Most ducks and geese are pretty good foragers and shoulden't need much help in the feed department. There is some variation among breeds. I give mine a scoop of scratch grains about once a week and other than that, they stay fat and happy on grass. Yours may use a little more to get through a tough winter.
As far as the water goes, try using a three gallon galvenized tank type waterer in the barn so that they can only get to emough water to take a drink and not swim. They'll still spill plenty, but not like they will with an open trough.

Hey Jonathan,

Welcome to the wonderful world of runners! We have four - they're all like cartoon charcters....well, Daffy certainly comes to mind.

We're beginners and our runners are a 1.5 years now. They go share night time quarters with two chickens, an 8x7'coop. During the day, they have a large penned in yard. At first, we worried about them at night and provided food and water. It was short lived. They're messy to begin with, but I got tired of cleaning and reissuing bedding...so ours get food and fresh water in the morning and eve, plus anything they can forage for in between. And they're fine, probably lots less exposed to bacteria, etc.

I'm wondering though about your geese and ducks together. We raised brown Chinese geese about the same time as the runnesr were coming up. Didn't work out. Not because of the geese mind you, which were twice the size - but because of our suicidal drakes who STILL think they can take on our biggest gander. They're feisty. We had to seperate. The geese (now adults) get to free range, our runners do not. Still, if Rudy or Nemo accidentally get out of their enclosure, they make a beeline for the whole gaggle of 12 geese! Stir it up until they get pounded on and gripe all the way home about the tussle. But-heads both! ...or like I said...Daffy!

Good luck!

LF RJ

Thanks for the replies.

CPP, my concern is mostly that the grass is too short to sustain them. I don't want them to be hungry. They gobble up the pellets. Do you think they do that just because it's there?

I actually started out with a tube waterer, but it was constantly clogging, so I switched to the open tub. Also, they need to dunk their heads underwater to clean out their nostrils and eyes, and a regular poultry waterer doesn't permit that.

LF RJ, yes, those runners are so much fun. My geese are pilgrims, and very docile. My plan is actually to get rid of the drakes, though it will be hard to say goodbye to them.

I'll try feeding/watering them outside the barn today and see what happens.

Yesterday, a great blue heron came to visit for a few minutes, in the barnyard. I was at work, unfortunately, but my wife gave me the full report.

--Jonathan

My ducks will graze all day and then fight the roosters to get into the hen-house when my wife feeds the hens. I think they go for whatever is easiest and that means commercial feed. Keep in mind that ducks are very hardy birds and really don't need much prosperity to be happy. If a scoop of pellets makes you feel better, then by all means put out a scoop of pellets. I have found, however, that birds will eat every time that you feed them wheather they are hungry or not.

As far as the waterers, I use the conventional waterers which give about one inch of water and my birds are about as healthy as they come.

I don't give my hens or ducks water inside their night house...too wet and dirty in the am,which can cause problems with health. Ducks are already wet with their droppings as it is in there. They have water and food all day in their yard but as of nightfall until sun-up they don't get water in the house. They are doing just fine without it. I figure they get plenty of food and drink all day long that they can go for the night without. I've never had a problem this way...

I am new to the bird world we have 2 roman tufted 4 month old geese. Boy do they grow fast. From day one they have had grain in their dishes at all times. They have never emptied the dishes. Sometimes I have to toss some out to put fresh in. They have a black rubber open dish for their water inside the barn, when they were younger they would pull it around but they have stopped. The floor is never wet and I have a kiddie pool outside bso when the weather turns too cold to bath in maybe they will try to get into the water bowl. I plan on getting the larger black bowl when I close the pool, they do need to dip their heads. they have a yard with some grass, they pulled up most of it but I let them into our back yard and they graze a little and want to go back into their pen. May I have "good" geese.