[fairhaven]

Hi All

We are thinking of getting a trio of geese next year to keep, but hatch the eggs & raise the youngsters for meat, Has anyone got any tried & tested advice on breeds / housing & what type & height fence would be best if I clip a wing - I was thinking along the lines of a permanent 'safe' night time area and just letting them in with the ponies & sheep during the day...?

[hughesy]

We've got four Embdens, they're the large white geese. They can only just get off the ground with a bit of wind assistance and can only stay airborne for about three seconds before crashing down again. We've felt no need to clip their wings. Ours have a night time pen made from a few heras fence panels and a very basic shelter however they like to sleep outside most of the time. During the day they're free to roam but don't go far tending to hang out with the chickens most of the time. They make a noise if something spooks them but otherwise aren't aggressive at all. We only feed them some wheat or mixed corn in the evening otherwise they make their living off the grass. Looking forward to them starting to lay again which will be around the beginning of february hopefully.

[lachlanandmarcus]

Ours get on ok with the sheep but we have had some issues with them obsessively pulling out wool on the sheeps back, which then turned into a sore, attracted flies and caused minor fly strike :-(( this has happened several times so I dont keep them together any more. It seemed to affect the ram more than anything else, possibly cos he lay around a lot.

[Laurasfarm]

We keep Embdens, buff backs (like embdens) and dewlap toulouse.  The toulouse are fabulously big and a great table bird but you can get more more for eggs and offspring.
I would recommend the embdens they are a good sized table bird and extremely hardy.  We leave ours outside with a shelter in a pen at night, but they roam the fields in the day grazing and rarely need feeding (although thats not what they say!)  We sell the eggs early on and then let them grow broody and raise their own goslings.  They are ready about Christmas with very little input from us.  Trios are relatively cheap to buy if you get a utility rather than a show strain

[Womble]

Just one word of caution - we bought some Embden type goslings this year



What can I say? Absolutely gorgeous, and a very vivid shade of green! 

However, once they got to this big



they managed to ring-bark and kill four young apple trees, and also removed most of the wiring from a Volkswagen Polo! 

You have been warned! 

[Daisys Mum]

Fair haven you have got me thinking that I might like to do the same, reared some 2 years ago and found them very easy to keep just free ranged in fields during the day and in a small pen with a house at nights.

[plumseverywhere]

We don't have geese with our sheep but the farmer opposite always has. They've been a good guard bird in that they honk really loudly if anyone (or fox) is where they shouldn't be.
Only thing that put me off having some as extra lawnmowers was the need to lock them away from our horrible fox problem and any pooey mess where the children usually roam in the field (then again the sheep are pretty mucky in their little patches!)

[tazbabe]

our 4 hang out with the hens/ducks/ponies all day, don't try to fly or leave our fields, though they could get through the hedge if they wished.

at night they are in a fully enclosed safe area with a small shelter, which they do use a little. they are fed mixed poultry grains with the hens morning and night.

they come in easily, i just point where i want them to go and they go, or if i want them in early i shout 'ducky ducky duckies' and they come.

[Hermit]

Mine free rangs on 35 acres but they still want more. I have 'stripped' one wing of feathers of each but they can still jump a fence! My trouble is they get onto the beach across the road and get killed by the seals or taste salty!They are good for mixing with other stock cause they keep fluke down but be careful when feeding cause they will bully in first. I only feed mine when the grass is hard and take the young off when the grass has turned in Autumn so they are lean and sweet from the grass not fatty and stodgy from hard feed. Mine raise there own young, they are excellent mums and the babies eat grass straight away, so if you let them live wild they are free meat.