Anyone had experience with guard geese

[Isadora]

Hey guys, I'm planning to get some geese in summertime. Since having poultry, we have had no predator losses, but I'm sure it's just a matter of time. I'm mostly concerned about hawks. (We have an electric fence) we have quite a lot that hang around our property. In doing my research, I read that geese are usually only effective as guardians against hawks, not necessarily other predators, except to warn of the danger. My question is, if I were to get geese, would a male and female pair off and not guard the other animals? I have ducks and chickens and guinea hens. My thought was to raise the goslings inside the pen so they could grow up with the birds I want them to guard. I had just read conflicting things about what gender /s to get, whether you should just get one goose or not... Any insight would be appreciated.

 

[Goosebaby]

Hey guys, I'm planning to get some geese in summertime. Since having poultry, we have had no predator losses, but I'm sure it's just a matter of time. I'm mostly concerned about hawks. (We have an electric fence) we have quite a lot that hang around our property. In doing my research, I read that geese are usually only effective as guardians against hawks, not necessarily other predators, except to warn of the danger. My question is, if I were to get geese, would a male and female pair off and not guard the other animals? I have ducks and chickens and guinea hens. My thought was to raise the goslings inside the pen so they could grow up with the birds I want them to guard. I had just read conflicting things about what gender /s to get, whether you should just get one goose or not... Any insight would be appreciated.

Geese are big enough to make a hawk think twice, they don’t so much defend the other birds from hawks, it’s their size and presence that really do.
It often depends on personality if they’ll stick around the ducks or go their own way, the gender of the geese doesn’t make that much difference in this regard. Ganders are more “protective” of their flock, but it depends on what they decide is their flock.
Sometimes you can end up with geese that want to kill ducks so that’s a risk you should consider.

 

[Isadora]

Sometimes you can end up with geese that want to kill ducks so that’s a risk you should consider.

Oh my! Not my feather covered happy pills! That would be a bad day. I love my ducks.

 

[Cattle dog Mom]

If you want a guard animal, get a dog. Geese are prey animals too. Just bigger ones.

 

[josiegirl]

i like having a goose in the coop to protect against weasels and racoons and stuff as well. plus they are so personable especially as babies

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

I consider my geese aerial predator deterrents; from my observations, they do seem to keep hawks from dropping down on the ducks that range with them.

Personally, I think all (or at least most) animals are happiest with another of their own kind, so I wouldn't keep a single goose or gander with other kinds of poultry. Like @Goosebaby mentioned, running geese with chickens and ducks could be risky, depending on the temperament of the geese: I've had geese that didn't like roosters and pretty much all of the geese I've had are bossy with other fowl.

 

[Leader Bee]

You might find that come breeding season a goose will squash a duck too...

 

[3xhhheather]

This is all of course just what's going on with my geese, but I've seen hawks swoop then redirect once my gander starts flapping. He is always keeping an eye on things while everyone is in the pen, if I let them out to forage in the rest of the yard he is no longer concerned. Makes me wonder if he's like clocking out and I'm clocking in? I've also had several issues where the geese need to be separated from the ducks - gander trying to mate ducks, goose attacking ducks, and then my favorite, goose attacking gander

 

[bradydunnn]

Geese and ducks don’t get along, when you’re hunting for geese and ducks, the duck decoys have to be on one side, and the goose decoys have to be on the other side.