Goslings making daily mess with water.

[RhodeIslandRedMomma]

4 year chicken keeper here but first time goose owner, and I have a bit of a dilemma if anyone has suggestions. My goslings are making a mess of their brooder every night by draining all of their water out, and I am having to scoop out sopping wet bedding and bathe 3 gnarly smelling geese every morning.

They are Brown Chinese Geese, and I am not sure how old they are but some pin feathers are JUST starting to come in, they stand a good foot tall and are beginning to honk. I have a suction-style waterer in there now, but they dabble and splash in it during their midnight pool parties until the canister is empty, leaving me with one huge mess in the morning and thirsty geese. Nights are still getting down into the upper 30s/low to mid 40s here, so I feel it is still too cold to have them outside without their feathers being in yet.

What can I do/use to ensure they get the water they need without making a mess? I had thought to put in a raised ice cream bucket so they can dip their full beaks in but not actually jump into the bucket (which is what they do if it sits flush on the floor of the brooder, lol). Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

- Cassie

 

[Ourgosling22]

4 year chicken keeper here but first time goose owner, and I have a bit of a dilemma if anyone has suggestions. My goslings are making a mess of their brooder every night by draining all of their water out, and I am having to scoop out sopping wet bedding and bathe 3 gnarly smelling geese every morning.

They are Brown Chinese Geese, and I am not sure how old they are but some pin feathers are JUST starting to come in, they stand a good foot tall and are beginning to honk. I have a suction-style waterer in there now, but they dabble and splash in it during their midnight pool parties until the canister is empty, leaving me with one huge mess in the morning and thirsty geese. Nights are still getting down into the upper 30s/low to mid 40s here, so I feel it is still too cold to have them outside without their feathers being in yet.

What can I do/use to ensure they get the water they need without making a mess? I had thought to put in a raised ice cream bucket so they can dip their full beaks in but not actually jump into the bucket (which is what they do if it sits flush on the floor of the brooder, lol). Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

- Cassie

I had a time with mine making mess with their water. I had to clean out their brooder every night as well. Some had suggested making a waterer with like a milk jug and cut a hole in it big enough just for them to stick their head in to drink and dunk their heads to clean their nares. I never did try it but you can look up links for pictures if you want to try.

 

[ExoticPetOwner]

Geese are waterfowl, so they will make a huge mess with any bit of water they are able to get into. What style waterer are you currently using for them? Don't give them as much water, they will drink what they need and play in what's left. Giving them less water doesn't make it as big of a mess and they won't become thirsty with a little less water for them to play in. Using a specialized poultry waterer is great for them, it helps stop them from wasting water, and it controls how much comes out. Raising the waterer is a great idea, too. It doesn't allow them to try and splash in the water, and it eliminates how much bedding and junk get into it. Giving breaks in between from when they get water is good as well. Don't let them have 24/7 access to all the water they want, you will wake up to a flooding nightmare. Give them enough water for them to drink for at least 15 minutes, then let them without water for 15+ minutes. They can go a few hours without water. You can, as many times as you'd like, take them out of their brooder in a playpen or something, and let them have a bucket or kiddie pool filled with water so they can bathe and dip their beaks in it. Hope this helps!

 

[Miss Lydia]

I start out with these and then make these as they grow. They sit on an old broiler pan with a pee pad over to soak up any water and keep their feet protected. These first two I use once they are taller. The single is when they are just starting out. The one with the blue lid was for mama.

 

[gooseapplefarms]

I've raised a few batches of goslings now. Once they are a little taller, I put the waterer (just a simple chick waterer from tractor supply) on a landscaping stone. This way they can drink from it, but can't climb on it and play in the water. During the 1st week or 2, I put the water container right under the lamp, that helps keep things a little dryer.

 

[JRies]

bleach bottle, Holes big enough for there head only. Gorilla tape to keep it stable. Tall enough to teach them its not a stool. Next step is a 5 gallon bucket with holes just the right height.

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

I'm in favor of the containers with the semi-circular openings cut in them as waterers for waterfowl (like @Miss Lydia's), having had a duckling wedge itself in a jug with cutouts and die. For month olds, a big plastic ice cream container with just enough of an opening on the lid for the goslings to get their bills in works great - I bought some specifically for this purpose and just dumped the (terrible) ice cream out.

 

[Berd Man]

I like all the various containers mentioned above with holes in the lid. I currently use old salsa containers or sour cream/yogurt containers. Just be sure the hole and container isn’t so big that a small gosling can fall in and become trapped. I did have one drown once from falling in. For older geese I use food grade barrels with holes cut out on the sides that way I can hold 15-20 gallons of water and they can’t get into it.

 

[RhodeIslandRedMomma]

Geese are waterfowl, so they will make a huge mess with any bit of water they are able to get into. What style waterer are you currently using for them? Don't give them as much water, they will drink what they need and play in what's left. Giving them less water doesn't make it as big of a mess and they won't become thirsty with a little less water for them to play in. Using a specialized poultry waterer is great for them, it helps stop them from wasting water, and it controls how much comes out. Raising the waterer is a great idea, too. It doesn't allow them to try and splash in the water, and it eliminates how much bedding and junk get into it. Giving breaks in between from when they get water is good as well. Don't let them have 24/7 access to all the water they want, you will wake up to a flooding nightmare. Give them enough water for them to drink for at least 15 minutes, then let them without water for 15+ minutes. They can go a few hours without water. You can, as many times as you'd like, take them out of their brooder in a playpen or something, and let them have a bucket or kiddie pool filled with water so they can bathe and dip their beaks in it. Hope this helps!

Thank you very much for all of the tips! Everything I had read online previously said they needed access to water 24/7, so that is what I have been doing. It was actually a poultry waterer that they managed to drain just the other night! I have a tall pail in there now that they can drink and flush from, but not splash out of or jump in. Dry brooder this morning, finally!!

 

[RhodeIslandRedMomma]

I had a time with mine making mess with their water. I had to clean out their brooder every night as well. Some had suggested making a waterer with like a milk jug and cut a hole in it big enough just for them to stick their head in to drink and dunk their heads to clean their nares. I never did try it but you can look up links for pictures if you want to try.

I appreciate your response so much, because I honestly felt like I had to be making some massive beginner's mistake. It made me feel a lot better to know that I was not the only one who had this problem, so thank you!!