Help me get the courage to move my goose outside

[SunHwaKwon]

Some background: A little over two months ago my goose was in the 10x10 dog pen where she used to sleep at night. I had just bought 10 guinea keets, about 3 weeks old, and not knowing any better they were out in the dog pen with her. Things were fine for two nights, but on the third evening a fox got in and killed 8 of the keets. The other 2 got out and were killed within a couple days of their escape, one by my dog. In any case, the killing of the keets happened with goose also inside of the pen. What that is like for a goose, I don't know. She wasn't fond of the keets so maybe she was glad to see them go. Maybe (likely) she was terrified.

I've had this goose since she was a day old. She'd only started sleeping outside a week or so before that. Prior to that she was sleeping in a plastic tote in my bedroom closet, although she spent her days in the dog pen when I wasn't home until she started flying. I began having her sleep outside because she was big enough to jump out of the tote, and also started being a pain about wanting to go in there.

After the guinea massacre, I set up a wire dog kennel inside the house and that is where she has been sleeping since (over two and a half months now). In the meantime, I got more keets and worked on constructing as predator proof a coop and run as I could, which is what I have now. It is a two story structure with the coop being on the top floor and ~3x6 goose house on the bottom. The goose house has a small window on the door that leads to the yard. It also has a door with no window that lowers into a ramp into the run, and then one of the entire short ends opens up as a third door to aid in cleaning.

I am confident in the construction of the structure, as well as the security measures I have taken on the run. The guineas (and now some chicks too) have been sleeping in the coop for two weeks and using the run since this past Sunday. Tonight was my first night putting goose out in her house. DH has been pressuring me to move her out there and I felt like I was running out of excuses.

It only lasted two and a half hours. I had to let the dog out one last time before heading to bed and decided to go check on her. When I put her out there I thought she might be more comfortable with the ramp to the run down. She was standing on the ramp looking around the run. I opened the door to her house and she came in to me and climbed on my lap, muttering. I could tell she wanted to go back to her dog kennel. I sat with her for a bit, stroking her and talking to her. I closed the ramp to the run, got up, and closed the door thinking maybe she would feel more secure with all the doors shut. Then I started second guessing myself and five seconds later she was following me back to the house and is now in her dog crate snuggled up for bed.

I want her to be comfortable. I am afraid that the one small window on the door might mean it is too dark (and scary) in there. Then again, I feel like the fewer windows for a fox to possibly harass her through, the better. Also, I have straw down in her house (I have a big bale that I need to use up then I might switch to something else) but in her dog crate I use a towel and get her a fresh towel every day, so maybe the bedding change is stressful. In her dog crate she also has some toys hanging, but I plan to move out there by this weekend.

I suspect I am overreacting and just need to use tough love and not feel bad for her out there. I now this post is much longer than necessary but I am attached to her and she imprinted on me when she was a baby, so I do feel obligated to continue earning her trust.

I'm sure after a few nights she will get used to being out there. The dog crate thing has been her routine for over half of her life now...

I just need some encouragement, suggestions (about the bedding, windows, and anything else), to not feel like a crazy goose lady. I feel like I need to sleep out there with her for a few nights until she gets used to it. Don't worry, I won't lol. I am not a parent but I think this is how some aspects of parenting must feel.

 

[Jchicken311]

Maybe you could put some treats out there. Can you put the dog crate outside? Maybe try putting the crate in her house (if it fits)
She might like that, because she is more familiar with the crate.

 

[SunHwaKwon]

I didn't even think of putting the crate in there. I'm not sure it will fit, but I'll check this afternoon.

She is very used to her routine. She tells us when she is ready to come in by "barking" at the door. She comes in and stands at the dogs' water bowl, drinking and blowing her nostrils for a bit, then walks over to her crate and gets in. She spends a lot of time pulling on her toys (hanging pet bird toys from Walmart) and talking if she can hear us in the next room. I was up late last night, and she finally tucked her head under her wing around 11:30 last night. I am usually in bed much earlier so I don't know if she stays up that late normally or not. It was 10:30 when I brought her in so maybe she is usually still awake at that time and I misread it as discomfort over the change in surroundings and routine.

