The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: harry on August 12, 2018, 04:49:03 pm

Title: Growing geese and sweetcorn
Post by: harry on August 12, 2018, 04:49:03 pm
I grow geese for Xmas but wondered if I plant sweetcorn with a slightly larger spacing the geese would leave the sweetcorn as there's plenty of grass. Currently it's fenced off maybe once i pick it i will see if they leave the stems or eat them.
Title: Re: Growing geese and sweetcorn
Post by: Anke on August 12, 2018, 05:11:17 pm
Young sweetcorn plants will be a nice treat for geese...
Title: Re: Growing geese and sweetcorn
Post by: harry on August 12, 2018, 06:54:50 pm
Yes will have to protect till plants taller .But do you know geese eat sweet corn greens, they don't eat all greens
Title: Re: Growing geese and sweetcorn
Post by: Anke on August 12, 2018, 08:13:17 pm
My geese get grass, sweetcorn plants (grown in the polytunnel this far up north) go to the goats once cobs are harvested. I bet sheep would like them as well, would think that geese might find the stalk too hard.
Title: Re: Growing geese and sweetcorn
Post by: harry on August 13, 2018, 04:06:57 pm
I will see if they eat the current ones once I take the cobs off . Thinking of planting a load next year with a 2 ft spacing to let the geese graze . Hope for the best.
Title: Re: Growing geese and sweetcorn
Post by: macgro7 on August 15, 2018, 08:28:41 am
I let my geese and muscovies graze around corn only ONCE!
The plants were already quite tall with ears  well developed.
What did they do? ATE ALL THE EARS BUT LEFT THE leaves.
All most entire crop of corn that year was gone in one day!
The birds were very very happy with themselves - full bellies.
Title: Re: Growing geese and sweetcorn
Post by: harry on August 30, 2018, 05:37:38 pm
I've answered my own question, plan was to plant sweetcorn and let geese graze between them once plants got big.... I picked some corn today and threw the plants into the geese area and dispite having loads of young sprouting grass the geese ate all the tough old leaves. Over to plan B next year!