Housing for Geese

[Miss Lydia]

Geese need at least 7.5 to 10sq ft of floor space per bird
This is from the Book of Geese by Dave Holderread which I highly rec before getting geese.

My own personal opinion Geese should have their own house. They get pretty ornery during mating season so best they have their own place and run actually. Free range they can all be together. Mine are. My goose laid her eggs in the deep shaving of their house. Water food and roof same as ducks.

What breed are you looking at?

 

[NorthernChick1]

Geese need at least 7.5 to 10sq ft of floor space per bird
This is from the Book of Geese by Dave Holderread which I highly rec before getting geese

My own personal opinion Geese should have their own house. They get pretty ornery during mating season so best they have their own place and run actually. Free range they can all be together. Mine are. My goose laid her eggs in the deep shaving of their house. Water food and roof same as ducks.

What breed are you looking at?

Well i have an obsession with african/chinese geese since forever, but i am willing to begin with any really. I am not sure if there are starter breeds, breeds that are easier. I know a person 5minutes from my place who have a pair of chinese. One criteria that needs to be touched is that they need to be cold hardy as i live in northern ontario canada. I know by basics about ducks and chickens but i dont know where to start exatcly.

 

[NorthernChick1]

I will take a look at that book as well

 

[N ID Goose mom]

It is a wonderful and informative book. Geese are suppose to be very winter hardy. They’re wearing down jackets (but I still worry about wintertime temps).

My geese which are still babies (13 weeks) have a 8x12 house with a 30x25 foot run. They are located within my yard and watched by my dog, so I don’t worry about predators very much.

We live in the northern part of Idaho. In July we had nights into the low thirties with frost and they slept outside in the run. They even went straight to their pool when let out to graze for the day. Foolish babies.

As long as they can get out of the weather if they want too, you should be good. If you give them plenty of clean water to drink and nutritious food (from what I have read in books and in this forum) they should be fine. I of course worry about their first winter coming up, but I’m sure they will be fine or they will just move in. I don’t think the family would let me do that. Lol.

 

[NorthernChick1]

So unfortunately i cant get the book my winters are around minus 25 to minus 35 degrees celcius. BBBRRRRRR! I will be looking for a new or used coop to house maybe 3 or 4. The only thing is is that the would have to share the run with my 9 chickens and 2 ducks. But when im home they get to free range. Is there a type of goose that it good for keeping predators away? I had a fox issue and it killed one chicken and almost killed my muscovy before i had the chance to kill the bugger. Im just wondering if they would be vulnerable to a fox?

 

[NorthernChick1]

Also, id love to hear what you breed preferences are and why @Miss Lydia @N ID Goose mom. thanks for all the great info

 

[Miss Lydia]

Okay here in the sticky's is a link to breeds of geese.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/geese-sticky-topics-index.497391/
plus other valuable information.

From all I have heard about Chinese is they are loud so you might want to take that into consideration if you have neighbors.

Geese are just a vulnerable to predators as are other poultry they just make for more dinner. A flock of geese maybe able to scare off a pred but more than likely one will end up giving it's life. The only thing they have going for them is they are loud and may give you a warning something is out there. When the red tail came down and killed my cochin bantam my 2 geese where up against the gate to the back yard right along with the ducks so they were terrified too.

But I read once that a prison in another country had a flock of Chinese geese roaming the perimeter of the prison grounds and they never had any one escape. LOL it's amazing how many people are scared of geese.

I love my 2 geese Sam is Embden Missy is Toulouse , Sam was hatched here he is 12 yrs old Missy I got at 4 months she is 7 yrs. Missy is laid back but not touchy at all. Sam is something to contend with during breeding season which lasts from Feb till June here very ornery critter. But the rest of the year is very docile he doesn't care to be touched either. I respect their space as long as they respect mine. Sam is a biter so him and I have had some major discussions over the 12 yrs he's been with me. I love them both. Neither one are protective over the ducks or chickens. They are just in love with each other. lol

Geese are not for everyone so do a lot of research before you make up your mind about them. Ever wondered why you see so many domestic geese at parks etc? mainly because people thought they were so cute and they turned out to be so different once they grew up. Not that you'd go dump off any geese you got but people do it all the time here in the states if they get tired of an animal be it geese, ducks, dogs etc.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Forgot to mention geese are hardy but need protection for the elements even if they act like they don't. Mine lay on their feet a lot when it's really frigid and snow on the ground. And maybe mine are just spoiled but they really love their house. Deep shavings to keep them warm in winter. I love to peek in on them a few minutes after putting them up they are nestled in and already asleep. I think they like that security.

 

[N ID Goose mom]

I ended up with French Toulouse. I wanted a larger breed the was know for the calmness and being quieter than some. I saw their pictures and read the whole Toulouse breed section. They are very sweet and love their family. Their loudest time is when they are saying hello. Even if you are gone 1 minute they are happy to see you. They all have different personalities.

Shimmer is the cuddlier, she will stop anything to say hi. Levi the "man" is more observant and protective of his girls. He will allow scratches sometimes but he is above that, but once I put an arm around him he leans/cuddles for a few seconds before he looks to see if anyone is watching. Boys. Teleah is quiet, allows scratches, obsessed with rubber crock shoes, and loves to talk. Shine is my most stand offish of the 4. She likes to be next to you, say hi, and if your not paying attention to her she will tug your hair.

I haven't been through a breeding season yet, so don't know how they will be in the spring. Hopefully not to bad since he has 3 girls to keep track of. Fingers crossed.

Yes we have ton of predators here in our rural area. In the 13 years I've lived here coyotes and wolfs have never came into our field. We have 15 acres field netting fenced with barbwire on top. They would have to get past cows and horses first. My horse HATES any dog like creature that is not his own. Then they would need to try to get over 6 foot netting fence, through the dog and then over 6 foot netting again.

When the babies were little the biggest threat came from above. We have ravens, eagles, and hawks. If they were loose we were with them until they got bigger. They have never been threatened so I don't know how they would react.

Our temperature in the winter doesn't get as cold as where you live. In the numerous threads I have read, there is a goose owner who lives in Alaska. Their geese do fine. I just don't remember who the BYC member was.

 

[NorthernChick1]

Thanks both of you! I have 150acres of land with no side neighbours (do have one in front) so loudness isnt an issue. They would have a shared encloser (with the chickens..) where they are safe in a 8ft fence. I will look at the breeds and read about there biology, origins temperment etc before getting some. Heck i need to start by even finding a coop first. my coop standards for insulation is high because of my mistake last year. my ducks for frost bite of there feet. This year the roof will be insulated not just the walls. also i have a radiant wall heater that i will set up fpr them. Thanks alot! I will post back when i do get some