New goose owner

[Carrosaur]

My boys came in this morning. Very bossy saddleback and another loving buff. They sent us 11 roosters with them this time,, But the girls who are a week older love love LOVE the boys!

11 packing peanuts!! Lol!! What kind of home will you be using for these babies? I think when I get my geese I'm going to give away the second Toulouse and the second Embden because six is much more manageable than eight, and I can easier fit them into a house.

 

[kaylabeans28]

11 packing peanuts!! Lol!! What kind of home will you be using for these babies? I think when I get my geese I'm going to give away the second Toulouse and the second Embden because six is much more manageable than eight, and I can easier fit them into a house.

Well for now they're in a 50 gallon storage bin that I've made into a brooder. I have 4 50 gallon ones and 2 little ones(normal sized bins) Its enough room and its tall enough for them to be in here for a few weeks. We have to start planning and building their run and house.

 

[Carrosaur]

Well for now they're in a 50 gallon storage bin that I've made into a brooder. I have 4 50 gallon ones and 2 little ones(normal sized bins) Its enough room and its tall enough for them to be in here for a few weeks. We have to start planning and building their run and house.

That's what I used for my three geese last year. Eventually they got too big. I think they moved out around 5-6weeks old. I've got a month to build or buy a house. I think I'm going to fenced off half of my pool yard and let them live there, so the dogs can be there with them but can't access them.

 

[jtn42248]

I have the fenced 1/3 of my yard they can stay in very safely. I also have the Great Pyrenees who will be guarding them. I've been looking all winter for an xxl dog house that has a removable floor so I can slide it out to clean it. So far nothing. The geese don't come for another month and then I won't put them outside until they're about six weeks old.

How much is 1/3 of your yard? 1/3 acre, half an acre? Geese forage so 8 of them are going to need plenty of room. As for the house. Even an XXL dog house is probably not going to be enough. The most common recommendation for housing space with geese is a minimum of 4 sq. ft. per goose in their house. So for your 8 that would be a minimum of 32 sq. ft. which would be the equivalent of a little more that a 5 ft x 5 ft shed. And that will be way too small if you plan on breeding.

You say you have a Great Pyreneese to guard the geese. Has he been trained for this task? While they are excellent guard dogs and have very strong protective instincts they don't come "out of the box" ready to guard fowl.

In your first post you indicate that building might be a problem with your neighbors. How close are your neighbors? Are they aware and supportive of your plans to have 8 geese ranging in the neighborhood? No matter the breed there is really no such thing as a quiet goose and 8 will probably make quite a racket at times, day and night. And, if you are getting males and females you are going to have to deal with breeding issues. You may have to separate them into separate houses and pens during breeding season and while they raise their young. The males will be very protective toward their mates and offspring and that protective instinct will be directed against both you and the other males. This can result in pretty serious injury if they do not have their own space.

I know you previously had a couple of geese and lost one of them. You were fortunate to be able to re-home the other goose. Taking on the responsibility of 8 geese is a major undertaking. I know that my hands are full with my birds and with just a breeding trio of Toulouse that are mating now that the season is upon us it takes a lot of effort to keep everyone happy and safe.

While there is great satisfaction in raising and breeding geese it comes with tremendous responsibility as well. Please consider all of the associated issues involved as you move forward and, of course, best wishes and best of luck to you and to your geese.

 

[Carrosaur]

How much is 1/3 of your yard? 1/3 acre, half an acre? Geese forage so 8 of them are going to need plenty of room. As for the house. Even an XXL dog house is probably not going to be enough. The most common recommendation for housing space with geese is a minimum of 4 sq. ft. per goose in their house. So for your 8 that would be a minimum of 32 sq. ft. which would be the equivalent of a little more that a 5 ft x 5 ft shed. And that will be way too small if you plan on breeding.

You say you have a Great Pyreneese to guard the geese. Has he been trained for this task? While they are excellent guard dogs and have very strong protective instincts they don't come "out of the box" ready to guard fowl.

In your first post you indicate that building might be a problem with your neighbors. How close are your neighbors? Are they aware and supportive of your plans to have 8 geese ranging in the neighborhood? No matter the breed there is really no such thing as a quiet goose and 8 will probably make quite a racket at times, day and night. And, if you are getting males and females you are going to have to deal with breeding issues. You may have to separate them into separate houses and pens during breeding season and while they raise their young. The males will be very protective toward their mates and offspring and that protective instinct will be directed against both you and the other males. This can result in pretty serious injury if they do not have their own space.

I know you previously had a couple of geese and lost one of them. You were fortunate to be able to re-home the other goose. Taking on the responsibility of 8 geese is a major undertaking. I know that my hands are full with my birds and with just a breeding trio of Toulouse that are mating now that the season is upon us it takes a lot of effort to keep everyone happy and safe.

While there is great satisfaction in raising and breeding geese it comes with tremendous responsibility as well. Please consider all of the associated issues involved as you move forward and, of course, best wishes and best of luck to you and to your geese.

