Goose enrichment

[Cwilkins711]

Hi!

Just looking for some ideas for enrichment for geese. I have two Sebastopol geese who, I think, would benefit from some sort of enrichment activity. They are getting into some mischief and I was trying to find something “productive” for them to mess with
Especially with winter coming and our grass has been dying off quicker because of the drought we’ve been in.
Any ideas are welcome!
Thanks!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Mine also are chasing ducks and chickens more lately. So same thing going on here. Must be the time of year.

They do like investigating with their bills, so maybe the cabbage on a string like people recommend for chicken boredom? I've wondered if they would play with a ball in their area. When we added new latches to a pen door they spent hours jingling them. So maybe bells? I'm just guessing.

I also toss them a bit of scratch with cat food mixed in. They enjoy foraging for it. Mine also eat hay with the goats.

 

[Goosehill]

A water trough with balls floating seems to be hours of fun, so much so that the balls get taken elsewhere in the yard for further play. A small mirror, a bundle of tasty weeds hanging just within reach and a bit of whole maize scattered seem to work too

 

[Jenbirdee]

they like to play with toys well actually to chew on them i wrote an article about it and i’m trying to figure out how to copy and paste it here

 

[Jenbirdee]

ah here it is https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/toys-for-pet-geese.79448/

 

[fowltemptress]

My geese and muscovies love cardboard boxes and will spend ages nibbling them and ripping them to shreds. Afterwards I gather up all the cardboard bits and toss them in my compost heap; it saves me the hassle of shredding the boxes myself.

 

[Cwilkins711]

ah here it is https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/toys-for-pet-geese.79448/

This is great, thanks!

 

[Jenbirdee]

My geese and muscovies love cardboard boxes and will spend ages nibbling them and ripping them to shreds. Afterwards I gather up all the cardboard bits and toss them in my compost heap; it saves me the hassle of shredding the boxes myself.

wow i’m going to try that! first, I will make sure there are no staples or tape and then let them have it will be fun to watch!

 

[Jenbirdee]

wow i’m going to try that! first, I will make sure there are no staples or tape and then let them have it will be fun to watch!

i gota box ready but now i’m afraid to give it to them because i think they will actually eat it and could get a blockage?

 

[fowltemptress]

i gota box ready but now i’m afraid to give it to them because i think they will actually eat it and could get a blockage?

Yeah, mine tear off and eat pieces of it all the time. Even as ducklings and goslings they loved eating it - my brooders are always made out of cardboard boxes that I tape together to make a large, draft- free enclosure, and by the time they're ready to graduate to the wide outdoors my brooder boxes are always a patchwork of holes that have been eaten through. I just make sure they have grit in the brooder and make sure to patch the bigger holes so they can't get out. It's really cute when the goslings eat little strategically placed peep holes.