Will a goose protect my ducks?

[Cassia311]

Hello everyone!

I just got 6 darling little Cayugas that are 2 weeks old. The will be living up in the high mountains of Colorado. There are LOTS of predators here from foxes, coyotes, hawks, owls, bears, raccoons, and more. I've been in contact with plenty of geese and they seem to be really aggressive and protective. I've seen a Chinese goose down at our local pond care for ducklings like there were her own! She hisses and attacks anything that gets near them and swims with the family following in the back. The survival rate for the local ducks is pretty high, so I think they are well adapted at protecting themselves from predators. Does anyone know of geese being naturally protective of ducks or is this just a local anomaly?

Aside from a goose, any other recommendations for protecting my darling little ducklings?
Any mistakes you've made, lessons you've learned, tricks you've discovered, or knowledge you've gained would be fantastic!

 

[buff goose guy]

1 goose yes but with all those types of predators no . A flock of geese mixed with your flock of ducks . OHHH YEAH they will protect and keep predators away ! African or Chinese eat but I have American Buffs and they did a great job until they started attacking people too .


But yeah a gander and a goose will adopt ducklings in there flock of goslings or a goose might just adopt the babies but you shouldn't leave them in open water like a natural pond , or out a night to many dangers for the ducklings .


I have a Cayuga had some in the past great docil and completly hidden at night , but early spawn when it's gray can get picked out like popcorn .

 

[Cassia311]

That's good to know. I don't really want to have a whole flock of geese but I think one would be nice to have around for some extra protection or maybe a specific guard dog. I suppose the dog would be a little better with the defenses. Thanks for your response!

 

[MrsPeters]

I have two heavy Chinese geese and they protect all my ducks and chickens. it is so fun to watch them heard and gather them all when they think their is a threat above or on the ground. i live in the mountains of Idaho and so far they have been extremely effective at warding off predators, they are also very social with my husband and i they greet me at the car door when i get home from work and come honk at me when i am on the porch (they are usually expecting a treat). to be honest they are better guard dogs than the rottweilers i raise lol and usually notice anything out of the ordinary before the dogs do giggle! but word of warning they are LOUD! and they love to talk honk and squawk all the time but are usually quiet after dark.
but all in all i would highly recomend these handsome fellas to anyone

 

[MrsPeters]

P.S. everything i have read said always buy in two's so if you are thinking of purchasing geese make sure you at least buy 2 it does'nt matter what the sexes are you just need 2

 

[desertdarlene]

I've heard good things about geese protecting ducks. But, I've also seen some geese get mean with ducks and ducklings. I have seen where at least one gander would "look out" for anything that looked like a baby goose, even ducklings. He had a companion that used to attack ducklings and he wouldn't put up with that. Whenever the companion would start to threaten any ducklings, he would step in front of him and block him from hurting them. He would also kill gulls if there were any ducklings around. He's gone now and none of the baby ducks survive any more where he used to live.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I've heard good things about geese protecting ducks. But, I've also seen some geese get mean with ducks and ducklings. I have seen where at least one gander would "look out" for anything that looked like a baby goose, even ducklings. He had a companion that used to attack ducklings and he wouldn't put up with that. Whenever the companion would start to threaten any ducklings, he would step in front of him and block him from hurting them. He would also kill gulls if there were any ducklings around. He's gone now and none of the baby ducks survive any more where he used to live.

My geese marginally tolerate the ducks/chickens. and they will not protect any thing but their own. It's a misconception that geese can protect from a predator with teeth and claws. they can't beat a pred like that to death with their wings. When we had a red tail come in and killed a bantam hen all my flock including the geese were so scared they were up against the gate no one made a sound of warning either. . Only my rooster making a noise I had never heard alerted me that something was wrong. I would not put my trust in geese to do much protecting, with a predators with teeth,.

 

[Cassia311]

I wonder if it has a particular influence over what breed of goose you have. A lot of predators can sometimes be intimidated by the manner and noises of other animals. I suppose that's why they recommend that you "make yourself look big" in front of a bear or mountain lion. I mainly ask because as desertdarlene mentioned, I have also seen geese be naturally protective and the survival rate in our area for ducks is very high. I've seen maybe 1 or 2 in the last 4 years not make it to adulthood. (In fact, there's getting to be too many at our little pond!) And we have coyotes, mountain lions, bears, foxes, red tailed hawks, and owls galore around here.

 

[Cassia311]

Thanks for the recommendation Mrs Peters. I suppose I could get a pair of geese. Do you think two females would bicker with each other? Would two males fight? I know nothing about geese aside from observing them in wild-ish conditions. Down at our local pond there are several pairs of Canadian geese and only 1 Chinese goose. She's the one that's protective of everyone.

 

[buff goose guy]

It's always best to get a male and a female .

I recommend American buffs , every description ,( according to my geese ) has lied they are not docil they are loud angry and very very violent except towards the ducks and me since I'm their parent . . They really are loud loud geese and the makes are very large and burly giving an intimidating apperence .