Geese are highly mobile aquatic birds that suffer significantly in intensive confinement, making outdoor access and water provision fundamental welfare requirements for farmed flocks.
Geese are among the most naturally wide-ranging of farmed birds, making their welfare in intensive systems particularly compromised. The motivational systems of geese include strong drives to graze, swim, move freely and maintain social groups — all of which are frustrated in confinement. Outdoor access provides the most practical means of meeting these behavioral needs while also enabling geese to express natural foraging behavior. Water for immersion is a significant welfare need beyond drinking water alone. The welfare evidence strongly supports outdoor access as a minimum standard for farmed geese, with richer environments providing additional benefits.