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The cattle of the poultry world, geese need few inputs to raise and are one of the best choices for raising your own meat on limited pasture space. These big birds are mischievous, curious, and alert. They are extremely hardy and live primarily off of grass and weeds.
Brooding Geese
Geese need to be brooded at 90F for the first week with the temperature lowered by 5 to 10 degrees every week after until you reach 70 degrees F, if you’re using a heat lamp. If you’re using a heat plate (affiliate links: I have this one and 2 of these) simply adjust the leg height as they grow and the goslings can warm themselves when they need it.
Goslings typically no longer need heat after about 5-6 weeks of age. After that they should be moved out to their adult pens and pasture. They can spend time out on pasture sooner if the the weather is warm and then go back into the brooder at night.
Feed & Water for Goslings
You will need to provide lots of clean, fresh water for the goslings to drink. A regular chicken waterer works fine in the brooder.
I find goslings to be not quite as messy as ducklings. Normally they haven’t turned the entire brooder into soup within an hour like ducklings do. They will still need more frequent water and bedding changes than chicks though.
Goslings should be fed all the fresh grass and weeds that they want daily and either a waterfowl starter or a chick starter (medicated or unmedicated). The medication now used in medicated chick starter is amprolium, which is safe for waterfowl. In the past the medication contained arsenic which was fatal to waterfowl.
After 6 weeks goslings should be fed poultry feed only as a supplement if they have daily access to good pasture. I put feed out free choice during the day and they eat it as they want it.
Niacin Requirements
You may need to supplement with extra niacin as well to prevent leg problems. You have a few options for doing this:
- Infant Vitamins without Iron – 1 dropper full per quart water
- Brewer’s Yeast – approximately 3 cups per 10 pounds feed or a generous sprinkle on top of their feed daily
- NON-time release Niacin Gel Capsule Supplements (these are increasingly hard to find) – 100 mg per 1 gallon water – squeeze the gel out of the capsule and into the water
Typically you won’t need to supplement your goslings as long as they have plenty to eat and fresh greens daily.
Goslings, particularly ganders (males), should not be fed by hand or handled excessively as this can result in aggression when they are adults.
Feeding Juveniles & Adult Geese
Juvenile and adult geese can glean nearly 80% of their diet from grass and weeds. A small amount of grain, such as barley, should also be offered daily. The grain can be put in a shallow pan and then covered with water to keep chickens or wild birds from stealing it. Or, if you’re at our farm, the goats.
We feed ours in their night pen in the evening to encourage them to come in for the night and I like to toss their grain into their swimming pool while filling it up with fresh water. Geese should also be offered free-choice oyster shell and either waterfowl or all-purpose poultry feed during the breeding season.
Water and Bathing
Geese need lots of clean, fresh water for drinking and washing their heads. Water containers should be deep enough that they can submerge their entire head. This is my favorite bucket – it’s deep enough for them to submerge their heads and not so deep that an adult chicken can drown itself in it.
Clean bathing water should be offered at least 3 times a week for most of the year. A kiddie pool is fine for geese to bathe in. During breeding season access to clean bathing water daily will improve fertility.
Behavior
Many people mistakenly think that geese are mean animals. In reality, it’s typically a misunderstanding of goose behavior coupled with the person’s incorrect response to the behavior.
- Hissing – Geese hiss to try to scare off something that they feel is threatening. Continue about your business and give the geese more space if you can. Females tend to hiss more than ganders.
- Wing Shakes – Ganders will often let you know you’re getting too close by shaking their wings. If you continue approaching they will try…
- Charging – A goose that is running at you with its neck and wings out is trying to bluff you into running away. Stand up tall, stick your arms out, and walk towards the offender yelling loudly. I tell people to loudly say “Come here and give me a hug!” to the goose. Never, ever back down from a goose because they will then view you as lower than them in the pecking order. Which leads to…
- Biting – Geese (particularly ganders) will usually only bite people that they feel are lower on the pecking order than them. This behavior is more difficult to correct once established. The offender needs to be caught by the neck and either held to the ground or carried securely under the arm. This mimics goose behavior where the alpha gander pins subordinate ganders to the ground and keeps them from moving.
Encourage proper behavior by treating your geese like livestock and not like pets. Do not hand feed. Do not cuddle. Geese need to know that you are NOT a goose and they are NOT people.
Are you curious if you have a goose or gander? Learn about sexing geese here.