I am frustrated, mainly with myself. I will try again tonight, with a towel on top of the straw and her toys hanging in there. I think that will help alleviate some of my worry, knowing that she at least has some familiar things out there with her. Do you think the darkness might bother her? I might have enough plexiglass left to put a window on the cleanout door. I'm going to look into that this afternoon. When she sleeps in the house she is in complete darkenss except for some light from outside coming in through a window and a nightlight in the hallway adjacent to the room she's in. I don't know if other people's duck/goose houses have windows or not!

I need to just treat her like a goose and get over it.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I didn't even think of putting the crate in there. I'm not sure it will fit, but I'll check this afternoon.

She is very used to her routine. She tells us when she is ready to come in by "barking" at the door. She comes in and stands at the dogs' water bowl, drinking and blowing her nostrils for a bit, then walks over to her crate and gets in. She spends a lot of time pulling on her toys (hanging pet bird toys from Walmart) and talking if she can hear us in the next room. I was up late last night, and she finally tucked her head under her wing around 11:30 last night. I am usually in bed much earlier so I don't know if she stays up that late normally or not. It was 10:30 when I brought her in so maybe she is usually still awake at that time and I misread it as discomfort over the change in surroundings and routine.

I am frustrated, mainly with myself. I will try again tonight, with a towel on top of the straw and her toys hanging in there. I think that will help alleviate some of my worry, knowing that she at least has some familiar things out there with her. Do you think the darkness might bother her? I might have enough plexiglass left to put a window on the cleanout door. I'm going to look into that this afternoon. When she sleeps in the house she is in complete darkenss except for some light from outside coming in through a window and a nightlight in the hallway adjacent to the room she's in. I don't know if other people's duck/goose houses have windows or not!

I need to just treat her like a goose and get over it.

I think you are a good goose mom to be concerned since she has only known you since hatched she feels safe with you in side. What happened to her when those keets were killed has left a long impression and being outside away from her flock[you] is scary. have you ever thought about giving her another goose as a friend? doesn't have to be same breed or gender. Geese don't sleep sound like other poultry do they pretty much sleep with one eye open always watching for predators. If I was you I'd put another window in her house for ventilation they need good fresh air even in winter use hardware cloth over window so nothing can get inside 1/2 in is best. any opening need to be covered in hardware cloth[wire] as long as you are positive the coop and run is predator proof [and you have to look at it from all sides bottom and top too.] then try her again but maybe think about getting her a goose friend, they are flock animals and really do like the company of their own kind. Of course you could move out there with her and continue to be her flock. might get a little cold come winter though .How did she do last night outside? @SunHwaKwon

 

[SunHwaKwon]

Well, I would love to get her a friend. I have looked at the different breeds of geese since joining here, and I know someday I would like to have three or more geese. But for now, my husband has his foot down. She hangs out on our deck all day while we are gone and poops everywhere. I'm the one that hoses the deck off, but he's already said no more geese.

I'll be honest. She's a wild goose (Canada). I understand there is a possibility that she will leave next year in search of a mate. Perhaps sooner once the geese start flying over our property in a couple of months. Or she may call one down that wants to hang out with her. I don't know what's going to happen with her, but for however long she wants to stay here I consider myself responsible for her well being since I'm the one that decided to bring her home. She was separated from her parents and siblings while they were walking down the road a couple of miles from my house. I witnessed her getting left behind when they ran into the marsh as I drove by. When I passed by again an hour later she was still in the road, running back and forth and crying. I climbed on my truck and looked everywhere for her family, with no luck. I knew I had the option of leaving her there to either be run over or snatched by a predator, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Had I known it was an option, I would have brought her to another goose family with goslings the same age, but at the time I didn't know that adoption into a new flock was a possibility. In any case, I had the time and means to provide for her so I took on that responsibility and commitment. She can be a part of my life for the next 30 years, or she can fly away when she hits puberty never to be seen again. I just want her happy and safe, especially now that I have gotten to know her as an "individual." She is full of personality, something that I was not aware of in geese before getting to know her. BTW, I am not sure whether she is male or female but after a few weeks I just picked a gender for the sake of being consistent with pronouns.

