Poop

[lorriejd]

I have never had geese in the past or been around them.
My daughter ask me if she could get 1 one day.
Being in a good mood I said yes. after reading about them as pets I decided to hatch my own, because blogs I read said they would be better pets if you hatched them I bought the incubators. I now have 2 SEBASTABLEs 2 weeks old.
What I geuss I didn't read is how much they poop.
keeping up with cleaning thier cage is a chore.
I'm currently building a pin and a fenced area to put them in.
I need to get them out of the house.
They are cute though...

 

[Windchyme]

Quote:
Yep, raising waterfowl is alot like work, but then again raising anything properly is alot like work...you don't get all that cuteness for nothing. Birds in general are messy animals. Does your pen provide for warmth for them. At two weeks old they should still be under heat lights of some sort or have a heating pad when it is cool out. Also if they are going to be outside put something on the top of the pen to protect from hawks. They'll swoop down and take a 2 week old gosling without half thinking about it.

This season I raised 18 of those boogers to 6 weeks old in my laundry/utility room that is off of the kitchen- they are HUGE at 6 weeks old and you can just imagine the poop then- at 2 weeks I still had them running round my kitchen and dining room. Just threw shavings on the floor in the laundry room to try to keep the poop from sticking to the linoleum and away we went. Messes can be cleaned, that's what they make cleaning tools for but they are only babies for a very short time then you have your house back.

 

[adrian]

I think Windchyme has the right attitude, for sure. Looking after that many babies that can't be toilet trained is hard work, but there is always a solution. From what I've found, the simplest answer is usually the right one. Don't overcomplicate things or you'll run into problems. Babies do need shelter and warmth for quite some time. Geese generally don't feather out and reach an adult size for months.

 

[lorriejd]

What kind of shaving do you use for the floor?

 

[Windchyme]

Quote:
Just regular old shavings like for a rabbit cage or a stall. I use the plasticy feed bags to block off underneath my washer and dryer to help keep the shavings out from under there as much as possible (anything else the geese chew to bits). I have a flat solid spatula I use specifically to scrape up anything that manages to stick. Once I clean it up there is just residue on the floor and a good solid mopping takes care of that and we're good as if they had not been there. Also I line the lower walls with the same plasticy food bags to protect the walls from all the water and wet food they throw around. Those are easy to wipe down. Since I have a door into the kitchen, I keep the door open and block the lower part with a piece of wood about 18 inches high. One could use a baby gate but it will get chewed on and let the shavings be pushed out.

This way my babies are in a climate controlled area, they get plenty of human interaction and they are more safe from theft and I can watch them for any problems. It works for me.