Toulouse Geese and Concrete

[ARJones]

We have 4 Toulouse Geese, they free range from sunrise to sundown. At night we shut them up in a unused dog kennel for safety. The kennel has a concrete floor, is this bad?
Thanks!

 

[sourland]

Hard/cold surfaces can be rough on the feet of geese. Is there an area of their night pen that contains bedding ?

 

[ARJones]

Not yet. Recommedations? straw? This is our first adventure with geese. We've raised mallards for years, but this is all new. They are about 6 months old now.

 

[Percheron chick]

Straw is fine. Dried leaves are fine. They do like something soft to bed down on. My geese liked my dogs raised dog beds but shredded them with their nails. Straw will get soiled quickly and you will need to strip the kennel every few weeks.

 

[Waylons mommy]

Mine were raised in the house and prefer to be as close to the front door as possible. But..
That is a horrible mess by morning! So I blocked off a 4x4 spot at the other end of the covered deck and laid a raw plank (for traction) as a ramp up to the top step. I laid an old area rug down and just spray it off with the hose. But they prefer to sleep in their pool.
I got mine in May

They've eaten the entire front yard, she has just started to lay, so the spoiled babies get green leaf lettuce. They were pretty excited when I got home from the store this evening

 

[Leader Bee]

Anything soft really, you risk bumblefoot on bare concrete.

 

[Callender Girl]

I use medium-flake pine shavings for my geese. When the time comes to clean it out -- and with my girls that's fairly often -- I think it's easier to remove than straw.

 

[AddisonD]

The very best bedding is peat. the stuff the British army stole from the Irish through two world wars. Nothing is as soft, absorbs so much moisture, is as easy to move about.