Backyard Poultry Forum

I am giving a home to two adult geese next week, and I am very excited about it but I am also a little nervous as I don't know much at all about geese!

I have 8.5 acres of grass with a natural stream and sinkhole for them to bathe and swim about in, lots of grazing. I will get them some duck mix from the stockfeeder.

Silly question but ... do they lay eggs like hens? Do I need to provide them with a nesting box?

How do I best introduce myself to my new feathered friends? I don't want to scare them or make them feel threatened so they get aggressive towards me.

I have a cat, will my cat bother the geese? Or will the geese put her in her place? She is only a very small female domestic short hair.

Anything else I need to know please enlighten me! I am a complete novice .

Thanks!

OK

First of all congratulation on seeing the light, geese are the best, the more time you spend with them the friendlier they will get.

Duck mix is not the best for them, they do not eat meat in any form, where as ducks do, so you are better to buy a cheap horse mix, it will be better for them.

If you have a girl, yes they lay eggs, if you have two girls you will get lots of eggs, if you have a pair, you may get goslings and of course if you have two boy, sorry no eggs .

I would be best if you could lock them in a yard or pen for a week or so, they they now this is home. Whilst locked up, feed them some lettuce, cabbage leaves, etc whilst calling them to bed. They will learn that the calling means so good food. This will make it a lot easier in the future if you want to lock them up. Which you should do at night. In the yard have an area they can make a nest in, an old dog kennel or large wooden box, etc.

Introducing them to others is easy, just let it happen, if you have a rooster, he may want to dominate them, but this fight will only last a few seconds.

If the cat does not bother the chook, then it will not bother the cat, if the geese does not like the cat, the geese will tell it very quickly.

If you look in the Waterfowl Section, they are many topics about geese and ducks, have a read and if you have any question ask, we are here to help.

If you have a digital camera, we would love to see a picture of your new friends.

The cant will be put in her place

The duck mix is fine for them, but they would prefere capricorn goat mix if it is available to you.

They do lay, but only in their season. Around late winter spring. Depending on breed, some will lay up to 80 - but more realistically 30 if you remove them daily. The eggs are about 7 hen eggs, and they lay every second day. It is likely for them to hide their eggs, they prefere to build their own out of straw.

Best introduction is nice and slow, have some bread or treats to offer them, it will take time, depending on how tame they are to start with will make a difference as to how long they take to beind to you.

Most important, have fun with them - they are great birds.

Enjoy

Honk

_________________
If you can keep chooks, geese will be a BREEZE!

Wow thanks BB, that is really helpful!! I have a horse so I have lots of horse feed getting around lol, I feed straight oats though, perhaps a horse muesli would be better for them? Or soaked pony cubes to form a mash?

I am assuming they are girls, the lady that has them doesn't have any goslings getting about so I guess they are the same sex anyway haha! So long as I don't get babies I don't mind . (Can you eat goose eggs? Do they make good omelettes?)

I have a mesh yard (no roof though) I can keep them in with a large kennel I can bed down with hay for them. I haven't any other birds, these will be my first!

I am so excited!!

The geese were suggested to me as I am alone on the property much of the time (Husband works away) and haven't a dog, I have heard they make great guard birds, which would make me feel alot better . I just hoep they don't fly out of their pen, but the lady who has them now says they don't fly high or far, and that so long as I have food and a splashy pool for them they won't stray too far ... I hope she is right!!

Once I get the gagglers I will take some pics and post them for sure! I am going to meet them next Thursday . I hope they like me

Thank you Honk! So should I go for goat mix or pony cubes? Or is there a specific goose mix?

They lay alot of eggs!! Lol, my cholesterol levels will get a great workout in laying season!

Very good omletes - much better and fluffier than hen eggs.

The best mix for geese is to make your own - feed them lucurne chaff mixed with wheat and a bit of water - they will love it.

Honk

_________________
If you can keep chooks, geese will be a BREEZE!

Great thank you! Are clipped and dressed oats ok to add too? Should I boil the wheat or just feed straight with lucerne chaff, no soaking?

Just put the chaff and wheat into a bucket and cover the lucurne with water - this softens it all up nicely. The wheat does not need to be soaked, but they dont mind.

Honk

_________________
If you can keep chooks, geese will be a BREEZE!

Thank you! You have been a great help, cheers .

Not long until goose day ... My first birds too! Hmmm I hope I don't do too much wrong .

Orpy, you cant do wrong with geese. I have had them for years.
They only lay in breeding season. Eggs are big. Taste great.

Listen to Honk. He knows what he is talking about.

My geese eat whatever I give them, greens, seed, a bit of bread, they love their dam and little pond. Do not go far and dont stray.

Will let you know if someone or something is around. Lock them up at night for their own safety especially if you have foxes, or dingoes. I dont know where you are, forgot to look.

Enjoy your birds.

_________________
I have chooks, muscoveys, geese, parrots, cats, dogs and 1 long suffering hubby

Thank you all for such helpful advice, you have been great

I have another silly question hehe ... I learned as a newbie on here that hens have little control over their toilet habits, are geese the same or do they have a little more control? Are they easy to train to be cuddly pets? I want to have them very tame and pettable .

With regards to a wheat and lucerne chaff mix, how much should I feed them? Should I just mix up 2 cups of each and feed them twice daily, or what is the best way to feed them and how much? I don't want to overfeed them or underfeed them.

It would be impossible to toilet train geese You would need to tie them down, and even then i think they would manage to spread it

When they are older, it is much harder to make them cuddly, they need to be hand raised to be really friendly - day old.

A handful of wheat to a handful of lucurne per bird should be plenty. If they scoff it all, gice them a little more next time - if they dont eat it all - give them less.

Honk

_________________
If you can keep chooks, geese will be a BREEZE!

Well I am heart broken, no poultry for me for about 18 months it is looking like .

We are renting an acreage property, and it is on a bore (including the entire house,, no other water available), the bore is running dry and we are having many problems with water. As a result we have decided to move back to the suburbs and blessed scheme water - so no geese now .

We are building our own home, so I will get some poultry then, but still in suburbia ... so back to the waiting game lol.

And I was so looking forward to the gagglers too .

Oh well, there are worse things lol, I will just have to be patient haha!

At least I am well armed with some knowledge to build on now, thanks Honk!