How To Keep Goslings Clean??

[Ky21lie]

We have 3 Toulouse goslings who are about 3 weeks old and they are beyond disgusting. They live in a large livestock water trough with shavings and a panel heater. We clean their enclosure out daily and their waterer is “spill proof” (too large for them to dump but they obviously still splash in it to the best of their ability.) Our main issue is how much they poop and that they have no problem sitting in it. They like to hang out in a pile next to their heater where they poop all day. They then obviously sit in this poop and are constantly damp and gross. They are starting to get little sores on their legs from it. We are now changing their bedding twice a day, tried switching to dog potty pads (not a good idea), and I am washing off their legs/feet daily. I was thinking that we could move them to a larger enclosure but they only make one half of their current enclosure gross because that is the area they like to lay in as it is near the heater. They don’t have any adult feathers yet and are too small for me to consider just putting them out in the yard with the chickens even if it were warm enough. Any ideas? I don’t know how we’re going to make it until they are old enough to be outside.

 

[nuthatched]

Spunds like theyre getting ammonia burns. How big is their area?
@Goosebaby

 

[Goosebaby]

There’s really not much you can do, they’re babies and they are messy. Ducks are worse in my opinion. I think I have some residual psychological trauma from my last set of ducklings.....

Cleaning their bedding every day and then twice a day is what I’ve done with my own goslings, there’s really no way around it. They get a bit cleaner as they get older.

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

@Goosebaby, agree that ducklings are messier than goslings!

@Ky21lie, what's the weather like where you are? At 3 weeks old, goslings may be able to go outside in a secure pen on grass during the day if it's warm enough. I try to get my littles out ASAP in the daytime because of the water mess they make, and being on pasture allows them to eat the grass and fertilize it at the same time. Win-win!

 

[Ky21lie]

Spunds like theyre getting ammonia burns. How big is their area?
@Goosebaby

They’re in a large livestock water trough currently (~6ftx3ft). I put them out in a much larger exercise pen yesterday to see what would happen but they all want to lay right next to their heater most of the day so that is the area that gets gross despite twice daily cleaning. The middle of their current enclosure stays nice and dry but the side where their waterer is is obviously always damp and the area by their heater is just so full of poop all the time. I’m going to see if maybe straw is better than shavings? They’re a mess haha

 

[Ky21lie]

@Goosebaby, agree that ducklings are messier than goslings!

@Ky21lie, what's the weather like where you are? At 3 weeks old, goslings may be able to go outside in a secure pen on grass during the day if it's warm enough. I try to get my littles out ASAP in the daytime because of the water mess they make, and being on pasture allows them to eat the grass and fertilize it at the same time. Win-win!

It’s generally in the low seventies by mid-day here (Northern CO) with a bit of a breeze right now. Mornings are still quite cool (40s). Their down is so much thicker than chickens so I don’t know if that may be good enough for a part of the day?

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

When we have conditions like that here, I wait until it has warmed up later in the morning, then let them be out (in a secure pen, of course) until evening lock-up. If you watch them, you should be able to tell by their behavior if it's too chilly for them outside. Providing an area where they can get out of the wind in their pen will be important, too.

You'll be so glad when they can be out during the day.

 

[Goosebaby]

They’re in a large livestock water trough currently (~6ftx3ft). I put them out in a much larger exercise pen yesterday to see what would happen but they all want to lay right next to their heater most of the day so that is the area that gets gross despite twice daily cleaning. The middle of their current enclosure stays nice and dry but the side where their waterer is is obviously always damp and the area by their heater is just so full of poop all the time. I’m going to see if maybe straw is better than shavings? They’re a mess haha

Just keep in mind that straw harbors mold spores and mites.

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

It's finally warmed up here for even the smallest goslings (around a week old now) to go out on pasture in secure pens during the day.

I can't wait until they can stay out overnight, too (when it's consistently warm enough)...I won't miss cleaning brooders out daily!

 

[ColtHandorf]

We have 3 Toulouse goslings who are about 3 weeks old and they are beyond disgusting.

Welcome to the world of brooding goslings. They are disgusting little creatures. Keeping them clean is like brushing your teeth while eating Oreos.

They don’t have any adult feathers yet and are too small for me to consider just putting them out in the yard with the chickens even if it were warm enough. Any ideas? I don’t know how we’re going to make it until they are old enough to be outside.

I put mine outside as soon as I am able. They handle cooler temps much better than chicks, provided they aren't wet.