Housing a pair of Geese

[Iain Utah]

Congrats!!!

 

[minister man]

 

[Miss Lydia]

They are very pretty, is it a pair? what did you ever decide about housing?

 

[Haunted55]

Oh, they are beauties! Great job with the fence as well. They look just like my Ling-Ling.

 

[Going Bhonkers]

Oh, they are beauties! Great job with the fence as well.

x 2

 

[minister man]

The Book of Geese recomends that geese need 7 1/2 to 10 sq feet per bird if housed over night, but if housed for longer periods 15-20 sq feet. The yard area, 25-50 squ feet/bird if they are turned out in the day time and 100 square feet per bird if they are not turned out of the yard. So I guess the tractor idea would be pretty small.

 

[Haunted55]

The Book of Geese recomends that geese need 7 1/2 to 10 sq feet per bird if housed over night, but if housed for longer periods 15-20 sq feet. The yard area, 25-50 squ feet/bird if they are turned out in the day time and 100 square feet per bird if they are not turned out of the yard. So I guess the tractor idea would be pretty small.

Always build a permanent structure bigger than you think you will need. It's the best advice I can give. You can always section a structure into smaller units if needed. Now are these a breeding pair or same sex? If they're a pair, chances are you'll have babies in a few months.

 

[Haunted55]

I just took a good look at the pen you made for them. I have no idea how much land you have or what your building plan is. A thought, you have their pen right up to the porch correct? For a temporary thing this winter, why couldn't you just build a shelter for them under the porch floor? Just kind of close it in so they'd be out of the elements and winds. That way you would be able to take the time and figure out just where you want to go with all this.

I had a building to use for the ducks and geese but have had to add on to the back of it. I only have 10 geese right now, 13 pekins and 5 mallards in the same pen. That doesn't include the 3 ducks in a brooder in the chicken house or the 6 in a brooder in my livingroom or the eggs in my incubator. Some of the pekins are going to be used for meat this year. I say that but I know it's going to be very hard to do this the first time. The geese will winter and hopefully provide me with more in the Spring.

If these are pets only, go by the numbers and you'll be fine. If they could become more....see above post, lol.

 

[minister man]

You are very observant. The pen they were in when I took the picture does in fact go right up to and under the deck. However that pen is not thiers, they were just visiting in the picture. That pen is a run for our minature poodle, and they seem to think she looks like a small curlly fox, so I don't think they will be living together I am not sure what they are gender wise, I tried vent sexing them, and see no male parts, so I am thinking they are both females. One is a bit bigger and acts more like a male. I was talking with a show breeder not too far from here and he said that thier young age it can be hard to tell, waiting closer to breeding season will make it easier to tell. I don't know. I asked him how he housed his geese ( He has a lot of them) and he said he has a barn full of 4x5 pens, and narrow alleys between the pens. He has a "Corral" fenced outside that he keeps the snow removed from, and he turns all the geese out together when it is sunny and brings them in at night. After about 3 weeks apparently they will come in on thier own and go right to the correct pen. Sometimes during a bad winter storm they might not go out for a week. Once breeding season comes, they are turned out to pasture. I guess there are lots of different ways to do things, arent there?

 

[Haunted55]

You are very observant. The pen they were in when I took the picture does in fact go right up to and under the deck. However that pen is not thiers, they were just visiting in the picture. That pen is a run for our minature poodle, and they seem to think she looks like a small curlly fox, so I don't think they will be living together I am not sure what they are gender wise, I tried vent sexing them, and see no male parts, so I am thinking they are both females. One is a bit bigger and acts more like a male. I was talking with a show breeder not too far from here and he said that thier young age it can be hard to tell, waiting closer to breeding season will make it easier to tell. I don't know. I asked him how he housed his geese ( He has a lot of them) and he said he has a barn full of 4x5 pens, and narrow alleys between the pens. He has a "Corral" fenced outside that he keeps the snow removed from, and he turns all the geese out together when it is sunny and brings them in at night. After about 3 weeks apparently they will come in on thier own and go right to the correct pen. Sometimes during a bad winter storm they might not go out for a week. Once breeding season comes, they are turned out to pasture. I guess there are lots of different ways to do things, arent there?

There are! I let mine out every day so they can have their "spa" time. I emptied their pool in their pen as it was deep enough that I was afraid that one of them would swim under the ice and not be able to come up. So now they have a kiddie pool outside and it has to be warm water so the hoses thaw out. Spoiled brats! Lol.

Shame about the pen but I know what you mean about the geese and your dog. Like I said before, you know your setup , I don't. You'll want something with a bit of room so they can move around if they are stuck inside but it doesn't have to be huge. I used what I had.

Now something I've read and it seems to be coming true with my geese at least, well except for Ling, is the girls have inny feathers around their vent and the boy's feathers are more outwards. Ling's look like she is a girl but I won't know for sure until Spring. It's kinda hard to explain, lol.

I think if it were me, I would build or buy something that could be added onto later if needed. Like a tool shed kinda thing. That way if you did need more space for more geese, it could be done. If you ever decided this wasn't for you, you'd have a building you could repurpose. Just a thought.