Wintering geese in Wisconsin

[bantywoman]

Ours get locked up every night as well, for their own protection and our peace of mind, really. We're a little concerned about their winter diet... they mostly free range during the day (grass) and have access to feed whenever as well, though they really only eat that when they're locked in at night. They want nothing to do with chicken layer though, or corn, or any sorts of lettucy treats. I'm going to try carrot tops, since that resembles grass the most, but I'm not even sure how nutritional that is? NH has long winters... I'm hoping that will be enough nutrition for them, possibly?

Oddly enough we've never had a problem with messy water. We provide it for them at all times and they're actually pretty clean for geese inside their crib. In one corner they have straw which is mostly what the sleep/poop on, and that gets changed every day, which keeps the rest of the stall fairly spotless, so depending on if your geese sleep in the same spot at night, that might be helpful!

 

[taprock]

I'm in Northern Michigan and have 4 Toulouse. We lock them up every night. I also have a heated dog dish for them for water which they share with the chickens but have a larger rubber container outside they can make a mess in. The biggest thing is during any of the winter storms - the worst ones - the wind is out of the east. Make sure you have a spot out of the wind and draft free if possible. During a storm a 1/2' gap with snow and wind can give you a huge drift inside - I know from experience!

 

[AGeese]

I live in iowa and i use the deep bedding method. I put 6 inches of straw in the bottom of the building and every morning I stir it up top to bottom. I add extra bedding when it gets to dirty. The wet bedding is placed on the bottom and the dry comes to the top. The bedding will start to rot and give off heat and help to keep the birds warmer in the winter. I got this from Dave Holdereads book on geese and it works well. You have to stir it every day or it will freeze into a solid chunk but if you do mix it, it keeps the bedding nice all winter.

In Iowa too. They're in my garage. I use straw, alfalfa hay, and a heated bucket. I spot clean and sprinkle some fresh hay down daily, then turn it every other day or so. They also have access to grit.