normal behaviour for a goose?

[spish]

its snowed hard for 3 days here now and today its minus 15 degrees with a bitterly strong wind. the silly geese have decided not to shelter in their house but to sit out in the snow, ice and wind.

one of them is walking around foraging as usual but the other is sitting around a lot..it will stand and waddle over if i throw food out but will then sit back down to eat. is it doing this to keep its feet warm or is something wrong??? ive only had geese for 4 weeks so am still learning!

 

[PoultryParadise]

Are the Geese full grown or babies. If they are young I would force them in their shelter and lock them in for a week so they learn that this is their safe place. If they are adults, well I still may lock them in for a few days to give them the idea, but my geese stay out in the snow sometimes. They go back in their house at night, but I have seen them out in a snowstorm.

Scince you have only had them a few weeks, I would put them in their shelter and try to keep them in their for a few days so they realize it is a lot better than outside.

 

[spish]

theyve used their shelter since day 1, just not today! they are full grown adults

 

[PoultryParadise]

I wouldn't be worried then. If they know where they can go for shelter, they usually do if they need to. If come night fall the sitting one hasn't gone to the shelter, I might move it. You could also check to make sure there is no injury. I have had a duck sprain a leg before and it layed around a lot, I moved it in the coop at night, and during the day it would be out with the others, it got better on its own and is fine now.
Good luck

 

[D'Angelo N Va.]

My goose is always walking around in the snow like it's no big deal...sitting and having fun...he has access to shelter and mostly at night he will go in it, but during the day he is out and about. And I have had him for several years..

 

[Miss Lydia]

My ducks will sit around alot if it's extremely cold and or snowing and windy, I think it is to keep their feet warm. My goose also!

 

[sourland]

The goose is keeping its feet warm. If you will watch closely, you will note that it actually pulls its feet up into its feathers and rests on its well insulated belly. Normal winter time behavior.

 

[The goose girl]

My goose sits in the snow a lot, too.

It's absolutely freezing, snowstorm outside, his pond is frozen, and everything is covered in 1 ft. of snow. There's nothing out there for him to do and no company. Still, he really, really wants to stay outside all day - and all night, I guess, if I'd let him. However, I call him inside for the night and once his feet are on the heated floor, he makes little delighted chirping noises.

Geese are wonderfully weird!