I have only had geese that lived on my Dad's 18 acre pond back in Georgia. I am at a quandry as to how to raise them with a good quialty of life as table birds for our family. I do plan to keep at least 1 gander and up to 4 hens over the winter for egg production each spring but anything above that is for our family table. Christmas goose is on the menu.
Along with hatching eggs I am hatching ideas to convert half of my garden house into a nesting house for these geese I am hatching.
The plan is to install a pop door in the back wall that opens into a fenced yard for them. The front has dutch style doors that I can open and close and I can go in and out of to clean the interior. It has a concrete floor which I could cover with bedding or build up an area for bedding and the floor uncovered to aide in the ease of cleaning in the summer. It seems it would be easier in hot months to hose it out and use a deep litter bedding method for the late fall and winter. The house is 16x8 and they would have an 8x8 portion of the garden house.
On the outside that is closest to the wooded area separating our property from the road frontage we have in place a 5 foot welded wire fence that was installed long before we bought this place and is grown over with honey suckle vines the size of a childs arm. For added protection I am planning to use privacy fence panels installed along that side just to suit my own peace of mind. I am wondering if the rest of the fencing done in welded wire is protection enough (we have seen no other predators than a possum, a racoon and a groundhog that doesn't eat meat) without needing a covered run. Or would it be better to build the fortress with a covered run?
16 x 24 (384 square feet) area would give them plenty of yardage to be outside. They will also be able to free range in the area behind their yard because this is where we plant corn. I am told geese are good at weeding and debugging corn feilds - yes?
Please show me photos of how you house your geese. I need to figure this out before I have geese in my house big enough to roast for dinner and still not outside in a goose yard!
Along with hatching eggs I am hatching ideas to convert half of my garden house into a nesting house for these geese I am hatching.
The plan is to install a pop door in the back wall that opens into a fenced yard for them. The front has dutch style doors that I can open and close and I can go in and out of to clean the interior. It has a concrete floor which I could cover with bedding or build up an area for bedding and the floor uncovered to aide in the ease of cleaning in the summer. It seems it would be easier in hot months to hose it out and use a deep litter bedding method for the late fall and winter. The house is 16x8 and they would have an 8x8 portion of the garden house.
On the outside that is closest to the wooded area separating our property from the road frontage we have in place a 5 foot welded wire fence that was installed long before we bought this place and is grown over with honey suckle vines the size of a childs arm. For added protection I am planning to use privacy fence panels installed along that side just to suit my own peace of mind. I am wondering if the rest of the fencing done in welded wire is protection enough (we have seen no other predators than a possum, a racoon and a groundhog that doesn't eat meat) without needing a covered run. Or would it be better to build the fortress with a covered run?
16 x 24 (384 square feet) area would give them plenty of yardage to be outside. They will also be able to free range in the area behind their yard because this is where we plant corn. I am told geese are good at weeding and debugging corn feilds - yes?
Please show me photos of how you house your geese. I need to figure this out before I have geese in my house big enough to roast for dinner and still not outside in a goose yard!
