Goose questions!

[bluemerle]

Hello!

I've been strongly considering adopting some goslings this spring. I'll hopefully be picking up some ducklings from the feed store in Feb/March, but I'd also really like to add some geese if anyone local has them. And while I've googled goose care, most of it seems to be the perks of having geese & not, you know, the reality of caring for them. So I have a few questions if anyone would be kind enough to answer!

1) Is it recommended to raise goslings & ducklings in the same brooder? Would this help the geese "accept" the ducklings, or would it turn into a potential trampling issue?

2) If not, would it be fine to introduce (older, able to defend themselves) goslings to an already established duck flock? I don't need the geese & ducks to be best friends, I just would like for them to get along & coexist in the same space.

3) Do geese tend to be "homebodies" who don't wander? Can they fly? I have a .... probably 4 ft high chainlink fence, and my yard has plenty of grass and foliage, so I would prefer for them to stay within the fence.

4) Are geese really human friendly? Do they really follow you around, etc?

5) What should I be doing for them, food & health wise? Can I feed them all-flock and add niacin like I do for the ducks? Do they need additional vitamins?

6) Are there breeds I should avoid for being overly loud? I'm fine with vocalizations, especially when exciting stuff is happening, but I have noticed some breeds tend to be loud much more frequently than other breeds.

7) Do I have to be worried about a gander breeding my ducks if that gander has female companionship of his own kind, or will he "stay in his lane" so-to-speak?

Thanks in advance!

 

[SniperGoose]

1.) Raising them together would probably be more ideal, given they would be growing up together and be used to one another.

2.) Geese can really bully other poultry, so I think raising them all together while they're all young is ideal. Although I just added 2 full grown pekin drakes to my flock the other month, and while my geese chased them around a bit, things have settled down and everyone gets along now. So long as you have a large enough space, they should all get along fine.

3.) Yeah my geese like to stay in the yard when I have them out. I keep them in a 4 foot tall fenced in area during the day (along with my ducks and chickens), and they CAN fly out if they chose to do so, but that's an extremely rare thing. Geese can fly, yes, but you can clip their wings to ensure that they don't. Most heavyweight breeds can't fly too far. I have 2 Toulouse geese, and they can fly around the same distance as..say... a turkey. So not too awful far. I recommend clipping their wings if you want to ensure them not going over your fence.

4.) They certainly can be! Though all geese are different, mine will follow me around everywhere when I'm outside. If I go into their enclosure and sit down, they come up to me and nibble on my clothing and just stay near me. I can also scratch their necks and it puts them right to sleep lol. Though during their breeding season, the gander gets aggressive, and needs to be put in his place. That's also something to keep in mind, but I'll get more into that in a bit here.

5.) You'll probably see people feeding their geese a variety of things on here. For mine (and for my entire flock), I feed them a mixture of cracked corn along with Purina layena crumbles, and Purina flock raiser. In the winter, since they can't get grass to eat, I also feed my geese timothy hay. I make sure to cut it up into bite-size pieces for them too. I'll occasionally add diatomaceous earth (food grade) to their feed as well (just a little bit will do). Also it's important to provide them with oyster shell as well, free choice.

6.) The only two goose breeds I've ever had are Canadian and Toulouse. My Canadian geese weren't very loud at all. My Toulouse geese I have now can be pretty loud if they see something they don't like (such as a stranger, or someone wearing a big scary yellow jacket lol). But otherwise they're not super noisy. I've heard that Chinese geese can be pretty loud, but every individual goose is different and all.

7.) Hmm, it's possible he might try to. I've seen other posts on here about ganders trying to breed with female ducks. That's something you'll have to watch out for. It's not to say he absolutely will, but it's a possibility. If he does try to do that, you will need to separate the ducks from the geese just to be safe.
Speaking of breeding, as I mentioned before, ganders can get aggressive during breeding season. Their hormones get them all moody. My normally sweet, docile gander will sometimes start trying to attack me. I grab his beak and hold it shut (being careful not to cover his nostrils), and get behind him to pin him to the ground. I'll also cover his eyes during this too, as it helps get him calmed down faster. Once he stops struggling, I let him up, and he's back to normal and doesn't want to attack anymore. This will have to be repeated as many times as necessary. You don't want to show fear or anything of the sort to a goose either.

 

[bluemerle]

@SniperGoose Oh, thank you so much!! That's all incredibly helpful information. I really love what I've seen of others' geese in videos, and I'm terribly excited to maybe get some babies this spring!

 

[SniperGoose]

Glad I could be of some help! I'm sure you'll really enjoy your new babies!

 

[Rondack]

1.) Raising them together would probably be more ideal, given they would be growing up together and be used to one another.

2.) Geese can really bully other poultry, so I think raising them all together while they're all young is ideal. Although I just added 2 full grown pekin drakes to my flock the other month, and while my geese chased them around a bit, things have settled down and everyone gets along now. So long as you have a large enough space, they should all get along fine.

