You see a lot of adorable pet geese now days online, along with chickens and ducks. Before deciding to own a pet goose, there’s a few things you’ll want to learn about them before deciding to get one.

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They Poop A LOT! 

Dealing with the poop can get tiring really quick, especially when you’ve got a gosling that will outgrow one diaper after another. When my goose (Vinny) was a baby, I made little sock diapers for him that he would quickly fill up within 20-30 minutes before they would leak and get all over the floor. I made 3 different sizes of diapers to hopefully take care of the majority of his growing, but none of them worked longer than an 30 minutes to an hour. Even though I made them with waterproof material, they still managed to overfill quite quickly. I would suggest buying diapers online from someone who has mastered a good design. Personally, I think I just didn’t make the pockets on my diapers large enough to handle the large load.

They’re Attention Hogs 

If you bought just one gosling like I did to bond with and raise as a pet, they are going to demand every minute of your attention. This is how geese are naturally, one doesn’t stay behind while the other goes to work for the day. Your baby gosling will want to follow you everywhere and will throw a massive fit if they lose sight of you or if they can’t keep up. At the time, I had a job that allowed me to bring Vinny to work with me. I’d bring his crate and his stuffed animal buddy, and with it being an easy to clean floor, I’d leave his crate open so he could go in and out as he pleased. Clients got a kick out of seeing him and watching him grow.

Bonding 

Note that while those geese online are cute and look completely devoted to their owners, don’t expect the same to happen if you get a goose. Vinny was very close to me when he was young, but as he got older, he decided he didn’t like being picked up anymore to go in the car. This negative association caused him to start to shy away from me. It was about this time we moved to Colorado and decided to appoint him as the farm guard goose with benefits. Meaning we made him his own pen and shelter outside, and he lets us know when someone pulls up to the front gate by honking and squeaking wildly. If he’s out free ranging the property, he’ll even charge people. At this point, we did find him a mate (Lady Bird) so that he had a buddy that could be with him at all times. This improved my relationship with Vinny as I was no longer was picking him up on a regular basis, and now he doesn’t shy away from me anymore. Instead, I can bend down and talk to him, or even bring him his treats, and he’ll make excited noises back and come up to me for attention. Every now and then I’ll take both geese into town with me and visit the park where there’s a pond and grassy field to play in.

They Have To Test Everything

Geese LOVE to nibble/ tug/ chew on everything they can find. It can be cute as a baby, but once that bill gets bigger it can start to cause damage. When I’d have baby Vinny hang out in my lap on a towel, he’d pull and tug at the towel, or if he was on the ground I’d be my sock. With age he was able to start to shred things like papers I didn’t want him getting a hold of, cords, shoelaces, zipper tabs, etc.

What Breed To Get? 

After doing some research on the different breeds, I narrowed it down to the Toulouse (which is what Vinny is), Buff, and the Emdem. They are labeled as quiet and friendly breeds and are more common. I went with the Toulouse breed because I liked the color the best, and figured he’d blend in more on the property. Other breeds like the Chinese geese are known to be quite loud and a bit more obnoxious. And then the Sebastopol goose is just downright funny looking, like a pillow exploded.  

Gander or Goose? 

Many would probably opt for a female goose as they are less likely to be aggressive. I however, did not want to deal with egg laying season and dietary changes that come with that so I opted for a gander and figured I would deal with bad behavior as it came. And yes, the aggression did come, he was aggressive with the dogs as young as a 1-month-old gosling. One snip from the dogs changed his tune otherwise until he became an adult and decided to try his luck again. Vinny is picky about his people; I never know who he’s going like and who he’s going to try to bite. So far, besides me, he’s only liked my brother and my sister, nobody else.

How To Sex Geese? 

The most reliable way to sex your goose is to vent sex, but that only works if you know what you’re doing. I was able to vent sex Vinny once he was an adult, but found it difficult when he was a baby due to his delicate size. Sexing goslings in general tends to be more difficult after their first 2 days of life as their muscles develop. The tips that helped me in trying to tell the gender were . . .

Males: tend to be louder and shriller, they stand tall and proud, they may be slightly bigger with slightly thicker legs. Gosling Embdems, Sebastopol, and Romans will generally be lighter in color.

Females: less chatty, will stand more in the middle of the group, may be slightly smaller and have smaller features. Gosling Embdems, Sebastopol, and Romans will generally be darker in color.

