Can You Keep Geese With Chickens? – If you’re a chicken farmer, you may be wondering if it’s possible to keep geese along with chickens. After all, they’re easier to care for than chickens.
This article will provide you with the answers you need to make this decision. Here are some benefits of raising geese:
Geese are easier to raise than chickens
The main advantage of raising geese is that they are relatively easy to keep. While chickens can be difficult to care for, geese do not require as much care.
The best way to care for them is to give them lots of space and greens to eat. As an added bonus, geese do not need as much supplemental feed as chickens do.
A small flock of geese can be a good addition to your backyard poultry flock.
Geese do require a larger space than chickens, but they are less expensive to raise. Geese tend to be hardier than chickens. Although geese are great foragers, they still require additional feed in winter. Their ideal diet consists of about 80% grass and 20% grain.
This diet will help geese gain up to a pound of weight a week. They will be ready for processing at about 12 weeks of age.
There are several types of geese. African geese are the largest, most common variety. They can weigh eight to twelve pounds.
They have long necks and are a great choice for a small backyard chicken farm. Pilgrim geese are another great choice. These medium-sized birds are good grazers and breed well. Geese are also very easy to care for.
As geese are bigger than chickens, they do not require a brooder or litter box. They need to be kept dry during the winter months.
Their nests will be dry, but their mothers will bathe to keep their eggs moist during the incubation process. Unlike chickens, geese lay 40 eggs a year. Their eggs are larger and richer in flavor, and they are easier to handle than chicken eggs.
They are cleaner than chickens
There are many benefits of having geese as pets. First and foremost, they eat a lot less than chickens. Geese will also weed your garden for you. In fact, geese can even weed your garden better than chickens.
Second, geese are relatively easy to handle. They can be easily moved from one pen to another to graze. Geese are also less likely to get out of the yard unless they are called. They will always come back to your yard if you call them, and this makes them more reliable than a wayward dog.
Third, geese do not produce as many eggs as chickens, but they do produce a large number of eggs. And their eggs are great for making recipes. While they are not year-round layers, they are inexpensive to keep.
And, if you’re tired of chickens’ eggs, geese can be kept on the same property. And fourth, geese have enormous, delicious eggs. Their eggs are comparable to duck eggs in richness, and they can be used for many different recipes.
In addition to being a great pet, geese provide a variety of services. Geese are excellent lawn mowers, lawn weed eaters, and fertilizers. Their low maintenance requirements make them an ideal companion for beginners.
They also don’t need much housing or containment. Their behavior is usually consistent with their owners’ preferences. However, some geese are particularly aggressive.
When raised properly, geese can get along with chickens. However, when they are older, they can cause compaction in pastures. Fortunately, this can be prevented with clever water management.
With fresh water, they’ll be much cleaner than chickens. And while geese can be more difficult to manage than chickens, they can protect your chickens. This can be a double-edged sword!
They are grazers
If you have space in your backyard and you want to raise some livestock, you can keep geese alongside chickens. Geese are grazers and are easier to raise than chickens. You should read about different breeds and how they differ from chickens.
They also make great mothers and are great for backyard chicken farms. Keep them separate in a run so they don’t fight each other.
Although geese are not very aggressive, they can be intimidating to predators and attack people. Unfortunately, geese have been known to attack delivery people, cyclists, and pedestrians, causing broken bones and even death in some cases.
A goose also knocked an elderly woman over, and a man riding an ATV was attacked by a goose and injured his leg. Also, geese may try to mate with hens, but hens and geese are not compatible.
Geese need enrichment as much as chickens. A lot of enrichment research has focused on chickens, and many suggestions for enrichment have been adapted from chicken studies.
For geese, visual and tactile enrichment is key for keeping them interested and comfortable. However, you should note that geese’s need for visual stimulation is different from chickens, so you should take into account the particular needs of your geese.
Geese can live in a flock with chickens, but it’s best to choose a rudimentary housing system for them. Since geese are outdoor animals, they prefer to live outdoors.
However, keeping them outdoors is not always possible due to predators. They will need to have a large, secure area. Your chickens will also benefit from geese’s innate vigilance.
They need water to bathe
It is important to provide clean, well-aerated water for geese, especially during the breeding season. Geese need a large amount of water for swimming, bathing, and mating purposes.
You can provide a small kiddie pool for your geese, as long as it is deep enough for their heads to submerge in.
A large water bowl or tub can be placed in a barn or other suitable location. Natural ponds should be cleaned periodically to prevent the accumulation of industrial waste or household waste.
To maintain good health, water should be clean and close to feeding areas. Fresh water prevents choking and helps keep food out of the nares. A poultry fountain can help avoid excessive water waste and maximize cleanliness.
A second open water dish should be provided for drinking water. While poultry fountains do help keep the water clean, they require an additional open water bowl to avoid wasting any water. Ideally, a poultry fountain should have at least two water bowls for geese.
Geese are easily handled. They are less demanding than chickens, and their health is remarkably good. You can even train your geese to give birth to chicks if you want!
They are great mothers and are easy to raise. However, geese are much different than chickens, so it is important to read a good goose husbandry book before taking them in.
A geese’s vitamin D level can be determined by their diet. Geese that live in regions that receive minimal sunlight need additional vitamin D.
Kelp is a good natural source of Vitamin D. A geese that do not receive enough vitamin D can develop weak bones and soft eggshells. Insufficient Vitamin D can also cause a lack of calcium and phosphorous in the eggshells.
They need space to roam around
When keeping chickens and geese, make sure you give them ample space to roam. Crowded spaces make them cranky and can lead to conflicts between the birds. A good rule of thumb is 10 square feet of area per bird.
This will allow dominant birds to roost and other birds to find comfortable sleeping spots. Geese also need space to roost and nest, so be sure to give them a place where they can lay their eggs without being crowded.
As with chickens, geese require plenty of space to roam and can be easily introduced to your existing flock. While keeping chickens, you can introduce the geese to the existing flock while they get used to their established pecking order.
Geese generally easy to adjust to their new surroundings and don’t need fancy housing. However, it’s important to provide them with adequate space to roost outside.
When introducing geese into the coop, don’t introduce too many at one time. Introducing more than two will cause trouble and may even cause a fight among the birds.
If you’re planning to introduce geese and chickens at the same time, cordon off a specific area in the yard so that both birds can get used to each other. This will also prevent any drama from breaking out and keep your flock in peace.
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Geese don’t do well with small pets, including cats and dogs. Small animals may steal chicken eggs and leave your flock unprotected.
Thankfully, geese make noise to alert you when predators approach. But when it comes to predators, geese are a double-edged sword. Geese can protect your chickens from larger animals and can even keep hawks and raccoons from taking them.***