Meat
Geese are normally butchered out at either 9, 15, or 20 weeks depending on how big you want them to be. Typically carcass weights range from 8 – 20 pounds, depending on age and breed. The meat is very lean, like grass-finished beef. It also looks, smells, and tastes like beef.
Eggs
Geese are seasonal layers and usually lay in spring to early summer. The average goose lays 30 – 40 eggs annually, with some geese laying more and some laying less. Typically each goose will lay an egg every other day. The average egg weighs around 144 grams each, or about the size of 3 large chicken eggs.
One of my geese layed 9 and 7 eggs at two different clutches, and all failed to hatch (mother geese incubated ), what will be the reason?
It’s impossible to tell with the information you’ve provided. Did you candle the eggs at all? If so, what stage of incubation did they fail at? Did you open any eggs after the hatching date to examine the embryos? If so, were there any abnormalities that you could discern?
Fully automatic incubators available with auto egg turner will this type of incubators work perfect? Or manual egg rotation work fine rather than auto?
Most incubators with automatic egg turners are designed for chicken and duck eggs and to hold the eggs upright. Goose eggs must be laid flat on their sides for incubation. If you can find an incubator with an egg turner that keeps the eggs flat (and can handle goose eggs) then it should work fine. Otherwise, manual turning is best.
Is it the female or the male that hatches the eggs? We are somewhat confused, since our male is on a nest with eggs 🙂
Thanx
It’s the female that broods the nest. The male will often spend a good bit of his day standing near his broody wife, but he will not sit a nest. Once the goslings are hatched he will help raise them.
I got 5 geese have no clue other than they were last yrs get.. came to me skin and bones, but looking ok..
Now I can hardly pic up.. at closing in on a year old will if I butcher the meat be ok ( never had goose) or tough
I haven’t butchered geese that old, but the meat will taste fine. Generally, the older the animal, the tougher the meat. So you will likely find the meat to be tougher – try marinating with an acid like red wine and cook low and slow.
Thank you for the interesting information. I have had geese for only a little over a year. My female refuses to stay on her nest and incubate the eggs so I have hatched some of them successfully.
My question is about the placement and turning of the eggs. My incubator is a Harris Farms Nurture Right 360 that previously I only used for chicken eggs. My first set of 6 eggs and my second set of 8 eggs I hand rotated twice a day using the X and O identification on the eggs; I did not position them in any particular direction. The first set I turned on the short axis, the second set I turned on the horizontal axis.
This third set of 7 eggs I have positioned with the larger end of the egg towards the middle of the incubator which makes the egg sit horizontally of course, but at a slight incline, the small end of the egg being lower than the larger end.
Which would be the better way to position the eggs in the incubator?
Also I did not mist any of the eggs, nor was I consistent with the humidity level. I did assist the one egg that hatched in the first batch and three of the eggs in the second. It appeared that the membrane was too thick for the chicks to tear.
Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you, Cara
You’re very welcome! Generally, geese (and other farm birds) need the eggs to “pile up” over a period of time to a certain amount to trigger broodiness. The magic number is often around 12 eggs in the nest but will vary from bird to bird. And some breeds of geese, particularly the Chinese, are much less likely to go broody at all.
Goose eggs need to be placed horizontally for incubation. A slight incline is okay – you’ll want the air cell (big end) to be higher than the small end if you do have the eggs on an incline.
Goose eggs need a good bit of attention to humidity. A thick, sticky membrane is most likely due to humidity being too high over the course of incubation. I’d suggest running the humidity a smidge lower for this next batch.
Good day!!
I have a question. Can a geese hatch two clutches of eggs (two sets of eggs) in a season?
It’s certainly possible although unlikely. I have had a goose start laying eggs again after hatching some goslings early in the season. She only laid about 6 additional eggs before being done and did not go broody again.
What is your favorite goose breed for raising meat?
Any goose breed will be good for meat production. I personally raise American Buff geese, but I would like to add Pilgrim and Sebastopol geese in the future.
I bought two Embden goslings this Spring. I’m new to Goslings but I have chickens and I have raised ducks before. When I was researching about them I found out it takes them a few weeks to get their footing and balance. I have found one of my goslings on its back a couple times. The last couple days she doesn’t seem confident to walk or stand up. We separated the goslings in the brooder because the other gosling is larger in size and was stepping on the gosling not standing. The gosling has been trying to make more of an attempt to walk and stand she still seems week. I read about splayed legg but she is keeping her feet underneath her while she sits. Have you dealt with this before?
