Predators of geese?

kari76 said:

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?

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Miss Lydia said:

Yes they will, and a member had a mink kill one of her geese last year. very sorry for your losses I hope you are working to secure your barn now from 4 legged and flying predators.

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Miss Lydia said:

Proper precautions is locking them up at night in a secure coop or making the pen very secure which means hardware cloth top bottom and sides. And a hardware skirt at least buried a foot into the ground or attached to bottom of pen and laid a foot on the ground to keep diggers away. Was the gosling eaten at all? Hard to say what it was but we have a predator pets forum here they maybe able to help you. Just know this it will be back. Very sorry for your loss. I believe I wouldn’t leave any out there until you get some security done.

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Ewehnes said:

One of our 5 week old geese got killed last night. My husband found him in the pen. Said he was decapitated and mauled pretty gruesome scene so my husband says as he wouldn't let me out there. The fence near where the attack occurred is bent but we didn't notice any footprints. Any ideas on our predator? We do have a white husky that lives down the street from us and is known to roam, but other than that I'm not sure. My heart is definitely broken and I fear I could lose more if we don't take the proper precautions

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Miss Lydia said:

Well 1 down and 50,000 to go.

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larkflying said:

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 . . .

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