Predators of geese?

Are adult geese big enough that hawks and bald eagles won't bother them? I'm more worried about the bald eagles than the hawks and other raptors around here.

Hawks should be no threat to geese, but bald eagles may be another story. I have seen bald eagles kill snow geese and am quite certain that if hungry enough they would take on domestics.

Hi !

We live in the Puget Sound area too - and have hawks, falcons,owls, ravens, and eagles around here. So far (knocking on wood) I haven't lost any birds. The key seems to be cover so they can get away. My geese / ducks come flying up the slope to the trees if one of the raptors gets close. I think actually that the geese protect the chickens and ducks somewhat by being so much bigger -- they discourage the smaller hawks.

The ravens have been stealing duck eggs, and I've heard they'll steal baby chicks/ducklings/ maybe goslings . . . but they don't bother the grown birds.

There's a pair of bald eagles that nest near our house, and they fly over frequently. I'm sure they could tackle a goose, but so far they haven't bothered, either because they have plenty to eat, or because the geese would put up too much of a fight, or because the geese take themselves away to the trees . . .

The owls actually worry me more, because of the ducks . . . I've heard they can be very hard to discourage. Our owls here are either not large enough, or full of mice from the hay fields . . .

A bald eagle ate my Pekin duck last summer. I covered their entire pen with chicken wire and he came back for more. We caught him on the ground, shaking the door to the pen, trying to get it open.

Oh, that is alarming! That would explain why my ducks run for cover . . . Didn't know that the eagles would try to get in like that . . .

I have a couple of large cover spots in the yard for them to nap under. the ducks and the geese both take cover in the brush pile I have since its open underneath. the hawks don't seem interested in the ducks as long as they are near the geese. I do have a couple eagles near here. I will watch for them.

All of the mammal predators can kill geese, even the tiny weasel. Domestic cats probably won't try, but just about everything else will.

I've got a lot of bald eagles flying over, but they aren't interested. They are capable of killing a Canada Goose, so I'm sure they could kill a domestic goose if they decided to do so.

Large hawks could probably kill a goose, but are very unlikely to try. They don't even go for my large breed ducks.

The winged danger here is the Great Horned Owl. Since she is a lot more interested in rabbits, she can stay, as far as I am concerned. I just put the birds under cover at night so they are safe from the owl.

I have had equally determined eagles at my place and have had several sad losses. One eagle actually flew over the fence and attacked our 90 pound rough collie who was barking at the eagle as he was trying to get into a locked pen. My collie ended up with a slightly bloodied face from the eagles talons or beak, but my husband said it looked like our dog eventually got the best of him/her.

We have been wondering about having geese as well - though it sounds like more strategically placed bushes and trees could also help. We've been thinking the larger the breed of geese the better (and ornery) - oh yeah, the grandchildren are just going to love that. LOL

L0rraine said:

I have had equally determined eagles at my place and have had several sad losses. One eagle actually flew over the fence and attacked our 90 pound rough collie who was barking at the eagle as he was trying to get into a locked pen. My collie ended up with a slightly bloodied face from the eagles talons or beak, but my husband said it looked like our dog eventually got the best of him/her.

We have been wondering about having geese as well - though it sounds like more strategically placed bushes and trees could also help. We've been thinking the larger the breed of geese the better (and ornery) - oh yeah, the grandchildren are just going to love that. LOL

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I saw a very disturbing u tube video of a falcon taking down a Canada goose. I'm thinking even though we have eagles It would be hard for them to maneuver around all our trees. Hawks I do worry about especially once the leaves fall.

I also have a question about this. We have a had a pretty bad weekend. I have my chickens and geese in our barn in pins except my rooster he roosted on a beam in the barn. The question I have last Friday my husband and I went outside to let the animals out and found my rooster dead his head was hanging off the body was not touched. We think he flew down to protect the hen and got it. Sat morning we went back out there and I thought my hen would be safe because the pin she was in is on concrete so I didn't think a weasel could get to her thinking that's what it might be, well what ever it is tried getting her through the pin tore her up pretty good. Well I put her in the garage last night and thinking the geese where safe because they are pretty big geese and something killed one of my female geese. It ate her and not trying to sound grouesome but it ate her Brian it look like. Well when my husband and I both went in there to look at her a owl flew out of the barn will they do that?