Geese are often thought to eat only grains and grass when in reality they actually eat worms, snails, insects, and even other small animals.

Geese are omnivores which means they will eat almost anything. The question is, Can geese eat worms? Yes! Worms are an important part of a goose’s diet since they will eat them daily, geese will actually get their worms from different sources, their environment (mud or wet soil), their feed (grains or grass), and their drinking water source (lake, river, pond).

Can Geese Eat Worms?

Geese are scavengers and will eat basically anything that they will come across, like worms, but is it ok for them to eat them? Actually, it is in moderation, they are a good source of protein, fat, and energy.

The main type of worm that they will eat are earthworms, they are considered a good source of protein because they have a lot of iron and copper in them. Earthworms have a high protein content, as well as essential amino acids and long-chain fatty acids. They’re comparable to other sources of meat or fish meals that are currently used in poultry feeds. Earthworm meal is also rich in essential minerals and vitamins such as niacin.

What Insects Can Geese Eat?

As stated before geese, just like ducks and chickens eat a large variety of insects daily, in the hundreds actually, here are some of them:

-June Bugs: June Bugs are nutritious as they contain a source of protein, fat, and energy and some of them contain essential amino acids. In addition to this, they are cost-effective as they require less feed than poultry.

-Caterpillars: Caterpillars are the larva of moths and butterflies that are food sources for many insects. Geese have developed the ability to digest these larvae in order to reduce their impact on the environment. They are a good protein source for geese, both in terms of quality and quantity.

-Flies: As well as the larvae of flies, flies have a high protein content like the larvae of flies, they can be eaten by geese with no ill effect.

-Crickets: Crickets have a similar amino acid profile to other types of insects, so using crickets as an ingredient in a poultry feed is a very good addition. Crickets are also used as a protein source in poultry diets due to their high protein content.

-Beetles: Beetles are very nutritious, they contain a high amino acid content and are very common in wild bird food. Birds will readily eat them, however they are not a good addition to poultry diets, mainly because most birds don’t have the ability to digest beetles.

-Grasshoppers: Grasshoppers have a high protein content and can be used for poultry production as feed.

How Should I Feed Geese?

Feed your geese a high protein diet, but make sure you aren’t overfeeding them. Another important thing is to feed them at different times so that they don’t get bored with the same food all the time.

They need to be fed as much as they need to eat not too much and not too little, so based on their size and their average weight you should know if they are eating enough. If they are still hungry after eating enough you can always add some extra food in their food bowl to give them more.

You should also be concerned about the temperature in which your geese is being fed. Make sure that the area where they are resting is not very hot or cold (too cold will cause anemia).

If you want something cold or warm add it to one of the other foods if it is too hot then leave it out of their regular foods in the food bowl to make sure they aren’t getting too hot. Some foods that you can put in their regular meal are lettuce, carrots, broccoli and cucumbers.

Feed them on a daily basis and also put some things in their food bowl that they like to eat such as corn or peas because they will be more motivated to eat if they like what they are eating. Feed them as much as they need not too much and not too little, so based on the size of the geese eat just enough for them to feel full and you may need to add some extra feed in their food bowl for them if there is still space left in the bowl.

Conclusion

Geese can and surely will eat worms, snails, slugs, and insects in their normal diet. They are part of the natural food chain and they have no problem with eating them.

As long as the forage and food supply is good and plentiful then you shouldn’t have any major problems with these birds eating anything that they find on the ground.

Resources

Picture by Fill on pixabay.com

Picture By NatFot on pixabay.com

Nutritional value of earthworms from eOrganic