Where to keep the geese?

[missionsix]

My plan is to build a small house (dog house sized) and keep it in the coop yard next to the chicken coop. Will they (the geese) share a spot inside the chicken coop? I'm hoping to let them free range (1 acre butted up to NF w/o a fence) so it will only be for nightime.

 

[amaliayosa]

Im wondering the same thing. We are getting a pair of geese in April and not sure how to house them.
Anyone?

 

[DuckyBoys]

Well, about 11 of mine are just free ranging all the time and they come sleep in the barn at night. The barn door is always open, so they come and go whenever. The other 4 are separated out for breeding and they have access to the barn from their 50x50 foot pen via a doggie door. They too like to sleep inside. I can't see them enjoying a closed in space like chickens though, so I'm not sure about the dog house. I don't think mine would go in there on their own. The barn pen for those four in the breeding area is 8x8 feet and I think that is pretty much the perfect size for 4 geese. That door is alwasy open too, so it isn't like they are forced to stay inside either.

Hope that helps!

 

[vkulesh]

My geese never ever want to sleep inside. They free-range during the day and go to a fenced-in area for the night; but sleep outside even in winter. The best thing you can probably do is build a three-sided shelter to keep them out of the wind when it is cold.

 

[Judy]

Quote:
What state do you live in? How cold is your winter?

 

[raindrop]

Quote:
Ditto for my geese.

I live in Oregon. It's not very cold.

But, when it was 12 degrees a couple nights this winter, I let them sleep on the pond since the water was much warmer than the air. I say I "let" them, but I wasn't about to swim out to get them and there was no way they were leaving the water!

 

[Pretty Pony]

I keep my French Toulouse geese locked up at night in two 8x8 dog kennel pens with a dog house in each. Even on the coldest nights, they stayed outside of the dog houses most of the time. Now that spring has arrived, the females are both nesting in the dog houses. During the day, if they want to come out, I just leave the kennel gate open and they are roaming the yard. Seems to be working so far. (Fingers crossed)

 

[Duck Keeper]

Our winters get way below zero, and my goose never wanted to go in HER dog house...

I'd try three bales of hay with plywood on top if wind isn't much of an issue.

 

[Duck Keeper]

Oops! Meant to add this:

If the wind was really bad, I would put cinderblocks on top maybe.

 

[Mojo Chick'n]

My two geese don't sleep inside the "duckhouse" they free range then go into the chicken run at night on their own, so I can lock them up safely. The chicken run has a roof (not water tight) to keep most of the rain off them, and the coop is situated so it blocks a lot of the wind.

Now, that duckhouse is a beautiful dog house, cedar wood, painted up pretty - the ducks use it sometimes, to lay eggs in, but the gander lately has been taking all the hay out of the duckhouse and putting it into the pool and on the ground all around the pool - I think he is trying to make a nest for his lady

.

I am hoping once the duck pen is finished the geese will go in there at night, to save me having to make the chickens stay inside on hot summer nights, when they could be perching out in the run for some fresh air.

meri