Q&A for How to Feed Geese Safely

No, you should not feed dried bread to ducks and geese. I would avoid doing this in the future.

Yes. Geese love corn, and especially whole corn.

Yes, they can eat corn, lettuce, peas, etc.

Almonds and other nuts are usually too big for geese because they swallow their food whole. If they were broken up, perhaps, but keep in mind that they might not see the little pieces.

Geese cannot effectively digest most breads. Bread contains little to no nutrients and therefore is not really a good choice as a feed for geese. Young geese which take in too many carbs may develop angel wing, a condition which prohibits proper development of the wings. Most people advise against feeding any kind of bread to waterfowl, but in small amounts, whole grain bread may be an acceptable exception.

Yes, blackberries are fine. Geese love eating fruits and vegetables as a treat.

No.

Feed them to your geese and see if they can take the shell off without help. If they can't, try buying already shelled sunflower seeds. If you can't find any, then you can try taking the shells off yourself.

Yes, and it doesn't really matter if you peel them or not.

No, they don't.

Geese don't have the proper bill/beak for cracking open seeds. They actually eat grass, so probably wouldn't even identify bird seed as food.

No, you should not feed geese macadamia nuts. It is not safe for them to consume macadamia nuts.

Yes, cracked corn is fine for deer. Any corn is fine as long as it is pesticide free and shelled.

No, it is not recommended to feed geese carrots. It is also not recommended to get close enough to the geese to feed them carrots, as that may not be very safe for you or for others around you.

You can go up to them when they are feeding the geese bread, and politely talk to them about the right things to feed geese. Speak with them about the nutritious values of the healthier treats, and how bread is like poultry’s junk food, some occasionally is just fine, but too much can harm them.

They can eat raw peas but it is recommended to cook them so they go down easier. Boiling the fruits and veggies can also clean them too.

Yes, provided there are no additives. The better option is to just cook some rice and feed it. Although they can eat uncooked rice, it is small, bland and most geese will leave it on the ground. Cook a little brown rice with lentils or by itself and they will eat it. If you decide to feed the rice cakes, just make sure there are no additives and that you break it up relatively small.

Meal worms are a good source of protein, however geese can become dependent on them, so I feed my geese these delectables only twice a week. Others may say you can feed more often, but I find if I feed my geese those more often, they forget about their other food, which is life sustaining.

Throw foods that float on water to the geese. Some people use bread, however that is bad for geese.

No, they cannot eat cornmeal. Those are processed cereals and they cannot eat those. However, they can eat corn.

Geese love vegetables. If you have a garden and geese, you need to protect your garden or they will eat it all eventually. They like canned, although canned tends to have a lot of salt. When I feed frozen I thaw it first, but I do not serve hot. Most geese prefer fresh best of all. Geese might not eat a vegetable that they haven't had before so start in small bits and give the geese time to investigate the food and test it. My geese like berries, broccoli, and romaine lettuce. They are less enthusiastic about cabbage and I do not feed iceberg lettuce as it has no nutritional value.

Canadian geese do eat berries in the wild, but they may not like strawberries.

No, it is never okay. The geese can easily choke on popcorn kernels. However, they can eat herbs, fruits, vegetables, mealworms, and more.

Yes, but be sure to cut them up before giving banana to your goose. Also, either hand-feed the banana slices to your goose or place them in their food place. Dice or purèe the banana before feeding it to goslings and adolescent geese.

Geese can eat bananas, but the peels are a different situation. You can give them banana peels, but they would have to be small or have gone through a food processor. If you are taking about peels from citrus fruits, you should not give them that at all. Geese should not have citrus fruits because it could interfere with their calcium absorption, which leads to thinner egg shells.

Up to two days without eating is okay. They can last on their yolk sack for two days or so if they have to. It might be good to see them drink, but in nature they won't leave the nest until all chicks are dry and mom guides them out. They may hatch over a day or two. The first day or so they are a bit groggy.

Yes, you can feed geese chopped cabbage, but not all geese might like it and every goose has a taste for different things.

You must peel the skin and cut the apple into small pieces. Geese might choke on the apple skin and it can easily stick to the inside of their mouth.

It depends on the type of food you feed them. If you feed them a mix of poultry scratch and pellets, it is okay to feed them the same thing, as I feed my geese and ducks in the same place. As a warning, do not feed them bread, crackers, chips or other human food, along with avocados, citrus, nuts, and popcorn, These are toxic to the birds. But, they can eat oats and other plain seeds, as these are nutritious.

You can try first, and see if they can crack off the shells by themselves. If not, try feeding them sunflower seeds in the shell. Geese are apt to swallow food whole, so if your geese start choking, discontinue feeding immediately.