Are geese right for me?

[AGeese]

I didn't mean to be a downer. Geese have about as many upsides as they do downsides. You just have to be ready for things to go wrong if they aren't perfect.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I want to start by saying this idea is in its very early stages. I am not married to the idea of getting geese, but I am interested.

I have chickens currently, and have raised ducks in the past. I found the ducks to be incredibly messy, mainly due to their water source, but otherwise, great birds to have.

I have been reading a bit about geese, and the idea of a weeder and "guard dog" (more like security alarm) intrigues me.

First, I would only keep a small number of geese, likely 2 geese and a gander, or maybe just 3 geese. Likely no more than 3 total, 5 at the absolute most. Could I keep just 2 geese, or is 3 the absolute minimum?

Second, my main reasoning for wanting geese is predators. I have not dealt with a predator death in a while now, knock on wood, but the biggest thing I would like to change about my predator proofing is an alarm bell. My chickens are kept right outside my bathroom window, which is attached to my bedroom. If only the chickens would cry, like they do when they lay an egg, then I think I would hear them. This is where the geese come in.

If I were to get geese, they would be kept in an enclosure beside/in sight of the chickens, but not actually with the chickens. My hope/question is, would the geese sound off in sight of a predator, or if the chickens were making a fuss?

I live in a neighborhood, so the largest predator I have witnessed is an opossum. When I had ducks, there was only one attempt on them by a predator, and it was unsuccessful.

This leads me to my next question. How loud are geese? Are they louder than a crowing rooster? I have 2 roos and they don't seem to bother anyone. I live on a corner and the chickens are kept tucked away behind the house, so their sounds are partially proofed. How would the goose chatter compare? Are there louder and quieter breeds of geese? As I've said, I have no issues if they are as loud as the ducks or even the Roos, but if they are much louder than that, it is something I would have to consider.

Next, I would like to know how messy geese are. Are geese messier than ducks? When I had ducks, I kept a kiddie pool filled for them to get some swimming and water play in, and I would likely have the same setup for geese. The difference though, would be that I would like to free range the geese, so they can do some weed eating.

Which leads me to my next questions: how far would the geese range, and do I have to worry about them flying away? When I free ranged my chickens, they were really good about staying in my yard. Yeah I would occasionally have to run them across the street from the neighbors yard, but overall they seemed to understand the boundaries. Are geese more likely to take off than chickens? I read that they are not very likely to fly away if provided with what they need. Is this true? Does this fact change when they are free ranged?

I think those are all my geese-keeping questions for now. I appreciate any insight on raising them!

My goal was 2-3 geese. Currently have 10 with 5 more on order.

Goose poop is less watery than ducks, but it's much bigger. They can get messy if kept in the same area constantly. Personally I don't like goose poop on my yard so they are penned with my goats.

Depending on the breed, geese can be somewhat quiet until breeding season. Than plug your ears, and be prepared for all the yelling. It gets loud and rowdy for a few months before everything calms down.

 

[PhantomSlayer]

As someone who became the caretaker of a pair of geese because her mother wanted "Guardian Geese" I can safely say geese are not the best alarm system. And housing them with chickens are rather difficult. Specially during mating season.

Pictures from last year. They will be turning a year soon.

Our goose Gizzy (Buff American) has always been stand offish. It's a shame cause shes so pretty. But our gander Gus (Toulouse) used to be lovable until fall.

He went after my little sister and my mom reacted so now he sees them as a threat and my sister is terrfied of him. He charges my mom sometimes when she has her back turned.


If you have kids around I don't recommend geese unless you can lock them up on occasions. Just as a safety precaution. Also neighbors. Neighbors might complain. We live on a hill on 9.7 acres and our neighbor who is maybe 15 acres away on another hill sometimes asks if our geese are still alive because they honk like crazy if they see someone. Though they don't go after anyone but my mom and sister.

As their caretaker I try to put Gus in his place by picking him up or just kind of hugging him and petting him. He still hisses at me but hes only bit me aggressively once but it was because I was petting Gizzy who was oddly being docile. He came over and I thought he was gonna nibble my sleeve like he did in the past and he chomped down on my finger. It was bruised for a good few days.

I miss the days when I could turn my back to him without worry and he would come up and nibble on my back and shirt. But I heard you should give ganders atleast 2 years. Supposedly they chill out. Hoping...

 

[AGeese]

I have two ganders father and son. They went to war for a while and now the father is the top dog. He hasn't really chilled more so tolerates at times, such as when I'm walking the dog by, he no longer bolts over to attack as long as there is some distance.

Most problematic times are getting near when he's in the pool with the girls or they're all in the pen. I know how to handle him, but it's not something I can teach everyone that comes over.

He's got a flock to run so he thinks he's King ___.