What feeder?

[Olive Hill]

Quote:
If you give some more details of your set up we may be able to better help with suggestions?

Are you keeping your geese penned without access to grass and greens? Please keep in mind that grass and greens are the natural diet of geese. And not just a portion, but the vast, vast majority of it. They are not seed and grain and bug eaters near as much as, say chickens. They are designed by nature to consume vegetation. Their bodies and biological functions have evolved to thrive on those things, not grains. If you absolutely cannot provide them with access to grazing it would be a very good idea to provide them with, at the least, a hay feeder kept full of grass/legume mix hay. In fact, anyone keeping geese should really consider this in the winter months as well. Not only is it better for the geese it significantly reduces their winter consumption of grain which is a great money saver on the feed bill.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Quote:
If you give some more details of your set up we may be able to better help with suggestions?

Are you keeping your geese penned without access to grass and greens? Please keep in mind that grass and greens are the natural diet of geese. And not just a portion, but the vast, vast majority of it. They are not seed and grain and bug eaters near as much as, say chickens. They are designed by nature to consume vegetation. Their bodies and biological functions have evolved to thrive on those things, not grains. If you absolutely cannot provide them with access to grazing it would be a very good idea to provide them with, at the least, a hay feeder kept full of grass/legume mix hay. In fact, anyone keeping geese should really consider this in the winter months as well. Not only is it better for the geese it significantly reduces their winter consumption of grain which is a great money saver on the feed bill.

I have never heard of geese eating grass/legume mix hay, I would be concerned about their crops since I read that long grass can cause crop problems. and chickens eating hay will get crop problems. Of course this could be totally different than what I am thinking. I'll have to check at our feed store to see if they carry it.

 

[Nicophorus]

I keep a very mixed flock that has access to one acre of pasture/orchard throughout the day and all get locked up in a barn at night. I feed nutrena all flock free choice. Just wish the geese would spend more time grazing instead of lounging under an oak with the occasional trip to the barn to scoop up some All Flock pellets

 

[Olive Hill]

Quote:
Did you give them greens as goslings?

Do they not graze at all or are they just piggy with the feed and lazy about grazing?

 

[Olive Hill]

Quote:
If you give some more details of your set up we may be able to better help with suggestions?

Are you keeping your geese penned without access to grass and greens? Please keep in mind that grass and greens are the natural diet of geese. And not just a portion, but the vast, vast majority of it. They are not seed and grain and bug eaters near as much as, say chickens. They are designed by nature to consume vegetation. Their bodies and biological functions have evolved to thrive on those things, not grains. If you absolutely cannot provide them with access to grazing it would be a very good idea to provide them with, at the least, a hay feeder kept full of grass/legume mix hay. In fact, anyone keeping geese should really consider this in the winter months as well. Not only is it better for the geese it significantly reduces their winter consumption of grain which is a great money saver on the feed bill.

I have never heard of geese eating grass/legume mix hay, I would be concerned about their crops since I read that long grass can cause crop problems. and chickens eating hay will get crop problems. Of course this could be totally different than what I am thinking. I'll have to check at our feed store to see if they carry it.

Both chickens and geese have evolved to utilize long stem fiber in their diet -- geese more so, but both have. In the history of both chickens and geese this whole pen them up on dirt floors and feed them only what we deem "safe" is a very modern and new-fangled idea. Make sure they have access to all portions of a natural diet for their species and they will be fine; stones or "grit" being of special importance to the winter feeding of hay.

 

[Nicophorus]

Quote:
Did you give them greens as goslings?

Do they not graze at all or are they just piggy with the feed and lazy about grazing?

I bought them at about a month and a half old, but they were raised outdoors by their mother. They do graze , I just noticed a very sharp decline in grazing after they got comfortable here and discovered the chicken feeder. Went from grazing most of the day to... relaxing under the oak

 

[NYRIR]

My geese are free range. They do consume a LOT of grass but are not only eating that...they frequent the feed bowls and chase the chickens out of it

(save the head roo, who they leave alone

) I do have too many for the yard right now though as they have nibbled the grass down to an inch high or less

We will be butchering some and seeing how that works next spring...if need be we will down size more since I want them to have enough grass. They seem to "pick" through and eat grass but not the weeds

The chickens leave these weeds alone as well. They are low-growing , have roundish leaves and small purplish flowers that resemble small "tubes". They are now taking over the yard

Anyway, the people I acquired the geese from fed mostly grains so all 7 are used to that. I have recently gotten them used to at least TRYING the treats I throw out. They do like some of those. Next spring we are re-seeding with clover and grass mix for the birds. I'll have to section parts off at a time and kill the weeds with plastic since I refuse to use chemicals so it will take a bit to do

 

[Miss Lydia]

Quote:
I have never heard of geese eating grass/legume mix hay, I would be concerned about their crops since I read that long grass can cause crop problems. and chickens eating hay will get crop problems. Of course this could be totally different than what I am thinking. I'll have to check at our feed store to see if they carry it.

Both chickens and geese have evolved to utilize long stem fiber in their diet -- geese more so, but both have. In the history of both chickens and geese this whole pen them up on dirt floors and feed them only what we deem "safe" is a very modern and new-fangled idea. Make sure they have access to all portions of a natural diet for their species and they will be fine; stones or "grit" being of special importance to the winter feeding of hay.

Thanks Olive Hill for the information, all my ducks, chickens and goose free range each and everyday, but I have alot to learn about feeding I see, they are all healthy but I really do want them to be at their best especially with winter coming on. so with that being said and all my gang in the same areas will it be okay for the ducks and chickens to also eat this grass/legume mixture too? I've never had any crop problems with any of my flock and they have acsess to grit over the winter because it's sometimes hard to find any natural with snow on the ground. Thanks again for the info.

 

[NYRIR]

Where do you get this grass/legume mix?

 

[Miss Lydia]

Quote:
I'm hoping our one and only feed store has it. might depend on demand though.