Anxiety over geese and coop

[starrymutt]

I feel a bit silly writing this but I suppose this is the best place too!

I currently have a tractor with a moveable wire skirt, however I forgot to put the front piece of skirt back tonight (geese wouldn't go in with it there as they kept hurting their feet) and I'm having such anxiety for their safety, it's 2AM here. We have raccoons and skunk around that have already taken some chickens and I heard a startled honk about an hour ago but nothing too concerning.

If I had a flashlight and a way to quietly get out of the house I'd go check and put it back, but that's sadly not an option. My husband says they'll be fine but he's not nearly as attached lol.

I also want to build a permanent coop for them since they're getting a little big for the tractor (2 months!) as well as afraid to go in it but again, worried about safety since we had a raccoon and skunk get into our chicken coop.

Also I have a little gander (pretty sure) who seems to suddenly be afraid of me? He cowers down when I go to pet him and likes to be off on his own running around (which is why I named him Forrest Gump lol). Is that normal? He's about a month old.

Anyone deal with this? Advice? Fav (cheap!) coop ideas?

 

[Callender Girl]

Don't feel silly! Your concerns are perfectly valid. And I can't tell you how many times I've gotten up in the middle of the night, armed with a night-vision flashlight, to check on geese, ducks and chickens!

Secure housing doesn't have to be expensive.

Geese, at least my American Buffs, require much less intricate housing then chickens. My girls will nap outside their house in snow storms, seemingly perfectly content.

You didn't say how many geese you have; I only have two, so it was easy to build a small "house" where they can safely sleep at night. It is located inside a pen made of chain-link panels that I scavenged from other people's used dog kennels. Pen cost: Zero dollars.

They are securely locked in at night but spend most days wandering around the fenced-in yard. Despite a variety of predators -- including coyotes, minks and eagles -- they've survived unscathed for six years.

The house, which is just big enough for sleeping, is based on a design from an online video. It took less than a full sheet of plywood for two solid walls, and has hardware cloth on one end; a hardware cloth, wood-framed door with two latches on the opposite end; and hardware cloth underneath it.

The roof is made of painted scrap plywood, which sufficed for years. I have since added some roofing fabric and cheap corrugated metal on top of the plywood. I bought the latter because I didn't want to have to cut metal. But on a chicken coop, I have used thicker metal roofing that I salvaged from a blown-off barn roof. And convinced someone else to cut!

I have no experience with ganders. Maybe Forrest Gump is just going through a phase. On the other hand, to this day, one of my girls will allow me to pick her up and move her. The other does everything in her power to discourage me. including a wing to my face that resulted in a blackened eye.

You sound like a good goose "mom." I'm sure you'll figure out a good solution for your babies!

 

[Berd Man]

The gander running off from you is pretty normal. As gosling grow more independent they need less and less of people. It’s a good thing for them to establish flock bonds. They will always enjoy your visits and treats though

As for the budget goose coop, I guess it depends on the budget. there’s pallet shelters, there’s also the cattle panel hoop coops. I’ve seen several here on the BYC coop threads.

You are learning what I learned with geese, they hate being confined. They are alert at night, they prefer to sleep on or near water and under the sky and keep watch for predators. I bought a section of electric net and built my own energizer with an amazon battery and solar panel. It has made geese a breeze. It maybe like $300-$400 to get all the things to do that though.