Goose_Willis
Chirping
- Jun 12, 2023
- 34
- 73
- 89
My goslings are 8 weeks old and basically fully feathered with the exception of a few errant tufts. A few weeks ago I moved them into their run since the nighttime temperatures were high enough for them to sleep outside, it's an aluminum frame covered in chicken wire with a dig guard and inside of the run they have a shelter that they could use if they ever deem it worthy.
When I was building the run before I got them, I planted some waterfowl appropriate herbs in the run and seeded it out with clovers and grass so that they could learn to forage safely while they were small. Now that they're 8 weeks they've just about demolished all semblance of plant life within the run and I want to let them out of it during the day. I have 10,000 square feet of fenced yard outside of their run and my Anatolian Shepherd and my working cat with her 8 week old kittens also live in the yard.
I wanted to get all of the animals used to seeing each other before I let them interact without the run fencing as a barrier and the geese want nothing to do with any of the other animals. I'm sure they can hold their own against the cat now because they're massive and she's not a very big cat and when I've tried to bring the dog into the run to introduce him to them they chased him and bit him.
I'm wondering what I should expect when I let the goslings out into the yard with the other animals. I'm always here with them so they'll be supervised but are they likely to just seek out and chase and mess with my other animals or will they mellow out a bit with so much space to roam around in? I know every animal is different to I can't really predict it but I was wondering what other people do when introducing their flock to other animals. The dog is young and still in training but he knows the 'leave it' command and has solid recall. I was hoping he would bond with the geese because he's already bonded with the kittens and he's obsessed with my ducklings and he would sleep next to the gosling's brooder when they were tiny but now they seem to want nothing to do with him.
Growing up we would put our ducklings and chicks with the livestock guard dogs and they would bond pretty quickly and then be friendly their whole lives but the geese seem more independent. They're african geese if that makes any sort of difference.
When I was building the run before I got them, I planted some waterfowl appropriate herbs in the run and seeded it out with clovers and grass so that they could learn to forage safely while they were small. Now that they're 8 weeks they've just about demolished all semblance of plant life within the run and I want to let them out of it during the day. I have 10,000 square feet of fenced yard outside of their run and my Anatolian Shepherd and my working cat with her 8 week old kittens also live in the yard.
I wanted to get all of the animals used to seeing each other before I let them interact without the run fencing as a barrier and the geese want nothing to do with any of the other animals. I'm sure they can hold their own against the cat now because they're massive and she's not a very big cat and when I've tried to bring the dog into the run to introduce him to them they chased him and bit him.
I'm wondering what I should expect when I let the goslings out into the yard with the other animals. I'm always here with them so they'll be supervised but are they likely to just seek out and chase and mess with my other animals or will they mellow out a bit with so much space to roam around in? I know every animal is different to I can't really predict it but I was wondering what other people do when introducing their flock to other animals. The dog is young and still in training but he knows the 'leave it' command and has solid recall. I was hoping he would bond with the geese because he's already bonded with the kittens and he's obsessed with my ducklings and he would sleep next to the gosling's brooder when they were tiny but now they seem to want nothing to do with him.
Growing up we would put our ducklings and chicks with the livestock guard dogs and they would bond pretty quickly and then be friendly their whole lives but the geese seem more independent. They're african geese if that makes any sort of difference.