What kind of housing??

How many geese? Geese are very large and should be able to move comfortably about their shelter. Like chickens, geese are pretty helpless during the nighttime hours, so secure housing is a must. Like with chickens, ventilation is important. All birds have sensitive respiratory systems and need good airflow to prevent buildup of moisture and ammonia. Unlike chickens, geese do not roost.

 

Ours free range protected by a heeler(zone 8), have fulltime access to an 8x16 structure and carport, but ignore both in favor of hunkering down in front of the barn. They shake off the snow, still outside in the wind or 16 degree F temperature.

 

I, too, am planning housing for ducks and geese and welcome advice. Some specific questions:

• can geese and ducks share a house if it is compartmentalized for them (one roof, several sections with own doors) or do they need to be more separate?

• can 2 pairs of geese share a larger home, or is it better to separate pairs into their own quarters?

• is it best to have male/female pairs of geese or does anyone have trios (1 gander, 2 geese)?

• how many ducks per drake is ideal?

Thank you!

-- Tracey in Idaho

 

@traceykindall welcome to BYC

Very good questions you have asked.
As for housing plan for as large as you can and remember geese get ornery during breeding season so 2 pairs may live happily together during off season but once breeding season starts up all bets maybe off.
So if you want 2 pairs it would be best to go ahead and build their housing so you can separate the pairs during breeding season. Some do keep trios and it can work that all depends on the gander too.

My pair have their own house separate from the ducks and chickens.

As for drakes and ducks at least 3 female and up per drake. That will hopefully keep any one duck from being over mated.

When I had more than one drake [Muscovy] We had 1 house with stalls inside with hard ware wire tops so my drakes had their own bedroom so to speak because they will fight if closed up together. So if you want to make a house for them all to live together having a way to keep them separate inside would work. Just remember geese will work together to hatch and raise goslings.

Ducks like to have their own privacy while brooding and hatching and most of us keep the drake away because he really hasn't any part in the ducklings once she begins brooding and drakes can be unpredictable.

It's very important geese/ducks have shelter that is safe and secure not just from bad weather but from bad predators. When you get your geese and ducks start training them early to go into their shelter at night. They herd very easily and love treats so if started when young you'll sleep well knowing they are all safe and secure. And no one is a sitting duck/goose for long. Unless you have LGD's then leaving them out might be an option.

 

I will be getting my first geese (pair of him and her) this spring and must get their house built to include a run and a pond/kiddie pool. Also I will be getting some ducks, housed separately. My experience with having ducks is:

Four years ago we rescued a Muscovy duck and he had a badly damaged wing. Found him wandering around our driveway looking for food and we had to use a fishing net to capture him, he was quite traumatized. We knew it was only a matter of time (possibly hours) before the raccoons or coyotes ate him. Up the road we went, and deposited him in the neighborhood pond, full of fish and other types of goodies, lots of grass all round, he absolutely flourished in spite of the fact that I could not manage to trap that pesky snapping turtle who sometimes showed himself. Our duck did well for two winters, we went up the road every day or so to give him some grains, I found out the neighbors were also feeding him, he was quite spoiled and became very friendly. He did not make any effort to fly away although I did see him flap his wings, never getting any lift. One day we went to feed him and could not find him. He ALWAYS came when called. The next day, still no duck, so I hunted all around the edge of the pond and found my lovely Muscovy half eaten and hidden in some marshes. About that time I heard the squeaking of otters in the pond; three teenagers had followed a stream up from the river (at least three miles away) and decided to park in the pond. The nasty little otters had murdered my beautiful duck. I went back a few days later and the rest of the carcass was pretty much gone other than a few feathers. The otters were protected species but my Muscovy was considered an introduced pest not to be allowed in the wild. Word of the loss quickly spread up and down the street and within a week, the otters were gone. Nobody would fess up as to how that happened.

I'm relating the above story to let you know that I am no stranger to ducks in a semi-wild environment, however his downfall was OTTERS because they killed him in the safest part of his habitat. Raccoons, opossums, coyotes, foxes and bobcats will not swim out in the middle of a 5 foot deep pond to get their next meal. I have learned my lesson about predators. And I don't particularly like bored teenage otters who leave the river in pursuit of my pets.