What Do You Need? 

For A Gosling . . . 

Baby Feed (details below) 

Crate

Blanket and/or Bedding

Stuffed Toy Buddy (comfort for when your not around) 

Heat Pad or Lamp (only needed for about the first month) 

Diapers 

Time & Patience 🙂 

For An Adult . . .

Adult Feed (details below) 

Outdoor pen 

Pool or Pond (mandatory for proper hygiene and breeding)

Enrichment (toys)

Grown Up Diapers

Harness & Leash

Feeding Details

Goslings: Baby geese need 20% protein for the first 3-4 weeks. Then it needs to be reduced to 15-16% protein, otherwise you’ll risk causing a condition called angel wing which permanently deforms their wings. I started Vinny out on a half and half mix of chick starter and game bird feed to get the proper amount of protein. Then once he hit that 3-4 week mark I started switching him over to the waterfowl pellets. As he is a waterfowl bird, he likes his food soggy. I’d soak his food and provide a bowl of water next to it to wash it down. I’d also provide a bowl of grit in water to properly grind up any treats I gave him.

Adult Geese: When greenery is at its most lush, geese can eat quality grass almost exclusively. Make sure it’s short (about 3-4 inches) so that they don’t choke on long strands. Otherwise the ideal feed is about 80% grass, 20% grain or waterfowl pellets. Geese need about 7-8 hours per day to graze in order to get proper nutrients, in this time they can eat about 4 lbs in grass. Without grass, the average goose will need ½ lb or about 1 ½ cups of grain per day. Extra protein may be needed in the spring for molting and egg production.  

Treats: 

Treats like fruits and vegetables should make up no more than 10-20% of the overall diet. Vinny’s absolute favorite treats have been watermelon, apples, grapes, romaine lettuce, and spring salad mix.  

Acceptable Fruits: Apples, Bananas, All Berries, Cantaloupe, Cranberries, Seedless Grapes, Peach, Pears, Plum, Watermelon, Avoid Citrus 

Acceptable Vegetables: Beets (in small pieces), red/yellow/orange Bell Pepper (NOT green), Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Carrots, Cauliflower, Celery Tops, Collard Greens, Cucumbers, Dandelion Greens, Green Beans, Peas, Kale, Romaine Lettuce, Spinach (in moderation), Squash, Steamed Sweet Potato, Swiss Chard, Tomatoes, Turnip/ Turnip Greens. 

Homemade Grain Recipe: (provide free choice grit) If you don’t want to feed waterfowl pellets, here’s a recipe you may want to try. Geese should be just fine on either the wheat/barley/oats with some corn in winter, but I like to provide a little more variety and added nutrition. Be sure to add water to make it easier to eat.

Ingredients: (Healthier & Easier To Digest Sprouted)

6 cups Organic Wheat/Barley/Oats (whole) 

3 cups Organic/Non-GMO Corn (for winter) 

1 cup Black Oil Sunflower Seeds 

1 cup Milo, Sorghum, Millet, Lentils, Peas 

½ cup Pumpkin Seeds 

2 Tbs Kelp 

2 Tbs Diatomaceous Earth (optional) 

Other Geese Facts

-Goslings don’t have the oils needed to swim for a few weeks. Early exposure can help their glands to develop quicker. Personally, Vinny did not appreciate this as the water would flatten his baby feathers to his skin and cause him to freak out over it.

-Goslings can play outside if the temperature is above 50°F. Otherwise they should be good to play outside at 2 months old.  

-If using a heat pad for your gosling, make sure there’s a blanket between the pad and your gosling as those tend to get well over 100°F and can burn the baby.

-They grow fast! From gosling to a fully feathered adult, it only takes about 2 months.

-Molting takes place by June, just after the laying season which takes place between March and May at about 1-2 years of age. 

-Geese may lay a few extras eggs each season if supplemented with wheat in the diet prior and during laying.  

-Make sure their water source is deep enough for their beaks to get fully submerged. They need proper water depth in order to clean out their nostrils.

-Geese (and ducks) don’t really sleep at night like chickens do. To prevent unwanted noise, you’ll want to keep the room or coop as dark as possible. 

To sum it up, a pet goose, at least one that’s been raised to be in the house, can be a challenging pet to own. A dog or a cat is much easier in my opinion. But if you have the time and effort to put into a pet goose then it can also be a rewarding and unique experience.

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