3.) Yeah my geese like to stay in the yard when I have them out. I keep them in a 4 foot tall fenced in area during the day (along with my ducks and chickens), and they CAN fly out if they chose to do so, but that's an extremely rare thing. Geese can fly, yes, but you can clip their wings to ensure that they don't. Most heavyweight breeds can't fly too far. I have 2 Toulouse geese, and they can fly around the same distance as..say... a turkey. So not too awful far. I recommend clipping their wings if you want to ensure them not going over your fence.

4.) They certainly can be! Though all geese are different, mine will follow me around everywhere when I'm outside. If I go into their enclosure and sit down, they come up to me and nibble on my clothing and just stay near me. I can also scratch their necks and it puts them right to sleep lol. Though during their breeding season, the gander gets aggressive, and needs to be put in his place. That's also something to keep in mind, but I'll get more into that in a bit here.

5.) You'll probably see people feeding their geese a variety of things on here. For mine (and for my entire flock), I feed them a mixture of cracked corn along with Purina layena crumbles, and Purina flock raiser. In the winter, since they can't get grass to eat, I also feed my geese timothy hay. I make sure to cut it up into bite-size pieces for them too. I'll occasionally add diatomaceous earth (food grade) to their feed as well (just a little bit will do). Also it's important to provide them with oyster shell as well, free choice.

6.) The only two goose breeds I've ever had are Canadian and Toulouse. My Canadian geese weren't very loud at all. My Toulouse geese I have now can be pretty loud if they see something they don't like (such as a stranger, or someone wearing a big scary yellow jacket lol). But otherwise they're not super noisy. I've heard that Chinese geese can be pretty loud, but every individual goose is different and all.

7.) Hmm, it's possible he might try to. I've seen other posts on here about ganders trying to breed with female ducks. That's something you'll have to watch out for. It's not to say he absolutely will, but it's a possibility. If he does try to do that, you will need to separate the ducks from the geese just to be safe.
Speaking of breeding, as I mentioned before, ganders can get aggressive during breeding season. Their hormones get them all moody. My normally sweet, docile gander will sometimes start trying to attack me. I grab his beak and hold it shut (being careful not to cover his nostrils), and get behind him to pin him to the ground. I'll also cover his eyes during this too, as it helps get him calmed down faster. Once he stops struggling, I let him up, and he's back to normal and doesn't want to attack anymore. This will have to be repeated as many times as necessary. You don't want to show fear or anything of the sort to a goose either.

Yes, my goose grew up with my ducks and they are now best friends!

 

[bluemerle]

Quick question, once again! I read this article that states you should feed geese wheat (presumably whole wheat berries?) in the bottom of a bucket, along with pellets, and that you shouldn't feed crumbles because it can get stuck in their mouth. Has anyone had experience with this? What "pellets" are they talking about?

 

[Isaac 0]

Quick question, once again! I read this article that states you should feed geese wheat (presumably whole wheat berries?) in the bottom of a bucket, along with pellets, and that you shouldn't feed crumbles because it can get stuck in their mouth. Has anyone had experience with this? What "pellets" are they talking about?

I've never feed my geese wheat,but there is not that many people who carry it around here.In the winter i just mix in some scratch grain with there pellets.Im assuming the pellets they are talking about are just plain chicken food pellets there main diet.I hate crumble i all my birds get it stuck in there throat,its also hard for them to swallow.

 

[MeganFair]

@bluemerle I'm looking at getting geese too, and you asked a lot of the same questions I had! Do you have a specific breed in mind? I'm curious because I'm trying to decide what breed to go with myself.

 

[bluemerle]

@bluemerle I'm looking at getting geese too, and you asked a lot of the same questions I had! Do you have a specific breed in mind? I'm curious because I'm trying to decide what breed to go with myself.

I'm still not decided on breed - I know I'd prefer to avoid the White / Brown Chinese, as reportedly they're the noisiest and tend to have the most shrill vocalizations. Personally noise isn't a huge issue for me, but I'd also like to avoid being deafened every time I go out to feed treats!

But other than that - I'm open to most breeds! I was set on Africans & Toulouse, for a while, but then I saw videos of Holderread's American Lavenders, and then I saw some Pilgrim geese, and ..... I think I'd be happy with any goose, really.

What about you? Do you have any breed you're leaning towards?

 

[Miss Lydia]

For calmest I'd go with Sebastopol, Buffs, Pilgrim ,Toulouse, Of course you'll still have to deal with ornery gander come breeding season and protective mama and papa if you let the hatch goslings. But probably not as ornery as your Embden or Africian. And I can only speak for Embden boy does he get ornery during breeding season Not a breed for around children unless well supervised. Actually young children shouldn't ever be around geese with out supervision. Geese can be pushy and bullies.