Are your Geese good Rat Control?

[Bleenie]

So I have a rat problem, i actually saw the thing the other night when i went to the duck pen. it wasn't Huge but big enough to haul off the ducks eggs on a fairly regular basis.... they also stole 8 Goose eggs before our geese left!! Now our old geese killed 1, we found it and a lot of blood in their pen 1 morning. This is the only time there was evidence of it.

I have tried putting an ad for a "mean, rat killing goose" on Craigsist but got no replies.

I am just wondering if your geese are good rat/mouse control? Since i am too worried about using poison or traps i have been thinking of getting a goose to control the problem. I really didnt like our old geese though(they were Tufted Romans).

What breed are they & are they good at keeping the rat/mouse population under control? I really like White Chinese.

Thanks everyone.

 

[goosedragon]

Quote:
Though my geese have been known to kill an occasional mouse (by drowning it in a pool or water bucket) I wouldn't and didn't count on them for rodent control. Big old rat snakes, hawks and owls got most of mine. fox, dogs & cats prey on rodents. I of course also use traps and poison bait, I just make sure that they are placed where other animals can't get to them which isn't hard to do if you just give it some thought.

 

[88Haywood88]

My geese are free range toulouse geese. They kill pretty much anything they can to get a high protene meal. They even attack the cats when they get to close. If you want a big, agressive goose, africans are the way to go. chinese are too small, but very agressive. The downfall with rat killing geese is that they can also be that agressive with you. I'd get some box traps or live traps... what you do with the rats arfter you catch them is your buisness.

 

[milkweedz1950]

So I have a rat problem, i actually saw the thing the other night when i went to the duck pen. it wasn't Huge but big enough to haul off the ducks eggs on a fairly regular basis.... they also stole 8 Goose eggs before our geese left!! Now our old geese killed 1, we found it and a lot of blood in their pen 1 morning. This is the only time there was evidence of it.

I have tried putting an ad for a "mean, rat killing goose" on Craigsist but got no replies.

I am just wondering if your geese are good rat/mouse control? Since i am too worried about using poison or traps i have been thinking of getting a goose to control the problem. I really didnt like our old geese though(they were Tufted Romans).

What breed are they & are they good at keeping the rat/mouse population under control? I really like White Chinese.

Thanks everyone.

So I have a rat problem, i actually saw the thing the other night when i went to the duck pen. it wasn't Huge but big enough to haul off the ducks eggs on a fairly regular basis.... they also stole 8 Goose eggs before our geese left!! Now our old geese killed 1, we found it and a lot of blood in their pen 1 morning. This is the only time there was evidence of it.

I have tried putting an ad for a "mean, rat killing goose" on Craigsist but got no replies.

I am just wondering if your geese are good rat/mouse control? Since i am too worried about using poison or traps i have been thinking of getting a goose to control the problem. I really didnt like our old geese though(they were Tufted Romans).

What breed are they & are they good at keeping the rat/mouse population under control? I really like White Chinese.

Thanks everyone.

I have 19 geese and just found out I have rats...they are actually attacking their heads and eyes...so i am keeping the geese out of the barn until we can get a handle on it...we bought some real nasty stuff for rats and sectioned off an area so the geese don't get to it.....but my geese all have feathers chewed off and one has a bitten eye....so geese are no match for these guys....

 

[GranderTheGander]

You need a cat or cats, if you want more natural rodent control. They have to have access to outdoors at all times or live outdoors. They don't even have to kill the rats, but just constantly stalk them, so they go elsewhere. Try placing an ad for a ratter or mouser cat or a barn cat. (Remember, though, with places like CL, not everyone tells the truth about animals they are trying to rehome.) Some cat rescue organizations have barn cats or outside cats that need new homes, too.

 

[Callender Girl]

When I had a rat problem a couple of years ago, my American Buff geese did nothing to deter the rodents.

After many failed attempts to eradicate the problem critters, I went with an electronic trap that zapped the rats dead. I didn't want poison that would kill an unintended victim. Prior to the electronic trap, I used some large wooden rat traps outside the coops at night, baited with dog kibble that I hot glued to the trap so the rats couldn't dine and dash.

 

[AGeese]

I would go with the electric traps Callender Girl mentioned or use the sticky glue traps placed in no kill catch and release traps, which are safe, no mess and easy to dispose of the contents.

I have Buckeye chickens in part for their *touted* mouser skills, but rats might be a bit large for them. I haven't seen it yet, but one of my girls is a clear hunter.

I don't see Geese being big on meat at all as predominantly herbivore, with the exception of some occasional bugs or minnows.

88Haywood88 have you witnessed yours actually consuming rodents?

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[GranderTheGander]

I've heard of Muscovy ducks eating baby moles and mice, but nothing larger. The only birds really suited to kill rodents are those created to do so, and have the beaks and claws to do so, such as hawks and owls.

 

[AGeese]

Another option is Earth Dogs, any Ratter or small breed Terrier.

 

[JRies]

The bull snakes do a good job around here all summer. So the population is low by fall.