I would not mind if another Canada decided to spend the winter with her here. Resident geese are extremely common here. A horse farm about 4 miles from my house has at least 30, and I took her there to see if she would be interested in joining the flock when she was a couple months old. She wandered around with them a bit, but as soon as I headed back to my truck to leave she came running after me screaming her head off. I am thinking of taking her back again this weekend just to show her where it is, since she can fly now and would be able to go visit them on her own, even if she wants to come back in the evening when we are home to be with us.

Anyway, I put her out in her house again tonight. I put a towel out there, since its a bedding that she is used to, along with her food and water. This weekend I will be adding a second window to the structure and hanging her toys up. I suppose there isn't much else I can do. I do miss hearing her chatter in the evening!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Well, I would love to get her a friend. I have looked at the different breeds of geese since joining here, and I know someday I would like to have three or more geese. But for now, my husband has his foot down. She hangs out on our deck all day while we are gone and poops everywhere. I'm the one that hoses the deck off, but he's already said no more geese.

I'll be honest. She's a wild goose (Canada). I understand there is a possibility that she will leave next year in search of a mate. Perhaps sooner once the geese start flying over our property in a couple of months. Or she may call one down that wants to hang out with her. I don't know what's going to happen with her, but for however long she wants to stay here I consider myself responsible for her well being since I'm the one that decided to bring her home. She was separated from her parents and siblings while they were walking down the road a couple of miles from my house. I witnessed her getting left behind when they ran into the marsh as I drove by. When I passed by again an hour later she was still in the road, running back and forth and crying. I climbed on my truck and looked everywhere for her family, with no luck. I knew I had the option of leaving her there to either be run over or snatched by a predator, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Had I known it was an option, I would have brought her to another goose family with goslings the same age, but at the time I didn't know that adoption into a new flock was a possibility. In any case, I had the time and means to provide for her so I took on that responsibility and commitment. She can be a part of my life for the next 30 years, or she can fly away when she hits puberty never to be seen again. I just want her happy and safe, especially now that I have gotten to know her as an "individual." She is full of personality, something that I was not aware of in geese before getting to know her. BTW, I am not sure whether she is male or female but after a few weeks I just picked a gender for the sake of being consistent with pronouns.

I would not mind if another Canada decided to spend the winter with her here. Resident geese are extremely common here. A horse farm about 4 miles from my house has at least 30, and I took her there to see if she would be interested in joining the flock when she was a couple months old. She wandered around with them a bit, but as soon as I headed back to my truck to leave she came running after me screaming her head off. I am thinking of taking her back again this weekend just to show her where it is, since she can fly now and would be able to go visit them on her own, even if she wants to come back in the evening when we are home to be with us.

Anyway, I put her out in her house again tonight. I put a towel out there, since its a bedding that she is used to, along with her food and water. This weekend I will be adding a second window to the structure and hanging her toys up. I suppose there isn't much else I can do. I do miss hearing her chatter in the evening!

You are her family and there is the possibility she may leave on her own but please don't ever take her to the pond and leave her she has depended on you for her very life and most likely would not be accepted by her wild cousins. She probably wouldn't even know how to live on her own since she has been domesticated. I'd just let things go as they should now that she is getting older let her choose to leave or stay she may attract a gander and sounds like your okay with that so I'd just let her make the decisions.

I know what you mean about the poop I have 4 geese plus ducks and chickens and the hose is my best friend.