Oh no - goslings? What to do...

[kateseidel]

I have chickens. In fact, I have six more chicks arriving April 9. Today a friend dropped by to ask if I wanted two Toulouse geese when they hatched (sometime in the next two weeks). OMG OMG OMG. Yes, of course I want them - I love geese, I think. But I need some direction and am hoping there is a good resource you can point me to.

I don't think I can put them in with my chicks - they need open water and my chicks would drown.
What's appropriate for geese?
How old do they need to be to go outside?
Do they need housing or can they just roam my 7 acres?
How do I keep a wading pool clean for them?
Will they fly over my 4 foot perimeter fence?
Are they going to get along with my dogs, sheep, chickens, cats and horses?
Do they eat chicken feed?

There has to be a primer somewhere, right???

 

[gryeyes]

I have a pair of Toulouse and I love them! I brooded them with chicks, actually. (They were shipped with 14 RIR "packing peanuts" chicks for heat.)

I used a small kiddie pool, just about four feet across, as their brooder, with an EcoGlow brooder heater (not heat lamps). Just put a layer of pine shavings in it, set the feeder and waterer up on blocks of wood to keep them out of the shavings. Or, rather, the shavings out of them...

For the waterer, I used a large Cool Whip container with an oval slice cut out of the lid. This allows the gosling to put its whole bill into the water but not let any of the chicks get into it. Or the gosling to wade in it...

They eat chick starter just fine.

As adults, mine go into the coop at night with the chickens. They've started staying outside at night, though, camping on my front porch. I don't mind (poop is easy to hose off) and they do patrol the entire property. I only have two thirds of an acre.

I empty out a larger kiddie pool every other day and refill it with fresh water. I do keep that pool a good distance from the coop so the young chickens/chicks don't get over to it to drown. (I've had a couple drown in kiddie pools before I got that great idea. Doh!) Adult chickens do roam over there, but they can get out of the kiddie pool on their own.

Toulouse will not fly away. They're pretty heavy geese. They can maybe get off the ground a foot or two and go for about 10 feet at that height IF THEY ARE REALLY INVESTED IN FLYING for whatever reason. Mine get along with everybody, but they tend to harass my dachshunds..... nipping at their butts.

Good luck with your goslings and may they grow into lovely large geese patrolling your property!

 

[Lollipop]

I have chickens. In fact, I have six more chicks arriving April 9. Today a friend dropped by to ask if I wanted two Toulouse geese when they hatched (sometime in the next two weeks). OMG OMG OMG. Yes, of course I want them - I love geese, I think. But I need some direction and am hoping there is a good resource you can point me to.

> Congrats on your fortune. I love geese.

I don't think I can put them in with my chicks - they need open water and my chicks would drown.

> No, they don't need open water. They can be with your chicks for a week or so, but they double in size daily, or so it seems. The chick waterer will do, but ya gotta change it several times a day. Waterfowl are VERY messy

What's appropriate for geese?
How old do they need to be to go outside?

> They can go outside at about 5-6 weeks, if you can stand them that long. Waterfowl are extremely messy.

Do they need housing or can they just roam my 7 acres?

> They can roam your acerage, if you are sure of their security from predators.

How do I keep a wading pool clean for them?

> That's a neat trick. Probably need refreshing daily.

Will they fly over my 4 foot perimeter fence?

> No, they won't fly.

Are they going to get along with my dogs, sheep, chickens, cats and horses?

> If they are raised with them, all is well.

Do they eat chicken feed?

> About 85% of a gooses diet is greens. They will need some grains, but they are quite ecconomical, in spite of their size.

There has to be a primer somewhere, right???

> Strombergs has a waterfowl book. haven't seen mine in a long time, but it's a good one.

I love my geese and hope to never live where I can't have them. You will love them, too.........Pop