Vacation Goose-sitters?

[Wizzbang]

We've been learning the hard way how to look after our 8 geese (1 Tufted Buff, 2 Pilgrims, 3 Embdens, & 2 Sebastopols). The pen we built was too small for them once they got over 6 months old, and they thoroughly de-grassed the enclosure, so i started letting them out when I left for work...until a neighbor's dogs came through the woods and killed one (we used to have 3 Pilgrims). So now we only let them out when one of us is outside with them (at least an hour a day) and then make sure they're locked in their pet-crates in the pen at night. It's a good system, at least while we try to figure out how to build them a bigger pen!

However, I'm not sure how to handle vacations. We can't just leave them out due to predators (dogs aren't the only threat), and it's not like we can board them at a kennel! They're generally friendly to my family and never get too territorial with the delivery folks (as long as one of us is around to calm them down), but I can't see hiring a goose-sitter working.

How do goose-owners usually handle this sort of thing? I missed Thanksgiving because I had to stay with them (and the dogs, since why board them if someone's at the house?) while my wife and kids went to her family with apologies from me. Now Christmas is looming and I just can't figure out what to do...

 

[Goosebaby]

I sometimes look after my neighbor’s birds when he’s away, fellow poultry owners are usually the most reliable caretakers of birds, as long as they know to follow basic biosecurity practices.

Other times neighbors can be good because they don’t have to travel far and can check in more often.

Your geese should be in an enclosure that will give them shelter, for 3 geese a 10 x 10 ft dog kennel with some sort of roof will be just fine if they need to be kept in for a week while you’re away. They’ll get bored, but bored and safe is better than loose and getting preyed on. I also like to leave a dog travel crate with the door removed so that they have a little “cave” to retreat to.

Lay down a lot of extra bedding in their pen, you’re not going to be cleaning or adding to it while you’re away and whoever you choose to look after them I guarantee won’t do it.

Keep feed and water buckets by the door so the babysitter can easily reach them and doesn’t have to come to far into the cage.

You’ll want a small bucket of water that can be changed daily, also so that they have water even if they tip over their bucket you could give them a decent sized tub of water too, not too deep or narrow so that if they climb in it they won’t get stuck upside down and drown “I almost had that happen on 2 occasions.” Something like a very small baby pool will do.

A small bucket for feed that should be changed daily.

Have your feed labeled clearly in big bins with how much they should be fed daily, Also have a few extra buckets so they can be filled and swapped with the used ones from the pen to limit the amount of time the person is going in and out.

Whoever you choose, have them come over prior so that you can walk them through what the routine is going to be, they’ll remember better. Also tell them to limit their time around your geese, stress predisposes them to sickness.

Geese are intimidating to people that aren’t used to being around them, which isn’t good for the geese, let them know that geese are more fragile than they look!
Show them that all it takes for geese to avoid them is to hold something unusual, “your geese will avoid them anyway, but this is for the person’s peace of mind and it will be safer for your geese.” It can be something like a towel, I wouldn’t advise telling them to use a stick, better to not give them the idea it’s okay to terrorize your birds like that.

Something I once read “I can’t remember where” is that you should make the routine of feeding and watering your birds as simple as you can for whoever is going to be caring for them, and then make it simpler.
Your place, routines, and animals are not theirs, they’re going to be out of their element and even the most basic things can be botched, so for the sake of your birds oversimplification is your friend.

So what you’ll need is:

10 x 10ft kennel with a roof, a tarp roof will do
Extra buckets
A very small baby pool
Labeled bins
A towel
Extra wood shavings “bedding”

What you’ll need to do:
Oversimplify everything like you’re having a kid watch your birds
Walk them through the routine
Make sure they know how fragile geese really are
Ask them to follow basic biosecurity protocols if they keep poultry themselves “wear different boots on your property, use hand sanitizer before touching anything of your bird’s.”

 

[Iain Utah]

I have had very good luck finding a sitter I love for my farm by posting on Facebook local community forum. I have a LOT of animals, an old dog, and the person comes as dinner time, stays the night, does morning chores before leaving for the day. I pay $100 per night.

 

[hayley3]

Posting in your local community facebook. We had a girl who dog sits but she also takes care of farm animals. I can't afford $100 a night...though, but not sure what they charge just to pop over daily and see to them.