Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Poultry and Pets => The Hen House => Topic started by: R66VEY on February 20, 2008, 21:00
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Im think about keeping a pair of geese can anyone give me any advise on keeping them and rufly how big there housing has to be . ????
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I have 2 geese, they share a stable with the ducks but don't need a huge space at night, as long as its fox proof it will be ok with good but not draughty ventilation
They do however need access to a lot of good grass, even with suppliment food that is what they love best, I think 1/2 acre for 2 geese.
Get them like this so they grow up friendly
(http://shutter08.pictures.aol.com/data/pictures/03/019/7C/EB/62/73/z+PLLJK00daV4PDEWYQ92zLzAL+7hpTw0300.jpg)
this is 4-5 months later (Fozzie loves to have her picture taken) :lol:
(http://shutter14.pictures.aol.com/data/pictures/08/002/1D/DF/27/21/JVTMoYuqNhHk2QHJyepcbdt4bCLR9yKR0300.jpg)
oh and don't forget the water they need to submerge at least their shoulders to wash and keep away eye problems they are very fussy clean birds and a swim is a bonus for them. :)
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I have fallen in love, are they noisy :D :D
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They have their moments :lol: When you let them out in the morning they make a lot of noise saying hello and anything that upsets them will get the noise going big time and they make great early warning systems :?
They do chatter to each other and me in a more moderate voice though.
If you have close neighbours they probably won't appreciate them, mine are 100 yards or so from the house in their pen but I can still hear them if they are worried at all. They are very protective of anything they are brought up with and look after the ducks but hate it when the ducks mate and pull the drakes off and peck because they think the ducks are getting hurt. They like a calm environment :)
Video of them on my blog (pond needs fixing most noisy one) :!:
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the pictures are great love them !! im thinking on getting them about 6-8 weeks old would that be about right ?? Then build a 6 by 8 shed .im goin to try and get an old bath tub an fill it full of water for them to wash in !!
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Make sure goslings, if they are too young to fly can get out of the bath when they need to or they will drown. Had this happen when I was young. :(
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yes ill bare that in mind .can i keep chickens an geese together in the same shed an pen.
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Get them at a few days old the younger the better so they imprint with you as mum.
My chickens do go in the goose enclosure to steal food but I wouldn't keep them together all the time they do pull the chickens feathers if they are stealing food.
If you are making a shed for them make the door a stable type with the top half mesh for ventilation, mine drops down with a wood bar accross for night to keep foxy out. I also have a porch thing over mine to stop rain driving in and wetting the straw.
You might be better with an old plastic sandpit rather than a bath for them, easier to empty and refill and although shallow enough for them to bath and be safe :)
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I'd always been scared of geese, until that is we got Crumb! She is my best friend when I'm outside she follows me every where, can't imagine life with out her :D There are some photo's on my profile album :)
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Love the pics, I think I'll post an album with my profile its a good idea
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At the end of last summer I bought a small piece of land on which to keep my existing ex bats. Already on the land were some black rocks and a pair of geese. The gander having been fine with me until now has started to get aggressive and attacks me whenever I am close with the watering can. I can't think that he all of a sudden doesn't like the watering can as until now there hasn't been a problem. Thank god I have it as I manage to keep it between him and myself so that he pecks the can and not me as it hurts! I'd like them to have more water available, they have plenty of buckets etc.. but no actual pond. I do have an old bath, would that be suitable with a ramp so they can access it? Also have a running stream/river just outside the gate, would love them to be able to go to that but would they not just swim away? Any advice would be helpful. Also got a broody hen who is sitting on all the eggs. I can see that some of them are broken, there must be about 20 underthere. Should I move her and her eggs to another house so she has some peace as she has taken up residence just where they all lay!!
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after we moved here last march, a goose moved in from the farm over the road and made herself at home on our pond.
we started feeding her every morning, and she must've spread the word, because we now have anywhere from 12-18 ducks join her every morning for breakfast :lol:
another goose from the farm, who we assume had fallen in love with her, has spent his days on the other side of the fence next to the pond just watching her 24/7 for the last 6 months, only going back to the farm for dinner.
today we went up to the pond to feed the goose and ducks.... and lo and behold... we now have 2 geese!!! he finally made it over the fence :lol:
they're fab! not tame at all (they were meant to be guard geese for the farmer, but they kinda adopted us! whoops! hehehe :lol: ) but they're such great entertainment! i could spend hours up at the pond watching them :D
xxxx
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Milly the gander is aggressive at the mo because it's breeding season and he is protecting his goose.
Our 2 normally placid ganders are the same, it's the time of year.
If you let them on the stream they will hopefully stay round and about as they regard the area as their home. Is there any way you can pen an area of the stream off?
I would move the broody to somewhere safer, preferably after dark when she will be more docile.
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Thanks Mothergoose,
Today he kept his distance, and so I looked inside their house after having mucked out the chickens house, and lo and behold, 4 goose eggs were lying there. Havn't had a look inside the geese's house for a fortnight as they manage to keep it very clean, so the eggs could be a little old by now. How often does the female lay an egg? As soon as I saw the eggs, the penny dropped, as it were and I realised he was probably stroppy because she is laying. Its all very informative this site and very much appreciated, so thank you all. :D
The broody hen had abandoned the eggs today, there were 22 eggs there :!:
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Really pleased that your Goose has started laying :D
I've read somewhere that a Goose lays roughly every 34 hours???? I've found with mine it's around the 40 hour mark!!
I think maybe I watch my birds a tad too much as I know exactly when the eggs are due :oops: :lol:
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NOT POSSIBLE :shock: We can never watch our geese, ducks, hens peacocks too much :lol: :lol: :lol:
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Thanx for that Jellyhead, thought it was just me :D :lol:
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Really pleased that your Goose has started laying :D
I've read somewhere that a Goose lays roughly every 34 hours???? I've found with mine it's around the 40 hour mark!!
I think maybe I watch my birds a tad too much as I know exactly when the eggs are due :oops: :lol:
yes me too! I need to get a life! :lol:
Mine seem to lay every other day, (which is about the same) with the exception of once where it was twice in 2 days from the same goose :shock:
Sorry to hear your broody abandoned, it's disappointing isn't it? :(
Maybe she was disturbed too much being out in the open. If she goes broody again (and I'm sure she will :wink: ) get her settled in a broody coop with her own small run. That way no other hen can add to her clutch either :lol:
Oh to answer the original query.... :oops:
my 2 pairs have a wendy house each, they need a fair bit of grass and although a big pond would be ideal, mine happily make do with buckets and a trough each that they can climb into to have a good wash and also to mate. They have a handful of layer pellets every day and the odd treat of a handful of barley, but they are mainly grazers and will keep your grass short!
Get some they're lovely (keep small children away though)