The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: Jo Yorkshire on June 19, 2016, 08:06:07 pm
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Hi everyone,
I have a 3 acre small holding in west yorkshire, I have 25 hens, some ducks, quail and lambs. I am thinking about getting some geese for egg production any advice on regarding geese greatly appreciated
Thanks
Jo
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Interested in what others have to say.
My geese are 3 weeks old still on heat but they are the smelliest creatures I have ever had, just like giant ducklings and the mess they make! Mine will only be here til Christmas but we have a pen on grass ready for when they are older.
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Hello - I would also be interested in any tips & advice - we hatched a trio of goslings 3 1/2 weeks ago. I bought the Ashtons book which is quite helpful.
Have to say ours have been out in a large run on the grass for a wee while already during the day but are still in with heat overnight. I move the run several times a day as they eat the grass so fast.
So far we find them incredibly sociable, friendly & easy to handle - though they are quite a size already.
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I also bought the Ashton book.
New to keeping geese, we ended up with two geese and a gander in Feb at coming up to 1 year old. The eggs are lovely! We just had our last fried goose egg of the year and I am looking forward to tucking into them again come Feb.
Our geese were not friendly at all but we found walking with a stick, wearing wellies for a bit of calf protection and maybe a dustpan lid when you are collecting eggs worked fine. An occassional raised boot can deter them too.
As Caroline said they are really messy. We had our 3 in a 0.10acre fenced area, there were some conifer trees for shelter and we put in a shed. They didn't use the shed but it gave us somewhere to put the layers pellets and grit for them. In that area I have to admit I poo picked the worst areas for toileting, they seem to somewhat have favourite spots.
We provided ours with a builders bucket of fresh water twice a day so they can clean their eyes and a paddling pool which is changed every couple of days and moved so they can have a splash. While they were laying we gave layers pellets and when the nights were cooler we gave a few handfuls of corn each bird each night in their drinking water.
I did try worming them with the Flubenvet pellets, but I don't think they had a full dose.
Oh they are noisy, we found this off putting, thinking they were being aggressive all the time but we learnt the difference in the calls and body language. Most of the time they are just saying hello so I honk back at them.
Ours aren't in a fox proof area but neither are our chickens, nor were they before when we got them from the old neighbour. There doesn't seem to be a fox issue and I'm hoping it stays that way.
Can't think of anything else. We are still new and probably still have a lot to learn but so far I have to say I am glad we have the geese.
Oh if you are wanting to sell the eggs then give some good thought to how to keep them clean. Ours wouldn't lay in the shed we got them. They made their nests outside in hedgerows and under low trees. As such the eggs got very dirty and I didn't feel comfortable selling them other than to friends and family. Next year I will be looking at making decent sized nest boxes that I can put wherever they choose to nest or maybe waterproof fabric under the nest. We did wash the eggs to start with but then read that that can make bacterial contamination more likely.
Dans
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I have emden and Toulouse X emdens and love the eggs. They were meat birds really but these remainders got a stay of execution. Other breeds lay better but all are seasonal.
The thing to remember with geese is that they are typical bullies: if they show aggression, run at them with arms extended and they'll run away. They eat a lot of grass so need to free range but they make fantastic guard dogs. They are protective of their nests, so collect eggs when you feed corn so they are off the nest and I will aren't looking!
When I had just 2 geese they'd come and sit with us in a lovely sociable way, but with more plus ganders they don't bother.
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Pilgrims West of England medium sized and sex at berth very nice geese 6 months on grass then grain. Good mothers and no agravation. Well worth the time 6 to 8 a good number. Medium sized goose
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If you want geese for egg production, buy chinese geese. If you want geese for eating, dont get chinese geese haha They are beautiful and produce lots of eggs but they are on the slim side! I have them and wouldn't be without them. I used to breed west of englands.... I think I will look into adding africans next, they are like chinese on steroids haha! I will always keep the chinese though!
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I also had Emden and Toulouse and although initially my regulars loved the eggs takers soon dropped off. Due to holiday commitment last year we got rid of the geese as we needed to put them away every night as the fox would cause us problems, the hens are left in when away so a friend just drops by once a day and sorts them out. However we now have more grass than we know what to do with the two sheep cant keep up!
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[/size]Ron. [/color]
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They eat more grass than you would expect and drink more water than you would expect.
They need water deep enough to get their heads under. I have a small cow drinking trough for mine to drink from. Not really big enough for them to get into but that doesn't stop them.
I currently have 25 and they never chase me or show any aggression. The gander sometimes hisses at me but I think it's just because he feels obliged to while the girls are looking. Most folk are surprised how placid my geese are but I am convinced it is simply down to handling.
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True, Peasgood, They will never love you (though you will come to love them) but you can get them to respect you simply by standing up to them. When the gander comes toward you, head forward and hissing, just grab him firmly but gently by the neck, just under his head, give him a little shake and a kiss on top of his head and before long he will follow you like a dog.
A child's plastic sand pit/padding pool kept full will allow them to submerge their feathers and keep them happy.
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At the moment, I have a pair of toulouse, a greylag, a young pair of Franconian, a little snow goose cross and my recent extras are 8 goslings (supposed to be sebastopols and American buff but their not!!)
I house them in a poultry tunnel so they have plenty of room when locked away at night and they have access out the the paddock and garden during the day. They do make an awful lot of mess but I they don't tend to dig the holes and make the mud baths everywhere like the ducks do and I use a paddock sweeper every now and again to clean up any droppings from the fields. They eat a huge amount of grass which is a big plus and are fairly ok with the chickens and ducks but do like to have first go in the paddling pools when they are refilled each day and can be a bit naughty then. They are all very friendly and come when I call them over and like to follow me round a 'chat' away. They are however completely different with anyone that shows any fear of them and will take full advantage if they get a chance to.
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What are your Franconian's like Callia - my new trio arrives tomorrow :excited:
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Jo - sent pm
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Thanks for all your tips and information, I bought three goslings at auction and they are in their new home and have settled in well. Jo