Now on to my question: My waterfowl will have to make do with 2 kiddie ponds and occasional access to our little creek and the turtle spa when the turtles aren't visiting. The turtles will appreciate the ducks and geese keeping grass from growing in their mud bath. But, how do I get the fowl to make nests inside their safe little houses/enclosed porches? We have packs of raccoons roaming about almost every night, and they are very destructive. My chicken house is well reinforced and the chickens naturally go inside at night and take to their nesting boxes during the day. But I am quite concerned about suitable housing for my waterfowl and don't want to do it wrong the first time. Just one pair of geese,and possibly 4 ducks of which only one is male. I am considering making a fully enclosed pen in front of the house(s) with chain link and hardware cloth sides, top and bottom, and door which can be opened to allow them to roam about when it's safe.
Lastly, we raised about 2 dozen turkeys our first year on the farm and they can really poop, a lot. How would you compare turkey poop to goose poop? I may have to keep them out of the front yard where the kids play.

 

compared to some other people posting I'm no expert by any means as I got my first lot of geese 8 of them last July. And since I live in uk we have no real predators apart from fox, badgers and some predator birds.
But if it helps people with housing geese here is what I did.

I built them a 9 by 9 ft shed with the random supplies I had laying around. All except the hard plywood that I bought as walls 22mm at bottom panel and 12mm on top. I also treated plywood to help it not rot as quick outside.

The roof I used left over waterproof roofing fabric and sheet iron fixed at a slant which is great cuz the grooves in the sheet iron means the rain water all goes one direction.

I left a fingers length gap at the top for ventilation and covered it with frost proof fabric I use for laying bricks perfect for keeping out the wind and frost but still gives air flow.

I topped it off by fixing hinges to the bottom panel by the door which folds out as a great ramp for them (especially when they explosively run out in the mornings) and also gives me satisfaction at knowing that 12mm of hard plywood is covering the bottom of the door at night.

Inside I covered the whole floor area and lower part of walls in really fine wire mesh so even rats and mice can't get in through the flooring then I used more roofing fabric ontop of the mesh to make it easier to clean out and also so that the geese don't hurt themselves on the mesh, I originally used tarpaulin But the geese kept tearing it up lol.

I also put a lock on the door at night and lift the ramp up which has a hook to keep it up. When there in at night they then have a large trough of water set at the right level so they can drink and clean there vents but not jump in it and a large cat litter tray full of water so they can have a small wash if wanted with. Also I put wheat in hot water and a small cap full of apple cider vinegar with another feeding bowl of corn, greens and mealworms since it's winter.

I have an electric fence running from 4 mm off the ground to stop rats and mice borrowing underneath there shed but I'll get around to replacing that with two course of bricks dug into the ground or just cement it.

Also I know it works for foxes but male human urine works wonders in scaring them off. I don't know if it works for any other predator though. I have no scientific proof it works other then i had loads of foxes and badgers running through my field and as soon as started spraying a perimeter I'd see them walking on the other side of my field rather then through it. I know that has nothing to do with the original post but thought it's a handy peace of info

Anyway that's what I've done its probably overkill but at least I have the satisfaction of knowing the geese are safe even from a mouse at night lol

Hope this helps someone

 

Pics please

 

Definitely, post pics.

How much room (enclosed area) do your geese have to run around in? Or do they free range during the day?

 

Of course if it helps will do tomorrow just its 12:16am here wouldn't make good pics in the dark lol
Unfortunatly the uk is on lock down with birds ATM as this H5N8 bird flu is passing through so have built them an 8 by 13 metre fenced and netted area so the geese are separated from the wild birds but overgrazing is becoming a bit of an issue they'll be moved to a new area once the bird flu stuff passes.
but before the bird flu thing I'd say they had roughly a 13 by 13 metre area to run around in when I wasn't around and then I let them free range when I was ( kinda cute as they'd follow me single file to the field lol)
But I don't know the average square metre per goose ratio. I Just gave them the maximum space i felt comfortable with mixed with the amount of fencing supplies I had laying around plus I wanted them all to be able to stretch there wings and run around if wanted. But yeah that's what I've done for 8 geese.

Also with the poop I don't know about turkeys but geese poo on average every 17 minutes I read once. they definitely lay the ground with the stuff! I go round there area with a horse poo scoop after I put them away to get what I can and I would say have a decent 3/4 of the scoop filled with more that I wasn't able to get at lol

But as miss Lydia mentioned above geese go easy into there shelter once there trained and used to it with mine it was all about routine now I just open there gate which they wait at when its dark they waddle single file to there shed and I lock them away but as they were growing up I spent many a night picking them up and taking them over.