Okay for Goslings to be moved outside?

[Jane820]

I have 2 embden goslings. I think they were the very last ones born in the area. They are right around 4 weeks (born 7/15). They have been having some play time outside since there were a couple weeks old (monitored) in the fence yard. We just finished their house and run a couple of days ago, so they have been spending time during the day in there when we aren't out to watch them.

Their goose house is 4x8 foot, 4 feet of walls and then about 1 foot of hardware cloth for ventilation around the top + a 7x8 predator-proof run (fully covered, 1/4 hardware cloth around everything, all spaces smaller than 1 inch) off the house, so they go in there when we can't be with them. It is in the 80s during the day, so I don't worry about heat then, but I am wondering if next week, at 5 weeks, they can start spending the night outside. The lows are 66 - 68 degrees.

Please ignore the door - it is even, but the run isn't since we live in the mountains.

 

[sourland]

They should be fine in those temperatures. Is there a wire flange around the outside of the pen and coop so that nothing can dig in to them?

 

[Jane820]

Yes! We have hardware cloth staked down going about 16-18 inches around the entire permitter. The area gets muddy so it’s kind of hard to see since it’s covered by some hay.

 

[Jane820]

Another question. I heard that full grown geese like to sleep under the stars. When they reach that age, can they sleep in the predator proof locked run with the door open to the house, or should they be locked into the house?