Single "quite" goose with ducks and chickens

[Wokawidget]

Hi,

I am looking into getting a baby 1-2 week old female goose to add to my small flock of 1 Campbell and 1 runner duck and 4 chickens.


First things first...if one goose going to be ok with my ducks? Not in an aggressive way, but in a way where it'll be the only goose. I know you're supposed to get them in pairs, but my duck and chicken were best friends on their own for a good while before we started to add a few more friends for them...and I've not had any issue integrating a single new member that I got at 1 week old, and hand reared, to the flock.
If this is ok then I have some other questions.

1) I know there's no such thing as a quite goose...but it will have to be exceptional to out quack my runner duck. I have read that American Buff and Pilgrim gooses are the quietest and most docile.

2) Can there be any problems with the size of the goose and my bantam chicken? (to be honest my bantam chicken would probably own the goose...she bullies my pig!)

3) Are gooses as tame and as friendly as ducks? I am assuming so if hand reared...or are that naturally distrusting?

4) Should I simply treat a goose as a large duck?

cheers,

Woka

 

[CelticOaksFarm]

geese should have another goose to be its companion. They dont forage like ducks, they graze on grass and if raised with only ducks and chickens they dont truly act like a goose as far as grazing. Geese are not large ducks, they do have different dietary needs (90% for a goose should be grazing).

What are your reasons for wanting geese? If its to be a watch dog and protect the other birds, they dont do that.

 

[Wokawidget]

Hi,

Thanks for your reply.
90% of my back garden is grass, so even if the goose was grazing it wouldn't be very far away from the others.
My flock are always lounging around the grass garden...and the ducks graze on grass themselves...but definately not as much as geece would. So while the ducks are squeeling with delight in the garden borders the goose would be 2 feet away gobbling grass.

I am just looking into getting one...finding out all the ins and outs of goose keeping and working out if it's possible.
Why a goose? Hmmm good question...why not a goose? I am also looking into a Muscovy.

My favourite little friendliest, trained, chicken ever died a few days ago and I'm contemplating an addition to the flock that would be as entertaining and as fun as the others. I am not 100% set on getting another critter...I'm just getting as much info 1st before I make up my mind either way.

If a goose simply can't hack being with two ducks and four chickens then it potentially rules them out

cheers,

Woka

 

[CelticOaksFarm]

Do you have a pool for bathing for the goose? Do you have housing for it? I am not sure how a full grown goose would take to tiny bantam chickens. As i was saying before a goose raised with just ducks doesnt learn to graze as it would living with another goose. There is a BYC'r(MissLydia) on here who recently got a goose for her gander and can tell you first hand how her gander (raised with only ducks) is now as an adult learning how to graze from the new goose.

 

[Wokawidget]

Hi,

I have a custom built large pond in the center of the garden. Clean filtered water. Loads of pond plants that ducks don't eat (cost a lot of money in trial and error for this as they ate pretty much everything i got). Big enough for a human to swim in. The pond has multiple tiers to take the needs of paddling ducks or diving ducks, which my runner loves doing. Max depth is 5 foot.

I have a large custom built railway sleeper house, that's boarded on the inside and is 6' x 6'. Pig on bottom floor, little critters on top floor (floors are seperated).

I'm also in the process of building them a large 15m x 8m open play area with trees, bushes and lots of chip bark.

As far as land, house, pond and food goes it's all taken care of. and isn't an issue.
It's just wether the goose would be ok with ducks and chickens.

i'll see if I can find out more about the goose and gander...I know my runner duck had to teach my cambell duck to swim to the bottom of the pond and to enjoy water more.

cheers,

Woka

 

[CelticOaksFarm]

The pond sounds wonderful, however, the geese will eat everything in and around the pond you have built. You wont want ducks or geese on a rough surface like rock or bark. It can lead to foot problems in both species known as bumblefoot (staph infection). Housing for ducks and geese should be well ventilated and the geese should not have a high climb to get into their night house. of course you know the pig should not share nighttime housing with any of them.

 

[Wokawidget]

Yea, the ducks ate everything, they're like little eathery hoovers. Took me a year and about £300 to finally find 6 different pond plants they won't touch. Now the pond is a mass of green and those beaks love snuffling in it.
The garden is about 180 sq meters and is mostly grass and borders. The chip bark area, part of more land I bought this year, is more for the pig as she can't go into the grass garden alone as she would de-turf it. When she's with us she's fine and doesn't snout the grass ) She loves chip bark...but mostly lives inside with us as she's a fully trained house pig. the pig house if more for if we go away for a weekend etc. She's absolutely fine with the chickens and ducks and is best friends with a little bantam cochin I have. Odd I know...funny yes. I think the little cochin realised the pig was friendly and that when she's sat on the pig the bigger chickens don't pester her )

My fenced off veggie area is chip barked and every now and again the critters manage to get in, but they give themselves away by the squeels of delight at worms in the chip bark.

The railway sleeper pig house is 5' tall and 6' x 6'. This has a solid ceiling of more sleepers and panels. On top of this is the duck and chicken coup built into the roof. They are 100% seperated from venelation and sleeping. it's also heated.
As I have bought more land off my neighbours my garden becomes more tiered as we live on a slight hill. The duck coup enterace is at normal floor level, event though it's in the roof, because the sleeper house is built next to a 1.5 meter drop from one garden into another. So pig entrance in lower garden...duck enterance from top garden.

I am still not sure about a goose...I 100% can't have two of them..so it looks like a Muscovy would be a better option.

cheers,

Woka

 

[CelticOaksFarm]

sounds very lovely. A scovy duck would definitely be quiet.

 

[Wokawidget]

anything's quieter than my runner duck...QUACK QUACK..."Tasty food"...QUACK QUACK "I want to swim"...QUACK QUACK "Where are you"...QUACK QUACK "It was too quiet so I thought I'd quack to test my quacking ability"



Woka

 

[Going Bhonkers]

Is there a possibility for you to get two geese, either 2 females or 2 males if you dont want any offspring? ... Though I would think 2 females might be better considering the small size of the rest of your feathered friends.