What do geese really need?

[chickenweirdo1]

I want to get a goose as a watchdog for my chickens. I'm just wondering do they really need a pond or can they just have a open water-er? What conditions they can live? It in gets below 0 degrees in the winter they wouldn't be outside they would be in a insulated coop with a heat lamp. And over 100 in the summer. Is there any certain breed that would be okay in those conditions? Also i want a good layer. What kind of food they eat? They would be free range on lots of land. Coop size is not a problem.

 

[BertandMary]

We had them in MN while I was growing up. They didn't get a pond but had a large enough kiddie type pool they could climb in and out of. I don't remember the breed

 

[LRH97]

My Super African goose and my American Buff pair share a large kiddie pool, and they're quite content. Geese are generally really hardy. Mine have access to a coop 24/7 and they usually opt to sleep out in their enclosed yard even in winter. (It gets into the teens regularly here in winter, sometimes colder and 90-100 in the summer.) In fact, my neighbors have a pond with about 8 geese and they don't even provide a coop for them. Not the way I would go, but theirs seem to do quite well. As for a breed, I'll say I love my two Buffs. They're easy going and are really pretty friendly. They're not bad at laying either.

 

[Toshtego]

As you can imagine, geese love a pond. My small pond only flows from May to October. During the winter months they have access to two 50 gallon sheep tanks which they enjoy regularly. I have to chop the ice out of it and refill daily.

They need a shelter, of course. Mine stay in a covered enclosed porch with straw covered floor. It is next to my bedroom, so they tap on the window when they need something. We have predator issues here so I want them where I can keep an eye on them at night.