Up to our ankles in goose POOP already! Help!

[M0therGoose]

And to think my main worry before i got them was that they would eat all my zinnias! Ha! Thats the least of my worries now!

 

[Wifezilla]

Seems like it would make great fertilizer for the grass! Or do they end up just stomping and eating it down to dirt?

My grass is really green and getting thicker every day. I think I have the right numbers of ducks for the space, so no trouble with the grass. I was a little worried over winter because some areas got bare, but that tends to happen in Colorado. The dry cold air desiccates plants if you don't remember to occasionally water the grass even when it is dormant. Even the bare patches are filling in at this point.​

 

[carinlynchin]

I have been having the same probelm and I have two and half acres and yet they still want to come onto my porch and poo....and its not like its hard enough to just sweep..so I have to break out the hose each time. I did put up a pen when they were smaller but they ate so much grass, it was like someone mowed that circle when you lifted the pen up...now they free range and they are sometimes learning to stay away from the porch......."momma's not nice when we're up here, but she's nice everywhere else we go" hopefully this will be their thinking...'cause I shoo them off in an angry tone when they get on my porch but anywhere else I am okay with them....don't know if geese can learn..but we'll test this theory...it's been working better and better but they still sneak up there sometimes...

 

[adrian]

Think of it this way - if you had a few large dogs that patrolled your yard and were contained to it, your yard would look and smell terrible. Goose poop does not smell as bad – nor should it ever – as dog poop. But take care of it the way you would dog poop. Shoveling it up and composting it sounds ideal. Also, if you are feeding them a diet full of protein, you are making it worse for yourself. Wild geese eat grass and grains, poop out grass and grains, and at least to my nose, they never stink. May that be a lesson to keepers of domestic geese. They need to be on natural diets.

 

[Cottage Rose]

Plain and simple... geese are not good for small places.
The poop situation is going to get even worse as they get older and what will you do during the breeding season with a hormone charged gander if you have one or even worse two.
They are farm animals not city pets.
The best thing you could do for them is find them a loving home in the country.
Best farm animals for small lots: rabbits.

 

[adrian]

Quote:
Hm, but technically, all the animals we keep are not "city pets". Parrots are... "rainforest pets", or rather not domesticated at all, dogs are animals that are difficult to contain in the city, particularly if they are large... Cats consistently get run over by cars... Geese have been domesticated for thousands of years. In Rome, geese lived within the city gates. In fact, they saved the city from raiders who walked right past sleeping dogs.

However, technicalities aside, I would say if you can't handle what a few geese are putting out at this age, you are not going to be able to handle it later. If you want to keep backyard poultry, small chickens are probably a lot easier.

 

[M0therGoose]

Thanks, Adrian. These "city geese" will be "country geese" in 2 years. We have 50 acres in the country that we are building a house on and moving to when our daughter graduates from high school in 2 years. I just got the bug early and couldn't wait 2 more years for some pet geese. We have no dogs or cats, I prefer geese for pets over them. I WILL handle the poop. I just wanted advice on how to make it the best situation. And my 3 goose babies will be moving to paradise in 2 years.... in the meantime they get all of the attention in the world and are very pampered. I already leave my back door open all day and they hang out right outside the door keeping me company all day--- I just LOVE that! And it is worth all of the poop and now flies too!!!

 

[adrian]

Quote:
I love your attitude! I know how you feel about geese. They are fabulous pets, and simply take time and dedication. But they reward you many times over for your work. I also agree that I enjoy geese as pets above dogs and cats.

I hope you enjoy them! ...And I'd love to see pictures.

 

[M0therGoose]

Thanks. We had 2 big Greyhounds a long time ago and and my god, the piles of poop they made all over the backyard!.... HUGE piles and the worst smell!!! And my as well throw your shoes away if you step in it! And picking it up was the most dreaded chore! At least with the goose poop we can walk all over it with our shoes on with no problem! And when it dries, i notice it just looks like finely cut grass!

Someone mentioned cutting down the protein in their feed... they are on chick starter which is high in protein. Do you know when I can switch them over to Hen Scratch?

 

[farmertank]

I'm not sure if this was mentioned, but what about diapers? You could put them on in the morning, they wouldn't mess up your porch or shoes

. They wouldn't leave it around your yard, then at night just take them off before they go to bed. You would still have some, but not as much. Then when they move to your little paradise you could just drop the diapers

just a suggestion, I'm not sure if this is do-able for you.


Good luck and let us know what you do and how it works.

Julie