What do geese eat in the winter

The only time they ever went a wandering is in the fall, when she desided it was time to lay, the pair of them went all over looking for a nest, left our ard durring the day when we were all out and came back before we came home, the neighbors told us all about it though, they even crossed a busy street and looked in the green belt behind us, but they had established our yard as territory with lots of food and clean water so they came back.

Geese do not need the high energy of corn and wheat. Oats is plenty good enough. Try to get some winter oats, wheat or, probably best, Grazing Rye sometimes called Hungarian Forage Rye growing before the winter hits. Brussels sprouts and kale will stand extreme cold to give them some greens too.

O:T: I have not forgotten you,but life has been hectic - will explain soon. Old McDonald. I'm new to geese but have been doing a lot of reading about them and whole oats is definitely the recommended geese feed. A little corn is okay during the winter months for extra energy but I think a lot of people over do the corn thing as a means to stretch their feed bill dollar. Translation: its cheaper. You might also want to feed gamebird or duck pellets. Winter on the prairies is brutal all right.

I am not looking at conditions that are quite so extreme, but C. Motherduck, do you feed only grain to the geese in winter? Could you give me a bit more detail? Motherduck, Yes I agree that your temperatures are somewhat extreme, and I can only guess at how cold is.

I would prefer not to find out. Porridge in the mornings might not combat that low a temp. Maggie's is in line with my experiences, and Hungarian Rye, Oats, Brussels Sprouts and Kale, as well as a few other things, will survive at , consequently my post suggested those crops as possibilities. I found even unnecessary to live with, so moved to Portugal where -6 last winter was the coldest most places had ever recorded.

Old McDonald,. Hi Old McDonald! Minus twenty is not the lowest we get, of course, but anything lower is extreme for us.

I can take the cold better than this heat I am looking into your suggestions. They sound as though they may well provide the answers. Once I have had a chance to do that, I will likely have a few more questions for you.

So little information is available about geese as they are usually treated as an afterthought to ducks I intend to buy a book solely about raising and breeding geese, but it is no substitute for the information given by someone who really knows from ecperience. My first choice is Pilgrims, but I am also looking at Pomeranians - maybe saddlebacks - and also the tufted Romans.

I want a good-natured goose that I can free range as we have several acres of turf here Add a pond, and I think you have goose paradise! Need some help, I'm raising some toulouse geese for first time in NY, had some in florida but as you know the climate is different. What should I feed them in he winter and how should I house them?

I feed my geese game bird pellets and cracked corn. Lettuce does not have enough nutrients in it so don't bother with that. I save bread crusts and cucumber peelings for snacks for the geese. They also pick at the goats hay as do my chickens. I have been known to shovel the snow off sections of grass for my geese to graze in the winter. I also give them free access to the barn on really bad days. Right now I have planted my geese their own cucumber bed. They just love cucumbers. I have a mixed flock with geese, ducks, guinea fowl and chicken so they all get vegetarian laying pellets.

In winter I usually give them some cracked corn late afternoon to give them all a little extra energy when it is cold, snowy and windy. Attached to one of the coops is a fenced area with a fenced top. That coop's occupants sometimes stay in that totally fenced area all night, preferring that to the coop. All the birds except the chickens like to stay out in the air most nights, but since it has a fenced top, predators can't get in.

I may occasionally give them greens in winter, but don't make any special effort to do so. I have a Pilgrim pair and an African Brown pair.

Although the African Browns are noisy, neither breed is aggressive, and the Pilgrim are almost timid. Very nice geese.

Thanks for the info. I have a custom built 12x16 shed coming,it has windows all the way around, so there will be as much light as possible and a goose door with ramp for winter so I don't have to open double doors. I plan on having heat lamps or heat for really cold days.

I like the idea of the fenced in yard with roof, I may attach this to the shed. The shoveling of snow to expose grass is another thing I'm going to do. I plan on trying the cucumber on my geese. I have a brook in my barnyard and my shed is going to be placed within a stones throw of the brook but I will still have water in the shed.

I feed them cracked corn, goose pellets and they graze the barnyard plus they nibble up whatever is in the brook including watercress.

My 2 babies are just showing a hint of tail feathers, they are very tame, I'm their mom. They live in my kitchen at night and run the barnyard all day with me.

I have been trying to think of names have any suggestion. I raiose swans they need corn for warmth I feed wild game and turkey maitenence. It has some corn but I also add cracked corn,and I chop lettace and throw on water that helps fill them up and get thier greens.

We have two Roman Tufted. They do grow really fast. Feed them a mixture or grain and cracked corn the cracked corn I will increase slightly for winter. I have a nesting corner in their barn with shavings and loose hay they love leafy hay they love to graze on it. I keep two bales of hay in their barn also. We named them first Heckle and Jeckle because we didn't know if they were male or female and this seemed to cover either.