1/3 an acre. By building I meant building a run in the backyard. I don't think they would care because it's just a field behind me but you never know.
Yes all the neighbors know about the geese, they were all so upset when Pear died.
I wasnt planning on breeding but I'm assuming it will happen eventually.
I have a three car garage they could camp out in every night, would that work?
Moose was born around goats and chickens, my friends bought some ducks from TSC and he didn't really care about them. When they tried to climb on him he got up and they fell off, that was kind of sad...

I was thinking of maybe buying six or eight separate dog houses, one for each goose? Or do they need to sleep together?

 

[jtn42248]

1/3 an acre. By building I meant building a run in the backyard. I don't think they would care because it's just a field behind me but you never know.
Yes all the neighbors know about the geese, they were all so upset when Pear died.
I wasnt planning on breeding but I'm assuming it will happen eventually.
I have a three car garage they could camp out in every night, would that work?
Moose was born around goats and chickens, my friends bought some ducks from TSC and he didn't really care about them. When they tried to climb on him he got up and they fell off, that was kind of sad...

I was thinking of maybe buying six or eight separate dog houses, one for each goose? Or do they need to sleep together?

1/3 acre for 6-8 geese should be sufficient for just ordinary grazing. However, 3-4 geese can and will control grass growth on a full acre with no problem. So, you may find that you will need to supplement fresh greens for them regularly. I would still make sure that your neighbors are aware of the amount of noise that 6-8 geese can potentially make if for no other reason to just be a good neighbor. Planning on breeding has little to do with it if you have both males and females. They will breed and unless you regularly take their eggs away from them you will have goslings. As cute as they are you may find that your flock grows by leaps and bounds rapidly. Six geese can easily produce a minimum of 6-12 goslings a season and probably more than that. So, your 6 would become 12 and they would become 24 and they would become 48 really fast. As for housing. Remember that these are birds and are flocking animals. They want to be together. You could get six geese and six dog houses (that is houses for dogs not geese) and find that all six of your geese try to sleep together in one house. You and they will be much better off and healthier and safer if they have something that is built for geese and not some other animal.

I am not trying to discourage you but to help you look more realistically at what you are about to undertake. Geese are regal and dynamic birds. They are, in many ways, the emperors of the domestic waterfowl world. They deserve the trappings that implies. I think that last year when you had your first geese I may have suggested that you look carefully at why you want geese. And, I would suggest that you do that again. Be honest with yourself so that the geese you do get will have a happy and healthy life. If your birds are scheduled to be shipped to you in April you still have time to adjust your order to something that may be more realistic for your goals. The birds you do get will be happier and better off if you carefully and honestly evaluate your desires.

I sincerely wish you the best but I also would hate to see you take on more than you may be ready for. Not only for your peace of mind but for the wellbeing of the geese you get.

 

[Carrosaur]

1/3 acre for 6-8 geese should be sufficient for just ordinary grazing. However, 3-4 geese can and will control grass growth on a full acre with no problem. So, you may find that you will need to supplement fresh greens for them regularly. I would still make sure that your neighbors are aware of the amount of noise that 6-8 geese can potentially make if for no other reason to just be a good neighbor. Planning on breeding has little to do with it if you have both males and females. They will breed and unless you regularly take their eggs away from them you will have goslings. As cute as they are you may find that your flock grows by leaps and bounds rapidly. Six geese can easily produce a minimum of 6-12 goslings a season and probably more than that. So, your 6 would become 12 and they would become 24 and they would become 48 really fast. As for housing. Remember that these are birds and are flocking animals. They want to be together. You could get six geese and six dog houses (that is houses for dogs not geese) and find that all six of your geese try to sleep together in one house. You and they will be much better off and healthier and safer if they have something that is built for geese and not some other animal.

I am not trying to discourage you but to help you look more realistically at what you are about to undertake. Geese are regal and dynamic birds. They are, in many ways, the emperors of the domestic waterfowl world. They deserve the trappings that implies. I think that last year when you had your first geese I may have suggested that you look carefully at why you want geese. And, I would suggest that you do that again. Be honest with yourself so that the geese you do get will have a happy and healthy life. If your birds are scheduled to be shipped to you in April you still have time to adjust your order to something that may be more realistic for your goals. The birds you do get will be happier and better off if you carefully and honestly evaluate your desires.

I sincerely wish you the best but I also would hate to see you take on more than you may be ready for. Not only for your peace of mind but for the wellbeing of the geese you get.

Thank you!! You really do give the best advice. I have a friend who lost her geese to old age over the winter, and so I could possibly give a few to her. She would be thrilled. I was originally looking to get four geese but the place that had all four kinds I wanted had a minimum of eight. So I just got two of each. I could give her the doubles!

If Pear were still alive I would have never bought anymore geese. I think about every day if only I had stayed home that weekend Pear might still be alive. Ive spent the whole winter trying to plan for these guys. The house thing I guess is my biggest issue.

I can also get fresh grass from the farm we own that's about ten minutes away, so that shouldn't be a problem. When Pear&Co were babies I would bring grass from the farm for them to eat in their brooder.