Winter with geese

[Ourminizoo2021]

Hi everyone !
This will be my first winter with geese.. I want to make sure I'm prepared. I live in northern NB Canada so it gets pretty cold especially at night during winter. I had to keep my chickens inside a lot because the wind made it too cold for them to be out so I'm wondering if I'll have to do the same for my geese.. I was planning on spreading some wood shavings outside for them to step on so they aren't directly walking in the snow..

I have them with my chickens and they seem to be doing great. I'm using my shed so it has a wide wrap around shelf that I keep the chicken feed and waterer ( the chickens mostly hang out there or up in the rafters lol).I used to have water at floor level for the geese but I had to remove it, the mess they made was unreal lol. What do you guys do when it comes time to feeding and giving water to the geese in the winter? I had to get a heated chicken waterer cause it kept freezing so I'm not sure how ill keep the geese water from freezing.. I have plastic buckets for them now but they'll definitely freeze.

Any ideas would be appreciated

 

[Percheron chick]

Water will always be a problem with geese. They live to make a mess out of it. As far as heated water for the winter, they make 5 gallon heated buckets for horses. They also sell 2 1/2 G for dogs. To help keep the water liquid in your extreme temps, you need to add some insulation to the sides. My fix would be to wrap the bucket in a nonflammable material (bubble wrap, spray foam...). Take another similar bucket, drill a hole to run the cord through. Place heated bucket in extra bucket. Next I would cover the top with a hole cut out just large enough for the geese to stick their head in (4-6"). Screw the cover to the lip of the bucket or it will be a goose chew toy. Run the cord through a piece of PVC pipe or they will chew on that too. Hang the bucket so it is even with their back or a few inches higher. Will keep them from trying to crawl in and take a bath. When you get a nice sunny day give them an open bucket of warm water for a quick bath. Clean fluffy geese are naturally warmer than dirty ones.
I prefer to use straw on top of snow. I get really big consistent winds and shavings just blow away. Pine needles and leaves are free and work well too. Mine do not have an enclosed coop. Just a 3 sided horse shed. They prefer to sleep out under the stars even in a snow storm. My guess is that they are going to want out no matter the weather. I would strategically place some piles of straw along the path so that they can stop and warm up their feet.

 

[telandra2]

I just use the 1 goose sized oval rubber tubs and 2 large buckets to haul water when it's too cold for a hose. Easy to pick up and dump out and they take the abuse of being stood or jumped on if the ice is really thick. Just make sure you have an area for the skating rink build up and toss shavings or straw on top for traction and frozen foot protection. The geese also walk on and gnaw at the growing ice in the tub to keep an open water area. Ice is a fun toy!

Mine also have an enclosed coop and during extended cold snaps I'd put a half full tub inside so they could drink and bathe. 15-20f is the point everyone just sits and hunkers for warmth here. That might be balmy in NB.

Their food is inside, otherwise the deer would eat it. I add some BSF larva for extra stay warm protein. And more toys for entertainment.

If you have Africans the internet says their knobs can get frostbite. Otherwise they have built-in goose down jackets.

 

[Iain Utah]

I provide fresh water 2x daily with their feeding. I use 3 gallon rubber horse feed tubs for water, That way, it is easy to break ice without breaking a bucket/bowl.

For bedding, I use grass hay and straw. I like to use hay in feeding area (which is covered) because the geese will eat it, and straw inside the barn. While they are cold-hardy, they very much prefer to sleep inside barn on bedding in winter.

Like chickens and muscovy ducks, any exposed fleshy skin (caruncles, knob, etc) can get frostbite. However, if they have access to shelter, they should be fine.

Geese do not mind walking on top of hard-packed snow, but they hate sinking into deep snow, so we shovel pathways for their main traffic areas when necessary.

 

[AGeese]

I use a bucket in the pen right now, not much mess at all. They dunk their heads in it and swish their beaks around. I don't fill it to the brim so it doesn't splash that much. I also keep their 3.4 gallon drinker in there with some grit in the basin. There's hardly any mess due to water.

I'll probably just set the bucket on top of a floor based water heater. I also have a heated drinking bowl with coil around the cord to protect it from their chewing.

 

[Cynthia1828]

If you really want to "invest" you can buy a large round shallow stocktank and keep it from freezing with a septic tank aerator. My flock keeps warm by staying in the unfrozen water of my farm pond during winter, and here it gets 15-20 below zero at the worst.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

We just use heated buckets, and dump them every few days as they get stinky fast. They are outside out of the wind. We also provide some water inside with a rubber bucket that is changed out daily.