Then they didn't seem like Heckles or Jeckles so changed it to Bennie and June, the problem is not sure who Bennie is and who June is. Does it really matter. It isn't what you say its how you say it to them. The sound of the voice. So it's Benny and June or June and Benny.

Pilgrims are next. Sweetie, your goose will not sit on her eggs until she feels ready. Neither will chickens. This is called going broody.

It is really too early in the season for sitting on the eggs, even in the relatively mild climate compared to here of the United Kingdom. The eggs are dormant until she starts setting and will still be able to develop into goslings for 10 - 14 days after being laid.

After that they are not viable. The best thing to do is to take the eggs and store them in a cool place for her in case she goes broody suddenly. When you have a nice clutch ready for her, continue to add the new eggs but start using the older ones. They will still be good to eat, although goose eggs are very rich.

Continue to use the oldest ones as you add new ones That way you always have eggs ready for her when she is ready. When she has stayed on the nest for at least a full day and night, give her the eggs you have saved and she will try to hatch them for you.

Eggs laid later in the season will be more likely to develop into goslings than early eggs, especially if this is your geese's first season. Geese mature more slowly than chickens. Please get a good book about geese and learn Geese are wonderful, but you will enjoy them more if you understand them.

And please, when you post on a forum, don't use all upper case letters. Capital letters are very hard to read and many people will not even bother. I have 3 5-month old Emden geese and the cold winter here in southern Oregon will begin soon.

I think I have their shelter figured out, I have hens also with their coop all ready. Will probably attach an insulated lean to against the coop with three sides protected. Will lay straw on pallets for the floor and use heat lights, same as inside the coop. Hear a lot about grains but what type and are they fed raw or cooked.

Same with apples, carrots, other veggies. One last thing, I think. Where would I be able to buy bales or bundled of Timothy hay, clover, bluegrass, orchard grass or brome grass? Any help will be appreciated. I think God made them smart enough to go into the house. The goslings of Interior Canada goose prefer to eat green leaves of graminoids.

In summer, goslings of Giant Canada goose feed almost exclusively on these leaves. The goslings of B. Mowbray, Thomas B. Ely, James S. Sedinger and Robert E. Canada Goose Branta canadensis , version 2. Waterfowl always need easy access to water while eating to prevent issues with choking and to clean food out of their nares either of the pair of openings of the nose or nasal cavity.

Use a barn-safe water heater if necessary. In addition to fresh drinking water, geese need water for swimming and bathing. It is important that their water supply is kept clean and well aerated.

If you have provided them with an artificial pool, you will want to be sure to regularly remove dead leaves and other plants matter and be sure to drain and clean it regularly.

If your geese residents are lucky enough to have a natural pond, make sure the water is not polluted by household or industrial waste! There are a number of waterfowl food brands on the market, though not nearly as many as there are for chickens. Many of them provide complete nutrition for geese without any antibiotics, hormones, or animal byproducts. Food typically comes in pellet or granular form, which is preferable to mixed seed as it prevents geese from picking and choosing and missing out on essential nutrients.

It is preferable to choose a food made specifically for waterfowl, though chicken food can be used. However, chickens and geese, while needing many of the same nutrients, require them in different ratios. One quality, though expensive, brand of food is Mazuri. Do not feed geese old or moldy food, as this can have serious health consequences. Toxins in mold can cause serious damage to the digestive organs, liver, kidneys, muscles, and plumage, and can also reduce healthy growth in geese!

The following is a sortable, filterable reference guide to common commercial domesticated waterfowl food formulations. Please note that this is based on information provided by the suppliers and may be different than what is currently offered. Also please note that The Open Sanctuary Project does not endorse any product or brand, nor do we receive sponsorship from any product or brand. As a note, unlike ducks, geese are naturally herbivores, and although they tend to be fed the same foods as duck residents at sanctuaries, a vegetarian formula more closely matches their natural diet.

You should consider having a discussion with a qualified avian veterinarian about food recommendations for different kinds of geese in your care. Geese have not been genetically manipulated as much as ducks and chickens, and remain seasonal layers. A goose who is laying may require a bit more food or additional calcium, but if they have access to an appropriate diet and a healthy piece of land for foraging, they should be able to get all the nutrients they need even during the laying season.

In addition to feeding a high quality food, you must be sure to store the food properly to ensure your residents reap all the nutritional benefits. Food will keep best if kept in a cool, dry, dark place.

All food, including unopened bags, should be stored in tightly sealed metal cans or thick plastic bins to prevent rodents from getting into food.