Need help with dropped off geese

[havi]

A neighbor up the road from me had two geese dropped off at her pond. She swears they cant swim

and wont eat the corn shes putting out for them. I know NOTHING about ducks or geese, but I told her I dont think they should be eating just corn. Doesnt it act in the same way as with chickens? They dont need to eat it durning summer, is this correct? What should she be feeding them? Like I said, shes not the brightest person I know and seems to think they only eat corn and dont know how to swim. She says shes got the worlds dumbest geese..

 

[glenntwo]

Not sure about the corn thing, but they should get enough from grazing to tide them over. If they have never been around water, it's very likely they have no idea what to do. Most people keep domesticated geese with a small kiddie pool in their back yard, but some just use pails of water and the goose never learns.

What kind of geese are they? Can you get a few pics and post them? There are people on here that can help.

 

[bock]

Corn should NEVER be fed to geese. Poor things, they should be eating Flock Raiser. And yes, they need food during Summer. She should become a member on here, so she can learn to care for her geese properly. Either that, or give them to someone who knows more about them. And they just need to get used to the pond, they probably never had a pond before. Geese don't swim as much as ducks anyway, they prefer land. Good luck!

 

[glenntwo]

Isn't flock raiser mostly for poultry? I tried it once with my Chinese and they really didn't like it, so I switched back to the waterfowl pellets I get locally. I did not know about corn being bad for them, but I'm glad I know now.

 

[havi]

Quote:
I can try and get a few pictures of them. I havent seen them myself. I ran into her at the post office and she was telling me about them. What will the corn do to them? I told her she needed to call around and see if anyone is willing to take them, people who already have ducks and geese. She doesnt have a computer at the house, she goes to the library whenever she uses it. I will try to go over there tomorrow morning and tell her about the feed. She just mentioned that someone dropped them off at her pond and that they were too stupid to do anything. Said they cant swim and wont even eat the corn she gave them. I know with chickens your not suppose to give them corn/scratch in the summer as it heats them up. And you dont want to overheat them. I knew they would need some kind of food, but like I said, I know nothing about geese. I told her to call someone and then go down to TSC and ask about the feed. Not sure what ever happened.

Thanks for everyones help.

 

[bock]

Quote:
Well, my geese and ducks do great on Flock Raiser. They do not sell waterfowl pellets around here, so I don't have much of a choice. Plus, the back of the bag says, ''feed to free ranging ducks and geese from hatch on''.

 

[glenntwo]

Quote:
Well, my geese and ducks do great on Flock Raiser. They do not sell waterfowl pellets around here, so I don't have much of a choice. Plus, the back of the bag says, ''feed to free ranging ducks and geese from hatch on''.

I think more than anything, mine didn't like the granular consistency of the FR for some reason. They were raised on pellets and that's what they like, so while its ten miles further to the feed store that carries pellets, I just get them what they like. They're well worth the extra time and trouble.

As far as the two drop-offs in question here, it is good to supplement them with FR or pellets, but for a few days I don't think they will be hurt by just grazing. They are weeders, so pasture land is fine for them. Unless of course, they have never even grazed before, which I doubt, or they are already malnourished.

Just make sure she keeps an eye on them, and try to get as much info as possible and let's see what can be done for them.

 

[bibliophile birds]

my geese live on grass almost solely, so long as the grass is lush. i offer scratch with a little bit of chicken feed mixed in and they almost completely ignore it. they will nibble at any turkey starter that the turkeys spill, but it seems like it's mostly out of curiosity. if they have access to fresh, healthy grass, they really should be fine. and LOTS of fresh water- they need their buckets cleaned out AT LEAST once a day because they get their water very, very dirty.

as for swimming, mine are pretty terrified of water. they weren't raised around it apparently (they were grown when i got them) and no matter how much i try to teach them to embrace their water-loving side, they won't have anything to do with it. they have a large tub they could get in, but they are content to just stick their head in it to groom. oh, that's another thing: their water buckets need to be deep enough for them to get their whole head in- they clear their nostrils and groom by sticking their head under the water.

being in TX, i'd pay close attention to how hot they get. geese can overheat pretty fast so they need good access to shade and, in case i haven't stressed it enough, lots of water.

tell her good luck!

 

[glenntwo]

Good idea. If they won't go in the pond, there's a good chance they won't go to drink and clean themselves out of it either, so better get some tubs out first thing in the morning. It's cool in Central Texas tonight, but it will back up around 95 again tomorrow.

 

[bock]

Well, mine need food because around here we just have TONS of dead weeds around here. Not very edible, even for a goose.

The reason corn is bad for them is because it has no nutritional value and it overheats them. It is a shame she doesn't have a computer, but maybe you can get her to check out a book on owning geese.