New geese Pic's inc. Am I doing this ok?

[toletiquesbysam]

They won't be in there long, they GROW FAST!!!! Too Cute though, glad you shared them with us!!!!

 

[goosedragon]

"and No swimming until they are 4 to 5 months old. He also mentioned not letting them graze until they are 3 months old. Is he correct?"
Heck no he isn't correct! Accordind to the Internet it was 90 outside at Ft. Myers, FI. they could be out grazing and during the heat of the day they could be swimming since they could warm up and dry off in the Sun. In fact in that heat they should be supplied with some shade. Geese are cool weather birds in the wild they would be grazing or starving by the second day after hatch. And this would be in a climate a lot cooler than yours. Of course if they got cold they could get under a parent to warm up when needed.
First rule of waterfowl ownership: take anything told you by a feed store employee with a grain of salt! It is not that they lie, they usually just don't know.

 

[Cetawin]

Most important to get them a heat lamp, protect the sides so they do not chill. And grab a bag of turkey/gamebird starter and mix it in equal parts with the chick starter for a balanced food...also give them greens. Like lettuce, spinach, frozen peas thawed out. Just make sure the leafy green are cut into 1/4" pieces.

the chick starter is unbalanced in niacin and the turkey/gamebord is unbalanced and too high in protein. By mixing them you get a good balance. That information came to me directly from Dave Holderread of Holderread Waterfowl Farm who raise ducks and geese. A well know authority in raising them so I trust his instructions.

I will email you the care sheet that was sent to me for my ducks...it covers geese as well. It will come from [email protected]

My ducklings played in a pie plate of water at 4 days old...at one week old they got a supervised swim in their kiddie pool for about 30 minutes with one end shallow so they could stand out of the water. You just have to make sure they do not get chilled when they are wet and pull them out when they get tired. Their oil glands are not working yet and they can drown if they get tired and water logged.

 

[Haley_LinckHillPoultry]

When he said not to let them swim for 4-5 months, he is partially correct. Goslings and ducklings are alike in the fact that when they get their adult feathers, their body produces the oil it needs to shed water off and float.
With down feathers like that it is not a good idea to allow them to get wet unless you have a heat lamp, or some other type of heat source.
Now, if you're in a hot area and the temperature average everyday is 80, go ahead and let them out with a shallow bowl of water. Grazing isnt going to hurt them.

Good luck!