It’s normal for goslings to be clumsy and lie down a lot in the first couple of days after hatching. After that, they should have strong legs (but they do love to eat lying down). I would start treating her for niacin deficiency and see if that helps. Either adding human niacin supplements to the drinking water (open the capsule and mix it into water) or sprinkling brewer’s yeast on the food should help. Also, make sure to provide fresh greens daily.
Hi Katie! Just found your page and wanted to thank you for all the good goose raising info. I just got my first two goslings, a goose and gander Brown Chinese, and am super excited about them. I currently only have chickens. I’ve read conflicting info about bonding with them. I want them to be friendly, as we have kids in and out of our yard playing. I’ve also read that ganders can be aggressive if handled to much as a gosling. What do you recommend?
Ganders will become protective of the geese and anything they consider theirs every breeding season. I’ve not found a huge difference between ganders that are handled extensively when young vs unhandled ganders, other than the unhandled ganders seem more cautious about going after people.
I don’t ever recommend letting kids in with fully-grown geese unless an adult is present or the kids are old (and brave!) enough to deal with a gander.
Do you need to clip goose wings? New to the gosling group! I have ducks, and am unsure if anything extra needs done for geese. I have 2 goslings, and 4 baby ducks this season, and i want them to free graze when they are older together. They are seperate now because the ducks are a bit older.
thanks so much!
No, you don’t need to clip their wings. While they’re darn fine gliders, they aren’t able to actually fly (unless you’re raising Canada geese).
What is best to use for bedding for a gosling?
Any bedding that you would use for chickens or ducks will work fine. My favorite for waterfowl is the pelleted wood bedding. When the pellets get wet they expand and fluff out into sawdust. When they get even wetter they tend to clump which makes them easy to clean out of the brooder.
Hi Katie I have 4 geese one gander and three goose, one of my ladies is setting on eggs that the gander fertilized and the other we have been keeping with her, is this safe for the goslings that will hatch?
Yes! It’s absolutely safe. Both geese and ganders are very attentive to goslings and the entire flock will work together to raise them. The only risk at this point is the other females laying eggs in the nest of the broody goose and her ending up with more eggs then she can cover.
We had a gander die about got another adult gander right away. The female gets along with him great. she was already hatching a batch of eggs the previous gander fertilized. The new gander is a great dad and very protective of the goslings. we would like to save a few more for breeding. will the gander ever mate with chicks he helped raise?
Yes, they will! They honestly don’t care if they’re parent/child/sibling. If you’d like a certain pairing or group to breed together you’ll need to pen them together in the fall so they form breeding bonds.
I have 2 female Pilgrim goslings we rescued after their mom was torn apart by a Fox. Dad is still around. At what point can we put the goslings with their dad?
Usually the ganders are very involved in raising the goslings and there’s no issue allowing them contact with each other. Based on your comment I’m guessing that the father hasn’t had any contact with the goslings prior. If so, you can introduce them with a divider in between (like a wire fence) at any time. Once the goslings no longer need heat and things are going well with the divider, you can allow them to range with the gander while supervised. If all goes well they can start living with dad.
Hi. Is it ok if an adult Canada goose eats gosling food in small amounts daily? Thanks.
Yes, that’s just fine!
Hi Katie. Just stumbled on to your site. Your articles and responses to comments are much more helpful than what I typically find online.
I got 4 embden and 6 American buff goslings, unsexed, two springs ago. They succesfully hatched and raised 8 gosling this past summer. I am very rural north Idaho. Lots of water on my acreage. Cedar, fir, pine, cottonwood, and birch forrest. With grassy meadows.
The geese free range with my runner ducks and chickens.
They all eat the same basic 17% protein free-range feed (locally made, mostly peas).
That’s the issue. My ducks and chickens hunt for insects before going to the feed (and mice in the case of the chickens). Which is perfect. Whereas the geese have only ever been interested in the feed. There are lots of grasses and shrubs and they barely touch them. They will eat things like tomato plants, chamomile, and raspberry, when I let them at the end of harvest season. And they will nibble on some very young seedlings, but only the ones that chickens and ducks also go for.
