How to Care for a Goose

Evaluate your desires for raising geese. Just like dogs, horses, and nearly every other animal, different geese are good for different people. You may desire geese for pets, guard animals, meat, and more.^[1] It is important to get the correct breed of goose for your life and meet their needs.^[2] Do not be afraid to ask questions, as questions produce answers.

Read about the care of geese and other poultry.^[3] You will find the article How to Care for a Pet Duck very helpful, as much of the information is true for both ducks and geese. Storey's publishing also has good books on the care of chickens, ducks, etc. (See Recommended Reading.)

Select a breed. Some geese are considered aggressive, some good guard animals (they can really make a racket!), and others make great pets. It all depends on the breed and how you raise them. Ask friends who have the birds, farmers, vets, whoever you can find. Get their advice on what goose breed is right for you.^[4]

Acquire the geese. You should get at least a pair and more if you so choose. For calmer breeds, it is fine to acquire them as adults or as goslings. If you have chosen a more aggressive breed, it may be best to acquire them as goslings. It's best for a goose to always have a mate. If it does not, you should acquire more geese or even several ducks so your bird will not get lonely and distressed. If you choose to buy the geese, check out the breeder. The cages should be clean, the water fresh, and the smell shouldn't be too overpowering. The animals should look relatively clean, healthy, and alert. Stick your hands in the pen. If they react, whether running away or coming closer out of curiosity, this is usually a sign that they are healthy. It is not, however, hard at all to find free geese (and ducks). Just ask your friends if anything comes up. Often people have animals they can't care for anymore.

Bring them home. They should be brought home in a relatively large dog carrier that they cannot break free from. You will most likely need to hose the carrier off when you get home. The geese will be very upset from their capture and ride.

Clip their wings.^[5] You will save a lot of time and energy if you do this before releasing them. This is a 2-3 person job. Gently hold the neck (don't let it peck your face) and firmly (without squeezing) hold its body close to you. Male geese are very strong, so be prepared. Have one person gently take the wing and unfold it, cutting the shorter feathers at the base of the wing. Do not over cut and be extremely careful, because the animals will be struggling while you do this. You do not want to make them bleed; if you do, they may die.

Release the geese. It is best if you have a pond. Birds are safer in the water than in the middle of a pasture. Usher them to the pond in the morning. You can use a rake to guide them, but do not hurt them. This should be a pleasant experience. If you are able, usher them back to their pen/shed/barn before it gets dark. The next day, you should be able to simply let them out and leave them to find the pond on their own. You shouldn't have to bring them back to their pen again.

Buy quality poultry food. Geese will spend much time eating around their pond, as well as grazing on pasture grass. At the same time, just like humans, they need a balanced diet that satisfies their need for vitamins and minerals. Their food should be specifically designed for poultry (geese, ducks, etc.) and should come from your local clean feed store or Tractor Supply. You can add oats and grains to your goose's diet in the winter. If it is a gosling, feed gosling or duck mash to it.

Develop a feeding schedule. It may take a week or even two, but if you fed your geese while they were in the pen, they should learn that when they come back to the pen, they get food. Whenever you see the geese walking back to their pen, encourage them closer and feed them. Don't scare them off; try to watch at a good distance. After about a week of them coming to the pen to be fed, change their schedule. Now you should only feed them once a day, when it isn't dark outside. If they come up to the pen at random hours, resist the urge to feed them and only feed them at the time you determined. Stick to that schedule like a rule of life and they will learn quickly. It helps if there are other geese or ducks that come to the pen to be fed at the same time. Make sure there is enough food for them. If they are hanging around after they've finished, or if they are very thin and sickly, it likely means they are still hungry, so try feeding slightly larger rations until you are satisfied. If they look fat or are not eating all the food you set out, slightly reduce the rations until you are satisfied.

Supply fresh water at all times.^[6] This is often overlooked, considering the animals have a pond. However, this water can be quite dirty and should not be the birds' only source of fresh water. It's best if there can be running water, such as a stream, but this is often not possible. Instead, you should set out containers of clean water near their food. These should be refilled daily, regardless of how much water is left. Failing to dump them out can result in disgusting water, unhealthy living conditions, foul odors, and mosquito larvae. When the geese are young, they should be offered water in shallow troughs, as they cannot get wet until their mature feathers come in. If they do get wet, towel dry them and keep them warm. Failing to do so will result in chilling and even death in extreme cases.

Supply adequate shelter.^[7] Ducks and geese alike require shelter from storms, wind, and direct sunlight. They receive some shelter from the sun by sitting under large trees. However, it is recommended that you supply a small 3-sided shed, open hutch/pen, large awning over your barn, or even tarp stretched between two trees. They must have an area that is dry and free of drafts. Clean straw or bedding should be placed on the ground during cold weather or storms. The RSPCA recommends at least 1 square meter of ground area per goose.^[8] They should be able to come and go freely and be able to move around comfortably.