I looked at fencing today that would work in 6' tall and 100' and it's $94 a roll (not chicken wire but heavier gauge, welded).

So what would you recommend for size? I am hoping for maybe two males and four females or so in that size area.

I'd love to see photos.

Thanks!

~Heather

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

We've having LOTS of snow melting like crazy right now and pouring rain onto very frozen ground--so we've got some major flooding. I think this is my chance for a catch pond to get all of this excess water! I'm sure the geese would love it!

 

[shelleyd2008]

I bet they would love a pond!

I don't have any idea what size to make for a goose pen...I need to figure that out myself

Mine have taken to hiding their eggs and visiting the neighbors across the road...

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

I think I have my DH talked into it.

The only issue (besides getting him to actually BUILD the pasture area and a good shelter) will be winter time...we'll have to run electricity to that side of the house so I can get them a heated bucket.

 

[goosedragon]

If you are thinking trees do yourself a favor and plant them OUTSIDE the fence. Geese can be very hard on young trees and killed off my first planting.

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

Oh yeah I know. I have some in their current pen now and I just circled them with hardware cloth and then put big gravel around the base to keep them from drilling up the roots.

 

[Cottage Rose]

Congrats on the new pen project!

I always tell people I get more excited about pens than diomonds.

I have pens that large and larger and I have no problem with them
becoming over grazed or turning to dirt with 3- 4 geese per pen.
Thats a nice size pen but what about during the breeding season
will you be using your small pen to split up the ganders?
Trees in the pen will be nice. Shade is important but trees do take
a long time to grow. You might want to plant some polars and silver maples for fast growing trees.
Like you I just put something around the base of the tree to protect it.
Artificial ponds can be pretty high maintenance.
One of these days I'd like to get electric out to my
goose facilities other than the heavy duty outside extention cord that I use.
As for winter time water I just give them fresh water
1 time daily and they are just fine.
They have pool or a bucket of water outside during the day
and a fresh bucket of water in their stalls at night.
All my breeding couples/trios have their own night time stall
or shed. I have 3 birds sheds.
Summer time I water 2 x daily.
I wonder with as neurotic as geese are with chewing/nibbling
how you would deal with a heated vessels cord??
I have my hose going out to the geese year round to fill
pools and water buckets.
I just drain the hose over a low tree limb after using.

 

[3dogs]

Rose, when I lived in a cold climate I slipped a length of pvc pipe over the electric cord of my heated bucket to prevent the geese from chewing on the cord. In my case, there was electricity running to the goose shed so it was just the cord running from the bucket that needed to be covered. It would probably work for a long extension cord too.

I knew someone who used a long hose to water his birds in winter. When he was done, he used an air compressor to blow the remaining water out of the hose so it wouldn't freeze.

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

Quote:
The ones they make for dog & horses have metal coiled around the cord so far--none of the horses, dogs, geese or ducks have destroyed theirs.

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

Thanks for the pics! The fencing you have is the same stuff I have one roll of (so far)....do you put yours in a shelter at night? Or lock them up? I think I will because we've got a cougar in the area now.