My chickens and dogs keep eating the goose food

[donteatbees]

Hello, everyone!
I have recently gotten geese and they've settled in well with my chickens and dog, but the chickens and dog are rather rude and eat all the goose food before the geese get any. The dog chases off any of the birds if they're eating something he wants, and the roosters are scary to the geese. Is there a way I can give feed to them that the chickens and dog can't get?

I was thinking of hanging a bucket, so chickens can't get it because it'll swing around when they land on it. But the dog would still be able to get it. Maybe have openings that the dog can't access, but the geese would be able to with smaller heads?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

 

[SilverBirds]

How old are the geese and how many do you have? Your plan to make a raised feeder should keep the other animals out, but why not feed the geese and chickens the same thing? Are you housing them separate? How do you keep your dog out of the chicken feed?

 

[BoundlessLove]

All flock feed for everyone.

 

[donteatbees]

How old are the geese and how many do you have? Your plan to make a raised feeder should keep the other animals out, but why not feed the geese and chickens the same thing? Are you housing them separate? How do you keep your dog out of the chicken feed?

The geese are 9 weeks old now. Maybe 10, I wasn't told the hatch date, but when I got them a week and a half ago she said they were 9 weeks. The geese are in the same pen as the chickens and dog (he's a LSG dog). The chicken feeder is a rat proof one that they step on and it opens and they can put their head in the opening, but the dog's head is too small. The chickens are on layer feed, the geese aren't because they are not laying yet. They are on a grower feed for geese and ducks. And the geese won't go in the coop (they sleep with the dog), and even if they did, they can't eat from that feeder because they're too big.

 

[Finchbreeder]

Sounds like you need to get a feeder that the dogs head wont go in, and shut the chooks in the coop when you feed the geese.

 

[donteatbees]

Sounds like you need to get a feeder that the dogs head wont go in, and shut the chooks in the coop when you feed the geese.

The chickens have an automatic door. I do give the geese plants lile lettuce and carrot leaves and dandelions in their pool, the chickens won't go in it and the dog has no interest in salad. For tonight I'm letting the dog dog out of the pen to play with the non-working dog so the geese can eat. The chickens are heading in for the night and are not interested in goose food because of it.

 

[Ridgerunner]

If they have access they will eat each other's feed. So you have two choices, either block them from each other's feed or feed the same thing. They are animals, they do not understand that certain things are off-limits to them. Yes, this means the geese will eat the chicken's Layer feed.

The dog's head is big enough so you can use the Creep Feeder method to keep it out of the goose or chicken feed. That's where the openings are small enough to keep the dog out. When they grow the geese may be big enough that you can keep them out of the chicken feed but you will never be able to keep the chickens out of the goose or dog feed using the creep feeder method.

That's why most of us feed the fowl the same thing. If you need help selecting what feed works for both your chickens and your geese some of us can help.

The dog is another issue since your dog lives with the geese. I've had dogs that immediately clean up whatever I feed them. I've had dogs that only eat a little at a time, they want to leave a lot for later. If yours immediately cleans it up that is easy, supervise its feeding. The way I solved the other problem, it would not clean it up, I gave it a certain amount of time to eat and then took the food away. It was usually hungry enough at the next feeding to eat its meal. That was a constant fight until the dog died.

I'm sure there are other solutions. I like to keep it as simple as I can. Good luck!

 

[donteatbees]

If they have access they will eat each other's feed. So you have two choices, either block them from each other's feed or feed the same thing. They are animals, they do not understand that certain things are off-limits to them. Yes, this means the geese will eat the chicken's Layer feed.

The dog's head is big enough so you can use the Creep Feeder method to keep it out of the goose or chicken feed. That's where the openings are small enough to keep the dog out. When they grow the geese may be big enough that you can keep them out of the chicken feed but you will never be able to keep the chickens out of the goose or dog feed using the creep feeder method.

That's why most of us feed the fowl the same thing. If you need help selecting what feed works for both your chickens and your geese some of us can help.

The dog is another issue since your dog lives with the geese. I've had dogs that immediately clean up whatever I feed them. I've had dogs that only eat a little at a time, they want to leave a lot for later. If yours immediately cleans it up that is easy, supervise its feeding. The way I solved the other problem, it would not clean it up, I gave it a certain amount of time to eat and then took the food away. It was usually hungry enough at the next feeding to eat its meal. That was a constant fight until the dog died.

I'm sure there are other solutions. I like to keep it as simple as I can. Good luck!

The geese are already too big for the chicken feeder. I'll try hanging the goose food