That sounds alright. I have a mixture of Grey Saddleback Pomeranians and American Buff and Blue Geese. I try to keep laying pellets, chick starter, and hen scratch mixed available to them in a feeder or food bowls. They scarf it down though, and with 12 of them right now they can empty a 30 lb. feeder pretty quickly. In the growing season I don't keep it full all the time, but they get a few scoops in the evening to get them in the barn for bedtime. Mine are pastured during the day and get to roam when I'm home to keep an eye on them.
This setup seems good. I'd caution you about putting a heat lamp over the water. They will, with the precision of a brain surgeon manage to flick one droplet of water onto the hot bulb and shatter the absolute mess out of it. It's one of the reason I hate brooding baby waterfowl in the winter. Also watch them with cords. Geese are a bit like kids. They explore with their bills and that can get them into trouble unplugging things (or pulling the hose out of the pool you're filling while your back is turned).
Mine would prefer to stay out all the time. With the barn available off the pasture in really bad weather now they'll wander inside. They are also much easier at putting themselves to bed so that I can just lock them up now. Before with smaller loafing sheds, I was constantly out there in bad weather (hail) trying to get the bird brains to at least get under a roof. I'm in Texas, so we don't get nearly as cold as you, but they handled the -9 degree temps this winter quite well.
They shouldn't. Mine never have anyway.
That depends on the birds. Wing clipping shouldn't be necessary, although I did have to clip one of my Pomeranian ganders during the breeding season. They winter as one big flock and he was very dominant and claimed all the hens for himself. When I separated them all back out he'd actually launch up over a five foot fence to get into the Buff pen. When breeding season finally kicked in the Buff ganders bloodied him up pretty badly so I was out there in the snow applying quick stop to the broken blood feathers. I clipped him then and didn't have any more issues. The only other times mine have cleared a fence was when they got really startled and just jump and flap. I take that back, Golly, one of the Buff ganders cleared the shorter chain link fence during breeding season in 2020 to launch an assault on a friend on the back porch. He had a blanket because it was cool and when he spread his arms to wrap up I guess Golly took it as a challenge. I caught him by the breast mid-flight and just altered his trajectory so he'd sail back out into the yard. lol
Mine don't tend to wander too much, but sometimes they surprise me. I normally don't let them out early in the day unless I'm going to be out there just to be sure they don't get into any mischief.
They can. Mine also like just about any fruit or vegetable I give them.
Someone is feeling brave. lol
They are probably grazing a lot when you're not there watching them. They may also not be going inside to eat during the day. Try offering the food out in the pen. And mix in some stuff you know they like with it. Mine eat pellet, crumble, hen scratch, and fruit/veggie scraps in addition to foraging for greens. I don't offer hay because the grass grows down here sometimes through November and starts up again in March.The hen scratch wasn't eaten. I hope they are eating grass in the pen. Other than a nibble here and there on the tall grass, I haven't seen them eat anything other than the dandelion and romaine head I gave them. Mostly they are just sitting in their tub. I'm worried their feet are going to start wrinkling.
