Domesticated geese are kept and bred for their meat, eggs and especially for their luxurious goose down feathers that we use to make soft pillows and luxurious comforters. They are relatively affordable to feed and being simple-minded, these animals are fairly easy to keep content.
Geese, like all other bird species , can be vulnerable to disease and they also do have a lot of predators. But if you feed your goose a healthy and balanced diet, they are usually quite resistant to illnesses and they will easily flourish. Here is a quick look at the main foods you need to keep your gaggle of geese happy and nourished;.
They will munch on most root types they can find and usually consume finer or smaller pieces of tree and plant roots. They are particularly fond of roots that grow into pounds since these are nice and soft for easy eating.
They are happy to consume various natural plants and enjoy eating the stems of fruit and vegetable foods like celery, spinach, broccoli and much more. In most cases, they do however prefer stems that are small and soft. They prefer small soft leaves or small pieces of leaves. On lawns and in pastures, they will nibble off the tops of the grass. They are also happy to consume leafy green veggies like spinach, celery, herbs, onion, carrot greens, beet greens and much more.
They love eating various grains and seeds. This can include a vast variety of seeds and grain like oats, wheat, sunflower seeds, nuts, corn and more. Domesticated geese that feed off pastures are often supplemented with cracked or whole corn as a treat to keep them healthy or as a means to get them to flock to their enclosures at night.
They are especially fond of berries since these are ideal for swallowing. You can choose to offer your goose chopped apple, orange, banana, pineapple, pear, peaches, and other fruits but try not to overdo these foods. They will consume goose feed or cracked corn and are also happy to consume bird feed and chicken feed. You can also feed geese things like lettuce, cauliflower leaves, and cabbage. There are other things you should never feed to geese including:.
When geese eat in a field of grass and fly away, they act as seed dispersers by depositing seeds in other areas when defecating. The feces of geese also helps fertilize the soil by adding nutrients.
As part of the food chain, adult geese, their young, and eggs provide important food for other animals. Some animals that eat geese and their eggs include:. Many people keep geese as pets. While not all geese are friendly toward people, some breeds like the Embden Goose and the Chinese Goose are friendly and docile, making them excellent pets.
Caring for a backyard flock of geese can be both a unique and rewarding experience. Since their favorite food is grass, you can build them a simple secure enclosure in a specific area of the yard. Insufficient vitamin D can also result in weak bones and soft eggshells, as can a lack of calcium or phosphorous. Being waterfowl, geese not only require water to bathe and swim in, but they also need it to drink. Ensuring a plentiful supply of fresh, clean water is available at all times is essential to the health of your birds.
To keep the water clean, you can use a poultry fountain and a container large enough for the geese to bathe. Water is vital to stop your geese from choking on their food and to help keep their nostrils nares clean.
The reason for allowing grass to grow long in summer is because if you cut it short, it gets burned by the sun and dies. Leaving it long keeps the shorter grasses that grow in between the longer ones green for longer. Pelleted waterfowl feed is usually quite readily available and is suitable as a complete food for geese. Read the label carefully.
Although geese do require the same nutrients as chickens, they need them in different ratios. This renders chicken food unsuitable for your geese. It is imperative to feed the correct type of feed for the age and job of the bird. If in any doubt, get advice about what feed is right for your birds from a veterinarian or from your feed store if they have someone suitably knowledgeable.
In this video, a farmer talks about how he sprouts grain in winter to feed his geese when there is no grass to graze:. Geese also enjoy an occasional treat, providing they only make up a small proportion of their diet. Fat geese are not healthy geese! In addition to their pasture and commercial feed rations, you can also give some treats to your geese.
This offers their diet more variety, providing different nutrients, and also makes it more interesting for them. A word of warning about geese, they are notoriously fussy eaters! Then again, some will have a go at anything! Believe it or not, they will not consume everything you put in front of them. Do not feed geese straight out of your hand.
It can be dangerous. The best way to feed the geese would be to spread seed on the grass so geese can feed on the seed while looking for food. It can be fun, relaxing and entertaining to watch and feed the geese but do not get into the habit of trying to feed them out of the palm of your hand! They do not have teeth but they have very sharp, dangerous beaks that can harm you! Adult geese are also very protective of their young so keep a safe distance away.
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