How much feed should you give to geese?

[papagoose]

My DW and I are having a disagreement on how much feed I should give to my geese to make it through the winter.

We are in central Minnesota where the temp without windchill will get to -25 regularly during a cold snap. The geese are fed cracked corn and can go into my old canvas fish house to get out of the wind and cold.

They have slimmed down quite a bit and I am worried they are not getting enough to eat, but she says they are getting a bit too much.

I have 16 geese and they are getting 2 large blue scoops (regular grain scoop) daily. I will weigh the amount they get tomorrow when I feed. But how much is everyone else feeding?

 

[ShadyGlade]

Are you only feeding cracked corn to your geese?

 

[papagoose]

We were only feeding cracked corn up until about a week ago. One of the geese started eating some grass hay that the horses tossed in so we decided to try putting some grass hay in and they loved it. Now they are getting a couple of hands full of grass hay as well.

The people we got the geese from (2 different sets of people) both said they only fed cracked or whole kernel corn in the winter.

 

[ShadyGlade]

You may be able to keep geese alive over the winter on corn but it is not even close to a complete ration. Sort of like eating only rice every day, you wouldn't starve to death but you wouldn't thrive and I think it would stress your system. Corn is high in carbohydrates (hence calorie dense) but low in protein and most micronutrients. Corn makes a nice supplemental winter food for livestock in the north, but you may find that you're actually feeding less total feed if you switch to something more nutritionally complete for your geese. Quality hay is excellent goose feed by the way as geese are grass eaters extraordinaire!

 

[lilshadow]

So grass hay would be okay to feed geese?

 

[ShadyGlade]

Geese are primarily grazing animals, so quality hay is good goose feed. However in order to make certain that they maintain body condition over the winter (here in the north eastern USA) it's usually necessary to provide extra calories (like corn) and if you want to maximize egg production in breeding season than a nice balanced waterfowl or game feed is good for flushing right before and during the egg season. I'm a huge fan of geese we have twenty four at present.

 

[lilshadow]

Quote:
You are so gonna start feeding them hay instead of all of my cracked corn...lol. DH and DS went through almost 750# of cracked corn in a two week period.

 

[eggchel]

I allow my geese to determine how much feed they need by keeping a feeder full and available to them at all times. They do not over eat. I frequently offer them grass hay, especially during times when there is no grass available for them to graze on.

The feed my geese receive is a combination of Purina flock Raiser, whole oats, whole red wheat and sometimes some Mazuri Waterfowl Maintenance feed.
The oats and wheat are added to keep the protein levels from being too high as that can contribute to wing problems when they molt.
When I dont have Flock Raiser available, I use a feed with added Niacin (such as unmedicated turkey or broiler or game bird feed) because waterfowl have higher Niacin needs than chickens.

My ducks eat the same feed.



chel

 

[ShadyGlade]

Did I read that correctly, 750#s of corn in a couple of weeks for sixteen geese???

I don't think that I go through that much feed for ALL my birds in a month and we're feeding about 200 beaks & bills.

 

[lilshadow]

Quote:
Yes, you read that right. That was suppose to last for some time that is why I bought that much. Now granted I have chickens I feed also, but that would last a long time . I asked how much they were giving the geese to eat. So I watched one day, and thought holy buckets that's alot. That is why I say he is going to start giving them hay.