Every time we change the water in the paddling pools (which we usually do two to three times a week), the geese immediately come over for a wash. We have noticed that they like clean water way more then the ducks who often won’t mind about dunking in the muddy depths!! Our Good Lifers on the other hand definitely prefer clean! It is fabulous to watch waterfowl clean themselves. They way they preen through their own feathers, spreading the oil and zipping up each individual quill, is amazing. And they really do look immaculate when they have finished.
We wonder when we are going to get our first egg. We also wonder what we will do with it. Ideally we would like Margot and Barbara to incubate their own eggs but other geese keepers tell us that geese are hopeless sitters and the eggs should be given to reliable chicken or duck broodies. As they lay so few eggs, they are rather precious and we won’t want to waste any. There is also the issue of 'where' they should lay, it is unlikely they will build a nest in the stables as they are too noisy and not private enough. We may have to let then free range around the 3 acre field where they would have access to the field shelters and barn, but then we would definitely need the alpacas to protect them at night!!
We may well wait to see when we get the first egg. We cannot put them back in the 3-acre field at the moment anyway as the alpacas aren’t there and won’t be till next month at the earliest!!!