There’s also 4-6 months of snow on the ground where I am. I have tried flakes of timothy grass, orchard grass, and alfalfa. Ive also grown alfalfa and borage. They wont touch any of it. They do eat younger comfrey leaves, but my understanding is that it is toxic in too large of quantities. I am maintaining the flock for meat and had hoped they would be lawnmowers and be primarly grass/weed/seed fed during the warmer months. Instead it’s ~400lbs of collective bird that are very expensive to feed. Lol.
Any tips on how to feed geese during long winters (hay or feed that they like?) Any tips on things that I could grow to feed them?
Maybe I just cut them off from feed completely next spring and force them to forage?
Thanks.
I would recommend switching to once a day feeding after the winter so they’re forced to hustle up their own food if they want more. I usually feed only in the morning for most of the year. You can also feed the adult geese on scratch grains, oats, etc. rather than a complete feed, switching back to a formulated feed for breeding or rearing goslings. Putting the grain into a bucket of water will keep the chickens out of it and be very entertaining for both the ducks and geese. Although it’s not something I would do when it’s freezing out unless the bucket is heated.
As far as hay, mine eat some of the plain grass hay that our 4-legged animals leave behind in their winter pen. Not a lot though because there’s green grass here year-round other than summer and a couple of snowy weeks in the winter. You might try soaking a handful of alfalfa pellets or hay cubes in warm water to see if they like them as a warm mash, particularly with some or all of their feed ration mixed in. If they do like it, you can add more gradually. As a side note, alfalfa makes yolks gloriously orange.
Things you could grow to feed them:
I bought a pair of geese two days ago… They are not eating anything except chapatti but they appear to be active… So, what should I do… How can I fulfill the nutritional needs of geese? Please guide me in this matter
Geese should be able to get most of their nutritional needs met from eating grass and leafy greens – much like cattle. They will benefit from grain, like wheat or oats, fed once a day. You can give them chapatti occasionally, but too much bread can cause problems with wing development in young geese and goslings. If you’re having trouble getting them to eat grass and other plants, you can pen them up in a nice grassy area, break a little chapatti up into tiny pieces, throw it in the grass for them to find, and then leave them to figure it out. They’ll catch on eventually that they’re surrounded by food.
Hi Katie,
Thank you so much for your plethora of information! Last year I successfully hatched 1 gander and 3 geese. The gander has paired up with one of the females and someone just started laying. Unfortunately, the nest she built is out in the open with very little insulating material and we’re still getting snow and temps in the low twenties and upper teens (Fahrenheit) at night (out on the plains in Colorado). She is not yet sitting on her eggs so I brought them inside to keep them from freezing. In your experience, should I just plan on incubating the eggs or is there a chance that I can sneak them underneath her when or if she starts sitting? How long after laying the first egg do geese usually start sitting on them? Also, is there a way to tell whether they are fertile by candleing them before putting them into an incubator? Thank you for your help and expertise!
You’ll absolutely be able to sneak them under her if you want to. I usually make sure to block the gander while I add to the nest and if possible have a helper distract the broody goose to help protect me from getting nipped as I reach under her. You can also just add eggs in while the broody goose takes her daily break from sitting.
You can also usually get them to move their nests (before they go broody) by moving the eggs to the desired location and penning them up with the eggs for the night. As long as the females have access to the new nest they will normally start laying there instead of their previous location.
The magic number for broodiness is usually around 12 eggs, but it absolutely varies by individual bird. It’s helpful to let the eggs pile up a bit to trigger broodiness.
Unfortunately you’ll either have to incubate them for a week or crack them open to check for fertility. You won’t be able to check by candling. I like to pull the first 3 eggs and incubate those to check.
Hello. We have a nest in our backyard that we’ve been watching for almost 4 weeks now. The mom was always laying on the nest and the dad was always within sight. Yesterday, we chased off a coyote that was trying to get to the mom. Everything was fine this morning but when we got home from work the mom and dad were both gone. One egg was hatched and one other egg was in the nest. It’s been hours and the parents are nowhere in sight. We really think the coyote got them, at least the mom. What do we do? The hatched goose seems to be doing ok but it’s shaking. Any advice would be helpful. Thank you!
It’s possible that most of the eggs already hatched and the parents left with most of their hatchlings. For the remaining hatchling, it needs to be kept warm or else it will die. Once you have it safe and warm, contact the closest wildlife rehabilitation center to see if they can take it. If they can’t they can advise you on what to do next.