thinking about getting a Goose... need advice!

[BarredRockGirls]

i have 3 Pekin females ( 9 weeks old ) and 13 Barred rock females ( 13 weeks old ) i just lost 2

. - no roos or Drakes ... All are Fully free ranged and i have a pool for my ducks. they only use the coop for sleeping at night .

my only personal experience w geese or a whole flock of them for that matter was a few years ago my Fil had about 10 Tooluse ( sp?) geese and they were the meanest things ive ever been around in my life . hissing charging chasing all of it if you or your car were in 10 ft of them ... couldnt even get outta your car they trapped you in it ....ugh

so my questions are ....

are all geese THAT aggressive?
is it possible to have a tame LOVING Goose?
will it get along w my pekins and chickens ?
my ducks are Imprinted to me ... does that happen to Goslings ?
do i have to get more than 1 or will it be fine since i have ducks and chickens that it will be sharing bedtime with?
best breed for having a tame calm goose?
ive heard they sometimes act like "guard dogs" for a farm's flock... just of geese or will it get used to the chickens and ducks being "its flock"?

ive been looking some info up on google but wanted goose parents views.. lol thanks in advance!

 

[Lybe8438]

They are probably the farthest thing from mean! I always say geese are just like dogs with feathers. I've had just about all the different types of poultry there is and geese are by far my favorites! Mine follow me everywhere !

 

[The goose girl]

Get at least two geese, get them as young as possible, and spend lots of time with them as they grow up. Don't let anyone tease them, chase them or scare them especially while they're young.

There's no guarantee they won't be scared of (and possibly attack) people they don't know, but if they're used to people they'll probably just hiss a bit until they find out there's no threat.

Another possibility is to do the exact opposite - the geese will try to stay away from people as much as possible then. But in my opinion that's not a fun way to have geese.

Geese get along best with geese, but if they have enough room, chances are they'll leave other poultry be.

Please get at least two geese. They're so much bigger and stronger than ducks and chickens. Even though it may not be a problem at first, geese may involuntarily injure or kill the others if they don't have a playmate of their own kind.

 

[larkflying]

Geese won't protect your flock -- they will run away from predators, and it is everyone for themselves. The only thing that they MAY do is discourage hawks and eagles just because they are so big . . . A coyote, stray dog, or other predator will be able to catch and kill a goose - and if it goes for a duck, the goose is not going to do anything. If the flock is protecting goslings, they may attack, but they won't win . . .

On the other hand, my geese are friendly, dignified, entertaining, charming birds - with personalities all their own. We love watching them, and they are quite well behaved 99% of the time - they look worried when my daughters friends visit and try to feed them, and they might hiss a little from a distance, but that is the most aggression I expect to see from them. During the breeding season, if you approach their nests or their goslings they will hiss to warn you . . . but mine back off even then.

Pilgrims, Pomeranians, American Buff, Sebastopol are all among the more laid back, friendly breeds, but it also depends how you raise them . . .

 

[BarredRockGirls]

thank you all so much! i have my 13 rocks and 3 pekins in an 8x8x10 coop . they only use it at night ....so i think i can get 2 geese if i want in there too or 3 more ducks ... like i said all are fully free ranging all day . so plenty of space outside .

are they very aggressive when they start laying ? i dont plan on getting a Gander . all my others are girls and i dont want to worry about hurt ducks or hens if that even happens idk?

and i would be spending a LOT of time w them as Goslings i always have w my chicks and my ducks( hence the imprinting ) they are more than just the flock they are very near and dear to me . it just tore me up when i lost my two Rocks :'( idk what id do if something happened to my ducks!

anyone else have any advice ?