[harry]

Yes I have a grass meadow, chickens strip it bare ducks make mud geese just graze and keep the grass short. Fair amount of poo but it is just grass. No mud, very little sickness. Ideal for me.

[Richmond]

Do not feed them hay, it will block their crops as it will be too long and fibrous. A combination of wheat and either grower or layer pellets will be fine, plus a bucket of sharp sand to aid gizzard function. My geese like carrots and apples too.

[lord flynn]

A contributing factor to me deciding to get rid of my geese, was keeping them happy during the last flu lock down-there were other reasons but my Shetland geese hated being cooped up and I worried about getting enough food down them as they were not interested in much other than grass. They were in a netted pen on grass, with a rubber matted bathing area. They would eat waterfowl pellets and grain only in small amounts, they would not touch soaked grass pellets or the flaked peas I feed my muscovies. They did like apple bobbing though and would eat spring greens. Straw on the ground will give them something to forage about in but will need replacing regularly or it becomes a big, stinking mess.


Its one of those situations that you have to do it so get it done, and bear in mind that this will happen again in the future. You have a legal obligation to do it as well as a moral one.


My hens are kept in over winter, I have two sets of muscovies in a stable each, with lights and enrichment. I have another netted pen of muscovy outside and another for the miniatures.

[harry]

I agree with everything you said lord, sensible suggestions from an x geese keeper. Some replies mainly from non geese keepers think you can confine geese the same way as hens, it just cannot be done while giving geese welfare. A hen can be confined in a small fine mesh coop and be happy but let’s face it hens are pretty stupid, I have kept loads but now just geese. I also wander how many geese keepers are doing anything to prevent the  virus spread. I suspect nothing at all. I had an offer to take the geese they were going to put them in a pen at the bottom of the garden with their hens, no way will I allow that, obviously never kept geese. Problem is sorted now for me no worries. Would be interested in hearing how other geese keepers have dealt with this problem, you have 2 more days to get it sorted, no problem for hen keepers, a bit of small mesh fruit net from eBay £4 stretched over your existing larger wire. In case the virus comes back every year the future for me is Xmas geese kept April to December, I only want them for grass management so if virus stays away they live on.

[Fleecewife]

Just a thought, TAS hive mind: what about grass pellets?  Perhaps even pre-soaked?  Do you think geese might go for them?

No-one has really followed this up.

Has anyone tried grass pellets for geese?  The grass ours will have during bird lockdown is limited so I thought of supplementing with grass pellets as well as all the veggie stuff and grain.  I want to keep their gut function as close to normal as possible.  I've not bought grass pellets before - is it aimed at horses?

[lord flynn]

Just a thought, TAS hive mind: what about grass pellets?  Perhaps even pre-soaked?  Do you think geese might go for them?

No-one has really followed this up.

Has anyone tried grass pellets for geese?  The grass ours will have during bird lockdown is limited so I thought of supplementing with grass pellets as well as all the veggie stuff and grain.  I want to keep their gut function as close to normal as possible.  I've not bought grass pellets before - is it aimed at horses?

I mentioned it in my post fleecewife, my geese (and ducks and chooks) wouldn't touch them. They are aimed at horses and just compressed grass-they need soaked imo (vital for horses) as they swell a little when soaked-although not to the extent of say, sugar beet.

[harry]

Mine have a supplement of growers to get though the winter 3/4times a week high protein most geese had it as goslings so recognise the smell. They ate layers just as well leading up to spring.

[Womble]

So since they'll eat lawyer's pellets (#typotoogoodtocorrect), I honestly don't think they'll need anything else to thrive.


I just wondered since you were concerned about the lack of grass, and contemplating hay, whether grass pellets might fill that gap.


As said before though, I'd just give them ad lib layer's pellets and then hang up cabbages and kale for them to peck at. It might not be what we'd want, but we can all only do what we can do.

[harry]

Yes thought hay might keep them more occupied, but not a good idea. It wasn’t a shortage of grass it was being shut in from bird flu.  Bit like me I could survive on vegetables but like sausages. My 9 year old granddaughter once said she could be a vegetarian but she likes sausages to much!

[Backinwellies]

So since they'll eat lawyer's pellets (#typotoogoodtocorrect),

     no wonder they cost so much!!

[Fleecewife]

So since they'll eat lawyer's pellets (#typotoogoodtocorrect),

    no wonder they cost so much!!

 

[landroverroy]

"I mentioned it in my post fleecewife, my geese (and ducks and chooks) wouldn't touch them. They are aimed at horses and just compressed grass-they need soaked imo (vital for horses) as they swell a little when soaked-although not to the extent of say, sugar beet."



If your geese are not keen on corn or pellets, Have you tried wheatgrass? IE sprouted wheat. If you let the shoots grow to @ an inch it'll look just like grass to them and they will probably eat it.

[Fleecewife]

Now that's an idea     The early North Americans used to sprout grain to give them vitamins and minerals through the long winters (I do too for salads).  Our geese will eat normal grain, pellets, bread (which they shouldn't have) and they love apples and bush fruit (they pick them themselves) so I'm sure if their grass runs out they'll gobble sprouted seeds.  The hens would love that too.
I read somewhere else that geese will take mealworms, which are really good for them as they eat insects in their normal grazing routine.  We have those for wild birds and the hens and the geese sometimes eat them too, so we'll up their intake.  Our geese will have access to outdoors anyway so I suppose they can collect their own insects too.

[lord flynn]

I didn't do sprouted grains with the geese, I have done it before for ducks and chickens. Its worth trying, just be sure to change water etc and not allow to grow any mould.


And just to throw this out there, it is not recommended to feed mealworms that have been raised commercially, to poultry. Commercially reared mealworms are raised on all sorts of things, including human waste and animal protein-it is actually illegal and has been since 2014 as is feeding kitchen scraps. All poultry keepers should be made aware of this. https://www.bhwt.org.uk/feeding-your-hens/


Aquatic insects raised in an approved ABP premises (or non EU equivalent) can be used e.g. fresh water shrimp.

[Fleecewife]

https://www.barnevelders.net/why-is-it-illegal-to-feed-mealworms-to-chickens.html

OOOOPS!  Oh well, the wild birds can finish off the sack of mealworms over the winter before they start nesting.  We tried live mealworms for the wild birds once, because someone said there was a danger that small birds would damage chick's throats by shoving dried mealworms down. But really, a seething sack of smelly mealworms in the porch was just too much.  I'm really not sqeamish about many things, but the mealies just turned my stomach


I'll just have to let the hens catch what comes into the tunnel or is already there, maybe a mouse or some beetles,  and rely on their normal food for adequate nutrition.  The geese were fine last time, so perhaps I've been overthinking what to feed them.  Thank you Lord Flynn 
Yes, I'll take care if I sprout wheat.  I'm used to doing it with seeds like alfalfa and mung for us, and I rinse them at least twice a day.