Geese Questions- Can you train them to go in at night?

[snowhorse]

So I want to buy 3 Goslings.

They are Pomerian, Toulose or a cross of the 2.

I want to let them free range my yard. We have a swamp, river, and pond at my house.

If I let them free range....do I need a shelter for them at night? And if that's the case can I train them to go in it at night?

We do have fisher cats, coyotes, and raccoon.

 

[TennesseeTruly]

Yes you can train them and they're really easy to train too. We have 6 Sebastopols (plus 14 babies) and our adults all go into their houses at night with no problem. All our geese are a year old. They actually like routine and any change from that routine will upset them.

Its up to YOU though to make sure that they're locked in for the night. They can and will go in on their own but they really need to be locked in. Especially with raccoons around. Our geese go into their houses and we lock their doors so nothing can get in at them. In the morning, we unlock and open their doors to come out.

Good luck! I'm sure you'll love your geese, I absolutely adore mine!!

Laurie

 

[snowhorse]

I'm only getting 3.

Will a 4 x 6 shed be big enough for them?

And when you train them, do you just feed them at night? And not leave food out all day.

Adn does anyone have suggestions on where to find a building plan for a shed, or pictures of what you keep yours in? That would be helpful

 

[fancbrd4me02]

My geese are trained to go into thier kennel at night. It's a converted dog run/kennel with a corrugated metal roof and a nest box. During the day they roam the yard, at night they go in. I lock the door so nothing can get them when they are in thier pen at night.

 

[snowhorse]

Quote:
How big is your Kennel? So no sides just fence?

I live in a pretty cold part of the country, will they be okay with that?

Do you have pictures?

 

[fancbrd4me02]

It's a portable dog run. Mine is made of rectangular wire fencing, but my brother has one for his dog made of pipe and chain link. Mine is 6 wide by 8 long. My brother built a frame that rests on the top of the kennel, and bolted corrugated metal roofing onto it. If I want to move the pen, the roof can be lifted off, the panels of the sides of the kennel taken apart and then re-assembled in a new location. Inside the pen is a little goose house/nest box. I'll try to post some pictures of thier kennel tomorrow.

 

[Friend2Fowl]

I agree with TT, they are very easy to train. Mine don't get locked up, but they stay on the pond all day, and come back to sleep in the yard at night. If I had a pen to put them in at night, it would be no trouble I'm sure. When I took them out as babies, they were in the yard. One of the geese took off with the ducks, but apparently since she was used to being in the yard, she trained herself to come back. I bought 2 new geese a few weeks ago, and they hang out with her. She has trained them to come back up by the house at night

 

[slightlyscrambled]

mine have a section in the barn and will go in just like the chickens. They stayed there all winter b/c the snow was so bad. In the morning I open up the barn and they have free range of 7 acres but rarely leave the immidiate area of the barn. In the evening they just go in and go to "bed".

 

[fancbrd4me02]

Here are the pictures of my goose pen. I live in california, so this might not be enough shelter in colder climates, but maybe it can give you some ideas.

 

[2dancingrats]

My geese and ducks live in a horse barn at night. We started them out in there when they were too small to free-range without supervision. Now we let them out for the day and when they get bored or tired they go into the barn for a nap.
They always go in at dusk and if we're not right there to lock them up, they go into their pen and make a racket until someone comes to lock up.
They definitely have a routine which they don't want altered. If they think its getting close to time to go in, they will check to see if the chickens are still out. If yes, they stay out, if no, they go in. Its really pretty amusing.