Do all geese need a pond?

[jackson41]

I know nothing about geese. We are moving to our off grid 3 acres in the woods surrounded by woods and no neighbors. Are there any geese that only need grazing land with out a pond?

 

[Goosehaven]

Domestic geese do not need a pond or lake to be happy. My geese do enjoy the lake but many people just start them out by introducing them to a kiddie pool and they like that just fine. One thing you want to be careful of in a wooded area is predators. It is best to have a secure fenced in area to lock them in at night.

 

[jackson41]

How do they handle winter weather when a pool would freeze, are they ok in a coop or do they need heat?

 

[Luvducks]

I do not have Geese but my Ducks do just fine in winter. I provide them with a Large Dog box filled with Hay or straw. When they were young I blocked them in the dog house at night for about a week. Now they go in on there own. Have had them for 2 years now.

In winter I use a Large rubbery Horse Feed bowl for water. These do not crack when they get ice in them. Available at pretty much any Feed store. I keep a couple on hand and if I cannot get the ice out bring it in to thaw and fill another with water. They do not have much room to swim but can get entire head and beak in as reccomended.

Hope this helps!

 

[Wifezilla]

Ducks and geese are very well insulated. For shelter, all they really need is 3 walls and a roof. You could easily make one out of some straw bales and some plywood. I got lucky and found an xl dog igloo for $25at a garage sale. It can comfortably fit up to 7 ducks. They only use if when it gets really cold.

 

[jackson41]

Thanks. We are trying to decide on the best choices for really cold winters. Is their a breed of goose you would recommend for both weeding and eating?

 

[The goose girl]

They don't need a pond, but they need (clean) water to bathe in. A kiddie pool, a large pan or pot. That is, if you want happy geese. If they can't clean themselves, they'll survive but will not feel good.

 

[vtchickenlvr]

You do need to put down straw or hay to keep their feet from getting frost bite. My flock of Ebdam and Toulose (sp?) shelter in a 5 stall walk-in horse barn. We are in the country on a dirt road, and the predators we have had trouble with are bobcats, dogs, foxes. The bobcats are the worst, by far. However, they were only a problem w/ the girls sitting on their nests. The poor things kept dissappearing night after night until we boarded out the bobcat. If I were up in the woods, I would definitely lock them in a small shelter at night. I have 14 geese in the flock now and they are impressively tough and hardy. I love them, but other family members find them to be messy, noisy and basically obnoxious!