Frequently Asked Questions About Geese
Below you’ll find many of the questions that Holly had early on about goose care and keeping. There are a few good books and blogs about geese out there, but we thought it might be helpful to anyone else new to geese to share the answers compiled here in one place. We’ll be adding to this page frequently so please revisit and learn along with us!
Do geese have a crop?
This question is an important one, especially if you’ve ever kept chickens and have experienced crop trouble with one of your birds!
Yes, but geese don’t have an actual pouch-like crop the way chickens do. In geese, the crop is more like an area low on the throat that can expand, but it really can’t hold food for hours in a pouch the way a chicken crop can. Food moves through geese – and ducks – much more quickly than chickens. The goose crop could be considered a vestigial crop; leftover from their long evolution from dinosaurs to waterfowl. The good news is that geese don’t have anywhere near as many crop issues as chickens. They can pack in food and digest it overnight, but because it isn’t in an actual pouch like the chicken crop, the food moves easily into the goose proventriculus and on to the gizzard.
On rare occasions that an obstruction occurs, consult a veterinarian to diagnose and treat your goose. Though it doesn’t happen anywhere near as often as with chickens, surgery and treatment with antibiotics and anti-fungal medications may be necessary.
Do they need grit?
Geese do need grit, and if they have free range time then they probably pick up all that they need. All the same, it’s not a bad idea to have a few bowls or dispensers of grit in their living area. Grit is granite or other small, hard stones and is used in the gizzard to grind food into digestible form. Oyster shell and egg shells are not the same as grit and they’re not very effective for grinding food – they are calcium supplements for egg-making and healthy bones. Chicken grit can be used for any poultry, including geese.
Do geese have a gizzard?
Just like chickens, geese rely on their gizzard to grind their food into digestible material. The gizzard is a section of strong, hard muscle tissue. But because geese are primarily grazers, their gizzard has to break down a lot of cellulose plant material. Geese have a large, strong gizzard to handle the grinding needed by their vegetarian diets. Grit is essential for assisting the gizzard.
How often do geese lay eggs?
Unlike domestic ducks and chickens, geese are seasonal layers. Most breeds of geese haven’t been selectively bred for egg production over generations and so they tend to lay anywhere from one or two dozen up to about 4 dozen per year. Chinese geese are an exception – they can lay as many as 50-100 eggs per year in some cases. Geese may not lay as many eggs as ducks and chickens, but they also suffer from fewer reproductive problems and diseases and their eggs are significantly larger in size.
Geese only lay for a few months of the year. Their window is usually from March-June, though this may vary with breeds and locations. This also impacts breeding. If you want to buy or hatch goslings, you have a short window. Most people ordering from hatcheries and breeders submit their orders in late Fall or early Winter.
Will geese lay the first year?
Geese hatched in the Spring will generally lay the following Spring.
Can they get bumblefoot?
Yes, geese can get bumblefoot. All domestic poultry can get bumblefoot, though in my experience it seems to be the worst with heavyweight breeds and with birds kept on wire.
Can you use geese as livestock guardians?
Yes, but geese are only effective against smaller predators. Coyotes or bears or even large domestic dogs can kill a goose. Geese will alarm loudly about anything that doesn’t look right to them. Sometimes the noise and commotion is enough to discourage predators,
What kind of house do geese need?
Geese are pretty cold hardy and in temperate climates they could easily exist with a three sided shelter to keep them dry and out of wind when necessary, and offer a quiet corner where they could lay eggs. But they do need protection from predators, especially at night, and they are better off with a safe house and run.
Geese don’t roost like chickens do, so roosting bars or perches aren’t necessary. They happily lay their eggs in shavings or straw on the floor, so nest boxes aren’t necessary either. A goose house needs to be secured from predators, and it needs to have roughly 4 square feet of room for each goose present. Goose housing should also be lower to the ground, so the geese can safely get in and out of the house without having to try to use a ladder or steep ramp.
Do geese molt like chickens?
Geese do molt once a year, generally in early Summer. This is the time when geese would have goslings. Goslings cannot fly, and neither can molting geese. They must have evolved this way as the most efficient time to molt, since they have to be with their goslings on the ground anyway.
Do geese preen?
Yes, preening is very important to birds, especially waterfowl. A goose preens his or her feathers and spreads oil on them from the preen gland to keep her feathers healthy and waterproof. Preening is also helpful in removing any external parasites and also for removing the keratin sheaths on newly grown feathers.
If you don’t know, preening is a behavior displayed by most avians. It involves the uropygial gland, which is located on the bird’s back, right in front of their tail. The gland secretes oil, which the goose collects on her bill and distributes all over her feathers to condition them and help make them waterproof. Sometimes a goose will roll her head on her preen gland to collect oil and then rub her head on her feathers to transfer it.
According to several studies, secretions from the preen gland also contain anti-microbial properties that help to protect feathers and skin from degrading bacteria, fungus, and other pathogens. The oil contains fatty acids and even have a substance that is a precursor to Vitamin D. When the bird spreads this oil on her feathers, sunlight converts the substance into bioavailable D vitamins that the bird reingests during the preening process.
Giraudeau M, Duval C, Guillon N, Bretagnolle V, Gutierrez C, Heeb P. Effects of access to preen gland secretions on mallard plumage. Naturwissenschaften. 2010 Jun;97(6):577-81. doi: 10.1007/s00114-010-0673-z. Epub 2010 May 2. PMID: 20437221.
Do geese need oystershell?
Yes, geese need free choice crushed oyster shell as a calcium source to keep strong bones and to grow their famously strong eggshells. They can get calcium from other sources, but the slow release properties of crushed oyster shell are the best possible choice for uninterrupted supplementation with good bone and reproductive health.
Do geese go broody?
Oh, yes. Geese most definitely go broody. Just like chickens, some breeds are broodier than others, and just like chickens, some of the best laying breeds rarely sit on a clutch of eggs.
Do geese eat bugs?
Geese will eat small insects as goslings, but most adult geese are vegetarian. But never say never. It is rare, but a few goose keepers report that their adult geese will occasionally eat a bug or a minnow here or there.
Do geese really weed your garden?
Yes! You can even train your geese to eat certain weeds and leave other plants alone.
Can geese tolerate hot weather?
When did geese arrive in the US? Were there geese on the Mayflower?
Will geese attack people?
Well socialized geese usually won’t attack people. Geese don’t like strangers, though, so be prepared for your geese to hiss at the UPS driver or even your good friends that haven’t been introduced before. Mating season is the biggest danger. Geese will hiss and even bite when trying to protect their eggs and ganders may become aggressive trying to defend their broody girls that are sitting on a nest.