Topic of the Week - Getting Started, Keeping Geese

[Chickielady]

I have 3 African Geese (purebred) 2 buff, 1 white. They are very easy to keep, friendly, a bit noisy. Here's Max (the gander) in front, with Mocha and Marshmallow behind. This was about 6 months ago, they're a bit bigger now. They do have tender feet so you need to keep their environment free of anything they can injure their feet on.
View attachment 1263142

We do have a road base gravel driveway, and the geese used to walk the driveway with me, and yes it does harm their feet, so they stay 'home' now.
Your birds are beautiful !

 

[Chickielady]

 

[Chickielady]

One more thing....................they LOVE nice green grass and seldom eat anything else.
I provide FlockRaiser and rolled oats, scartch and they turn their nose up and head for the grass.
It is amazing how large they are, how super fast they grow, and so far have eaten about 3/4 of a bag of FlockRaiser, in their life ! They are about 10 months old now. Amazing food to growth ratio, if you have green grass.

 

[Suzi18]

Mini Sebastapols ? Is there such a thing ?? WOW you have my interest now ! I did want to comment on the goose & chicken thing though.my geese HATE my chickens, they chase them and heaven forbid they get the chicken cornered.
Thankfully most of the chickens are aware of this and they can all fly up quite well, but I keep the geese and chickens apart in breeding & gosling rearing seasons.
Mini Sebbies sounds awesome !

They are absolutely adorable.

 

[learycow]

What I am thinking is raising them together when they are small and then having a pen for the geese right next to the chicken run. My hope is that they can all free range together and when they can't free range they can have their separate space. I'm hoping to find mini Sebastopol geese.

I breed and raise mini sebs

 

[Suzi18]

I breed and raise mini sebs

You do!!!! Oh joy!!!
Please enlighten me on these beauties. Pics too please!

 

[AspiringHomesteader]

How are the Dewlap Toulouse geese for meat?

 

[Chickielady]

I breed and raise mini sebs

Then we must have many many photos !!

 

[Chickielady]

Not positive on the Dewlap of the breed, but Toulouse in general put on an astronomical amount of growth in a very short time, that boggles the mind.
Makes Cornish cross chicken look like a slow grower.
My geese were said to grow to 19 pounds for geese and up to 20 pounds for ganders in as little as 6 months. While I think that is a slight stretch, it is more accurate than not, also added, they are all dark meat.....................I just have to have someone else 'do them in' because I am as bonded to them as they to me.
I had a much larger flock as I ordered an entire order myself, then sold off alot, and kept 5.
But I do not think I could butcher any of these.
Crazy huh ?
And I am no slacker at butchering any of our farm animals, deer or game animals & birds.
I figured one might get nasty in breeding season and attack, then that would gain them free entry into the world of frigidaire...but so far it hasn't happened.

 

[Chickielady]

This is an amazing time of year for geese, also.
Nest building and egg laying should begin shortly.
I would love to hear what others say about these 2 topics.