What do I feed my geese?

[ellenmartin]

Looks like you have an Embden, Pilgrim or Toulouse and an African. Can't tell what babies are going to be yet......

Remember, GEESE ARE GRAZERS and need to be on green grass and wandering around (no dogs or predators - they will chase / eat and hurt babies and adults).

You can easily set up a pen for them using t-posts or stick and 4' chicken wire - doesn't even have to be strung perfect or tight just tight enough to keep them in and create a barrier to keep other things out. We took a 50' roll and some t-posts and made an instant pen - geese graze all over it during the day and we move it about every 4-5 days around the yard to keep grass fresh. We just step over into the pen - no door needed as it is only 4'. Works great!! Remember to make sure they ahve shade if it's in a sunny location and a baby pool would make their day at that age for adults and babies! Get two if you can and fill to the rim. Geese love to bathe and need to be clean!!!

Ours bathe every morning and evening and preen for hours afterwards --- they have to have a pool to bathe in for sure!

 

[Chikn-Chik]

Quote:
Thanks for this valuable info! I will have to see what kind of feed the Co-op has, then go from there. I am a little wary of letting them out, we have coyotes, big time. And I make sure they have lots of water! They can get in it and bathe if they needed to.

 

[Chikn-Chik]

Quote:
When I turn mine out they will have access to the pond, but I'm afraid to let them out, we have coyotes and such.
And, the one that you said looks like a pilgrim or toulouse, the african is her dad and the embden is the mom, so its a mix between them.

that applies to the goslings too

 

[ellenmartin]

Are you able to let them graze or have a grass area you can pen during the day and let them graze and then put them up at night in protection?

They absolutely have to have access to grazing and grass... it's what geese do. Coyotes mostly hunt at night but if you have a pen during the day you can keep an eye on and move around that might work.

I read someone on here has a goose tractor they built (larger than chicken tractor but same concept) and they jsut move theirs around during the day protected on grass....

 

[Chikn-Chik]

Quote:
I really don't have a place right now. Im keeping them in the barn, and I was just planning on turning them out. But its gonna be atleast two weeks! I'm getting some lettuce to give to them today, is that going to help any at all?

 

[ellenmartin]

NO --- do not keep them in a dark barn for 2 weeks. That is very bad. DO NOT FEED YOUR GOSLINGS SCRATCH! Read the lablel on these things you're feeding the geese.

It's one thing to feed them crap if they have access to free pasture and grass to offset the garbage you feed them but if you pen them up in a pen lock them away from their natural habitat which is grazing and they need that grass for development and survival and feed them garbage it is like locking your kid up and feeding them nothing but pizza and not letting them move for the next 6 months.... they would be a fat, lazy blob with no muscles and unhealthy unable to walk/etc!

You can't turn them out and let them just run free it would be like turning out your other animals without fencing/pen/etc. It is dangerous and they would definitely be killed - the little ones first probably. Owls, coyotes, cats, bobcats, dogs, coons- - all attack geese and will get them for sure - they do not fly up into trees and are voulnerable on the ground. If anything get yourself a 100' roll of chicken wire and make a makeshift fence coming out the side of the barn there - it looks in the pictures like you have plenty of green open air and grass.... just jam some poles into the ground and run the wire around it and keep an eye on them constantly as long as you don't have stray dogs or dogs running around then they should be fine in there - just keep an eye on them.

They need to graze for a while - not just 10 minutes. You'd be surprised how just a light throw up little fencing keeps them in... You've got the grassy area there - just put some water and a food pan in there (make sure you pick up the overspill so it doesn't mold and babies pick it up later and die).

If you're going to have geese, you need to put them in their barn stall at night with some water in there for the babies to have access to. Let them out in the morning give them their feed and usher them into a pen or tractor to move them around on the grass or let them graze during the day - make sure they ahve shade.

You can not just keep them in the barn for 2 weeks or whatever and throw lettuce in there. Lettuce is ZERO nutritional value and is not grass! These goslings are growing. They grow and change every day. The upcoming next 4 - 6 weeks for them is critical as they will be putting on feathers and need to stretch, flap and run.

When they are all full grown (and fully grown) you can turn them out during the day if you don't have dogs running around and let them graze and wander.... they will likely hang around the pond.

You can herd them you know... down to the pond, watch for them, stand there and let them enjoy and then herd them back up to the barn/house/pen when they are done on the pond...... Geese don't run crazy like chickens! They are slow walkers and easy to herd.

 

[Chikn-Chik]

The barn is very well lit with sunlight, and also I can't just enclose a certain area off, we have a horse, goat and steer that have access to the barn too. So everything has to be able to get in and out. The man that I got them from let them fee range, they didn't go up at night or anything. Im new to this and learning things everyday.

 

[ellenmartin]

His place was different from yours.... just trying to help you out.

I am talking about a pen outside of the barn on the side of it where you can usher them into during the day and they can be on grass.....

If you have coyotes you absolutely have to put them up before dusk - they hunt early and 100% of the time will grab one of your geese so fast and run with it and all you'll hear/see is it running into the woods to eat it while it's screaming all the way. Coyotes are #1 predator of geese, bobcats/large cats/etc. are next.

Your goslings are so young, they can not protect themselves until they are fully grown unfortunately.

Putting them up at night should be easy since you have a barn. After you run them into the barn for a week or so about every time at night they will eventually start going in themselves as they develop a pattern/schedule. Maybe give them a little little bit of cracked corn / scratch or treat when they go in and they will eventually do it themselves and you'll just have to close up.

I guess I'm trying to get you to see that you can put up a small 10x10 fenced or so area next to the barn for grazing during the day - it's easy, you could just poke sticks in the ground just enough to hold the chicken wire up and chicken wire will do - you can just poke them into the ground it's just to make a barrier so the geese will stay in... usher them in there to eat grass and graze a while.... You don't understand that the grass is critical for them and leaving them off of it is not good. People give lettuce and other crap to their geese in confinement which is not their natural diet. Geese don't go into a lettuce patch and live... they graze on grass. Grass has protein and other nutrients they absolutely have to have especially for growth and development.

Good luck with your geese!

 

[flocksalot]

I used a duck starter for my ducks and geese (also used for my chicks as I have them vaccinated and don't want medicated feed) but heavily feed them weeds from the garden. They now have a taste for rag weed like you wouldn't believe. They will climb into the pig pen to get his ration of weeds when they can. At about 4 weeks I set them free in the garden to eat as they please. They can get back to their food if they want, but only seem to want it at night. They are 9 weeks now and I have no wing problems. The only problem I do have is that when I'm weeding the garden they think I'm supposed to be holding the weeds for them. Now the ducks they just go back and forth from foot to foot making a whinny puppy noise hopeing I find them some more grubs. or running over to the strawberry pail stealing all the little berries they can get. Bunch of punks.

 

[Chikn-Chik]

Thank you! I will have to buy some wire though, I don't have any on hand at the moment. The best place to put up a fence would be at the back of the barn, I have a small gate that goes straight into the pasture and thats where the stall is. Coyotes are the #1 predator here, and it doesn't help that they are also trying to get the red wolf population back up. I have also see a bobcat several times, and he left footprints at the pond. So I will defanantly be putting something together in the next few days. I don't want them to be miserable at all! Sorry if I made anyone upset with the way I've got them right now, that's why I have you guys to help me!