Lets talk feed.

[GrumpyOldMan]

Quote:
It looks like guacamole. I have no idea if it tastes like it and I’m not going find out.

I use flock raiser exclusively for my ducks,guineas,chickens and geese, they are totally free range and i have never had a case of angle wing;

I see from your location you may be having allot of rain like we are, the extra water gets them digging in the puddles this extra intake of fluids with increase the liquid in the poop, it's normal

We have pools and water bowls all over the yard. They DO drink a lot. Thanks!

 

[[email protected]]

Has anybody ever had a problem with the geese pigging out on the dog food? It's a little higher protein than what I feed them, but they really really like it, how bad is it to feed them dog food instead??? I think I know the answer to this, but it makes them sooo happy... j

 

[goosedragon]

[email protected] :

Has anybody ever had a problem with the geese pigging out on the dog food? It's a little higher protein than what I feed them, but they really really like it, how bad is it to feed them dog food instead??? I think I know the answer to this, but it makes them sooo happy... j

Save it for a treat and espically for breeding season if it contains animal by products. I used to buy dry cat food for a breeding supplement, it seems to help. Some many poultry feeds are all vegatable these days.

g'old man might I suggest that you let geese free range for most of their food and use bagged only in the evening and only the amount that they will finish in 10-15 minutes. Frankly I think the evening feed is more for my benefit so I don't have to worry about putting them to bed hungry. Once they get used to the evening feed routine they are likely to hang around the food dish when I want them to and then they usually go in the coop to pick out a place to spend the night. In the morning they come tearing out to free range again and seem very happy with the arrangement. If the graze (grass) goes bad they will let you know by hanging around once the dish is empty (and in my case honking for more) They can also be con artists so if the graze doesn't look bad to me they don't get the extra feed.​

 

[[email protected]]

GD- what is too big of a piece? & how do they get it down since they don't chew it? After my roman gobbles down the bigger pieces, his neck sticks out. I need to get smaller feed as I am worried about the crop... but does it sort of disintegrate?

 

[GrumpyOldMan]

GD, thanks for the advice. Sounds like a good plan. They free range all day but have been fed a minim of three times a day. For the most part we have just made sure they have had produced food available at all times. They think my wife is momma goose and come running to her whenever she goes outside.

Just for a chuckle… My wife and I took a two day trip this week. My daughter tended the animals. When we returned my wife went to check on the flick. The two geese came running, honking and cuddled up to her. Shortly after, my daughter left to run an erring. When Leo and Taffy, the geese, heard the truck leave they started honking like crazy. They thought momma had left again. My wife went outside and cuddled them; they quieted right down and were fine the rest of the evening.

 

[goosedragon]

[email protected] :

GD- what is too big of a piece? & how do they get it down since they don't chew it? After my roman gobbles down the bigger pieces, his neck sticks out. I need to get smaller feed as I am worried about the crop... but does it sort of disintegrate?

Jennifer are you trying to feed dog bisquits? or really coarse dog food to goslings? If they are stealing it they can eat it. Geese don't chew? Think again! they love to chew, I have a list of things they have chewed up and ate Including the hard foam packing from picture tubes that I thought might make nice nest boxes they chewed them up and I found bits of foam all over the place for years afterward. the gullet feeds into the gizard which is lined with small stones they have swallowed, they take the place of teeth to grind up their food. If your Roman gobbled it down it was to get it to a nice safe place where you (or the dog)couldn't take it away from him. The gizzard will process it and pass it to the gut where all the goodies are asborbed and then the undigestable material is expelled in the usual way. string or long tough grass is most likely to cause 'crop' problems. Give your geese the corn on the cob that you have chewed the kernnels off of. Come back in a hour and pick up the totally clean cobs or better yet is watch them while they clean them up. Can't chew?​

 

[goosedragon]

Quote:

 

[jojo@rolling acres farm]

I feed Flock Raiser and only in the evening when it is time for everyone to be locked away for the night. Everyone free ranges and grazes all day without any processed man made feed at all. This includes babies that are 4 weeks old. Everyone is growing and so far I've had no problems. So far so good. No angel wing and no leg issues - hopefully I won't run into any issues. Fingers crossed.

 

[bock]

Quote:
Thanks!

I guess I do have a farm. I just want a bigger one!

 

[GrumpyOldMan]

Wife went to the feed store today to get some Flock Raiser. They didn’t have any. Said they don’t carry it and they no longer can get Start and Grow. Not that we wanted any more. She was told that Purina has found out that it was causing problems when fed to ducks and Geese because it was medicated so Purina has discontinued making it. I read here that the medicated feed could cause problems. Seems Purina has realized it does cause problems. Anyone else hear that Purina has discontinued Start and Grow?

My wife picked up some other brand / type of feed. Since I haven’t been home from work yet I don’t know what it is.