Am I supposed to give them grit?

[Going Bhonkers]

I know chickens need grit, but do geese?
I bought some "Harvest Delight Poultry Treat" , it says its for 'adult poultry & fowl', which I think fowl = geese. There's a part on the feeding directions that says

• When feeding course grains, always provide a source of natural stones or free choice access to poultry grit

(the ingredients are peanuts, flax, sunflower seeds, millet, raisins, dried carrots, dried tomatoes, among some other things.)

So do I need to give my geese grit?

 

[CelticOaksFarm]

yes, most find it while free ranging, but offering is good too.

 

[Going Bhonkers]

I had no idea!!!! Do I put some scoops in their food, or can I put some grit in a separate bowl?

 

[Iain Utah]

Bhonkers, you can pour a little pile onto the ground. They will only eat it if they need it... most however find pebbles and such drilling their beaks into the ground.

 

[pete55]

YES - they do need grit and particulary in the breeding season when the females' calcium levels can be depleted. Its a good idea to start now as the 'free calcium' for egg shell production is laid down inside the bones.

We give the geese free access to bowls of medium size oystershell grit.

Pete

 

[CelticOaksFarm]

GB I feed similar to Pete. A bowl of oyster shell available for them as they need/want it. I wouldnt put it on the ground since it would settle into the ground and be wasted. I also never feed directly from the ground since it is said to promote parasites. Always bowls, wall hung feeds ect. The mineral feeders for sheep and goats work very well and can be wall mounted in a place out of the weather since you dont want the feed, or grit getting wet.

 

[wildpeas]

We have a small pile of washed builders sand in the goose yard. I had noticed that when I let them out to range while I do chores they always went immediately to a puddle of sand left over from one of our duck yard projects. It has a mixture of grind sizes and they pick through it and take what they want. So now I make sure they have access to a pile all their own.

 

[Nyssa03]

We have some covered feeders that I fill with rose sand and oyster shell (about half /half) so they have access to eat it whenever they want.

 

[Goose and Fig]

I have a big bowl of sand in that they geese like to get into as well.

 

[Going Bhonkers]

Ok! Check! got some oyster shell grit