Sebastopol and Emden

[skunknchatter]

I have the opportunity to get a Sebastopol gander and an Emden goose from a neighboring homesteader. I have owned chickens and ducks but never geese. Right now I have a large run (16'x24') with a very mild mannered rooster, one runner duck, and one hen. I am hoping that the new geese can move into the run with my "flock". The runner duck is in charge right now. I would build a separate shelter for the geese as the coop is up off the ground about 30". I am also installing a shallow 4'x4' pond (by shallow I mean 6-8" of water).

My runner duck has always just eaten the chicken feed (he's 10 years old this spring) and he has done well on it. Can the geese eat the same feed? Do I need to separate them from the other 3? I've always wanted a Sebastopol so I'm pretty excited. Thanks in advance.

 

[Percheron chick]

All you can do is try. It depends on the individuals. Timing is bad as it's goose breeding season and the runner could be seen as a threat. Have a backup plan. The underside of the coop if secure will make a fine goose house. You could add sides to it and bed it with straw or just go with the straw. XL dogloos are nice goose houses. I've found a few for free on CL. Geese can live on chicken feed but it's not the best choice. They are grazers and most if not all of their diet should be grasses. In the winter you can substitute grass, cereal grain or alfalfa hays. Mine like grass hay best. Grow some fodder. They love, love, love lettuce. I also give fresh fruits and vegetables. Mine love pumpkin and will break into the chicken run to eat theirs. I also offer an all poultry feed cut with wheat. If you keep hay or corn stalks in front of then, the little chicken feed they eat will be a nice complement.

 

[skunknchatter]

Okay, after some reading my plan is to let the geese (maybe everyone) out to graze in the pasture during the day and training them to go back into the run at night. Are raccoons big enough to take on a goose? Say I wanted to let them just live in the pasture and put a goose house out there? We have raccoons in the area but I haven't had a problem with them yet. Just wondering if geese are as at risk as chickens.

 

[Percheron chick]

I haven't dealt with raccoons but it's breeding season. An unprotected goose is a sitting duck. At the very least you will lose eggs and goslings to them. In Utah, you have coyotes and they will take adult geese. Mine are very active right now so my geese aren't out unless the dogs and i are out. They get locked up in chainlink dog kennels at night. 4x6 is big enough for a pair. 10x10 is better. Again CL is a great resource for panels and dog runs.

 

[Iain Utah]

Hey neighbor, whereabouts in Utah are you? I'm just outside Park City myself.

Congrats on getting geese! They are my favorite of my birds. Sebbies are especially pretty to look at, but are a little higher maintenance than other breeds in winter/early spring. I would worry about the size of your pen with a mixed group during breeding season. Definitely best to allow them to free-range by day, then herd them into safe place at night. Raccoons are not so much a concern for geese as they are for chickens and ducks, but good to be on guard in late spring when moms come off nests hungry. We also have fox, bobcat, coyote, mink, and badger. But in 7 years, we have only lost two geese to predators. Chickens and ducks, on the other hand.... are a much different story.

For feed, a mix of flockraiser and whole corn is preferred over chicken feed, and is easily found in local feed stores. Supplement with free access to oyster shell for female.