Goslings grazing on grass in the suburbs… how do I know if the grass is safe to eat?

[lilolilman]

Hi all!

My goslings are 12 days old and getting HUGE! We are moving soon to a new house with a chicken coop in a couple weeks, but for now we are using a brooder in the garage and feeding them all sorts of different greens as well as a non medicated chick starter/grower. There is a little park across the street from our current house which we would like to take the goslings over to and let them graze in the grass and what not. My extremely overprotective boyfriend (who is their mother) is concerned about pesticides or other chemicals that could be on the grass.

It lead me to ask, generally, how do you know if the grass is safe to eat? Because we live in the suburbs, we don’t have a really good patch of grass to let them into right now that we can assure has never been sprayed. That will change in a couple weeks, but I just wanted to ask if you guys think it’s safe to take them to a park or a grassy area that doesn’t seem treated when I can’t ensure that fact.

Thanks!
Kimberly

 

[sourland]

Here in NJ our local park routinely sprays with herbicides and insecticides, but they always post when the grass has been sprayed. Your boyfriend's concerns are legitimate.

 

[3KillerBs]

I absolutely would NOT take my animals to graze in a public park.

Both because of herbicides, pesticides, dog droppings, and who knows what else might have been there AND because it would be extremely rude to my neighbors to cover the grass with goose poop so that when they brought their kids to play they ended up coated in poop.

 

[lilolilman]

I absolutely would NOT take my animals to graze in a public park.

Both because of herbicides, pesticides, dog droppings, and who knows what else might have been there AND because it would be extremely rude to my neighbors to cover the grass with goose poop so that when they brought their kids to play they ended up coated in poop.

I appreciate what you’re saying, we’re not gonna be doing that now lol