How do you get your them to eat food other than grass & their normal feed?

[Going Bhonkers]

"Them" = Goslings.

What am I doing wrong? I've read about people giving their geese treats of this and that, but how do you get them to recognize that its food??? My pair of goslings are turning 5 weeks old, only eat grass and their feed, which I can't really complain about , but I want to supplement their diet.

On a couple of occasions, [outside] we threw bread crumbs by them, which they ignored. Then we tried putting some pieces in their water bowl... they kept drinking the water but weren't curious about the bread. On a different day, I put down a piece of watermelon, which they stepped OVER to get to more grass.

I thought, maybe they weren't going to try new stuff given that they are surrounded by grass, so I put a piece of watermelon rind inside their box where they sleep at night and sprinkled some of their feed on it. That didn't work either. I think they don't know its food

How can I get them to try new things? Is it that maybe their too young and their curiousity will grow over time?

 

[CelticOaksFarm]

Bread is not good for ducks and geese so I wouldn't be offering it. Kinda like junk food, just not needed.

Some won't eat anything but their intended food and grass. No need to worry if they don't want what you are offering. Our geese won't touch rinds, but love the fruit of mellows. The chickens pick the rinds clean and the goats eat them around here.

 

[Going Bhonkers]

Do you put the snacks in a food bowl? Maybe I need to put them in a bowl they recognize, instead of just the ground?

 

[wildpeas]

My goslings are 4 weeks old and I dont worry about treats too much. They get lettuce in the morning and evening, either green leaf, romaine, or butter and they go outside everyday that the weather is good. They love their crumbles and think that bugs are gross. The only thing that concerns me is they dont show much interest in swimming. They could keep themselves cleaner if they would just get in the pool every now and then.

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

i wouldn't worry about trying to add new things right now. Grass is the best thing for them, grass and greens, like dark leaf lettuce. i wouldn't set other things on top of their feed or in their water, you're only going to make a mess. And definitely no bread. It's not good for them and they obviously know it.

i understand the desire to want to give them treats, but if they seem happy with their grass and feed, that's a good thing. My geese will occasionally eat other things like a little bit of cut up apple, brussel sprouts, pieces of mandarin oranges, but it's rare and they don't eat a lot. Romaine lettuce is the biggest hit, so i spend my money on that.

 

[Going Bhonkers]

With the dark leaf greens, do you shred or cut the lettuce when you give it to them or do you give it them leaves for them to tear up?

 

[Rosebud 18]

My goslings are 12 days old and they love lettuce and clover. They eat grass and chick starter to. Their main diet tho is grass. They have been swimming since they were 3 days old. I have some large flower pots and I took one of the trays and filled it with water and they jumped right in. They are being raised by their mommy and daddy. They are so cute following their parents around.

 

[wildpeas]

You should cut it up or tear it into small pieces but mine are like land sharks in a feeding frenzy over lettuce so I tear off pieces a little at a time so everyone gets some and not just the greedy few.

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

When my kids were young, like days old, I would chop the lettuce up for them. But with their natural tendency to rip and tear, after about a week, I just give them the whole head. With my geese who are adults and outside, I toss heads of romaine in their kiddie pool. But that's mainly so our goats don't eat them first.