Best guard fowl?

[Cold-Blood]

Hi all!
We live by a pond, and it's a predator hotspot. I was wondering what the best guard fowl would be. Guineas? Geese?
The chicken coops sits right next to the pond, so besides the already chicken fort know we have, I'm looking for a daytime free range alert/deterrent. We can't get LGDs

Edit:
It's not going to be bone crushing if they get eaten once in awhile, but I'd prefer them to stay alive.

Edit:
Also, what would the best breeds be for geese?
(Large, happy to spend some time on the pond foraging, large enough to not be a target for large catfish, good foragers, etc.)

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Probably geese are you best options. I read African are pretty loud and forward, as well as being bigger. Chinese geese are loud and more agile.

 

[NatJ]

I have no personal experience.
But based on what I have read:

Guineas will make noise to warn of predators, but will not actually chase away the predators. Guineas tend to alert (make noise) about many things that are not predators, so if you try to respond to every alert, you will be responding to many false alarms.

Geese will make noise when they notice predators, but this varies from breed to breed and sometimes from goose to goose. They can also make false alarms, but maybe less often than Guineas.
Geese will chase away SOME predators. They may still get killed by some predators, and they probably don't care about protecting chickens-- so protecting the chickens is just a side effect of protecting themselves, if they happen to be in the same area.
Geese may also chase away people, whether you want them to or not.
Hatchery descriptions may help you choose noisier vs. quieter breeds of geese.
Based on what happens with other kinds of animals, I would predict that small and medium ones will forage better than large ones.

Unless you are there all the time, ready to respond when the birds give an alarm, I'm not sure either one will help very much.

 

[Pastel the Rooster]

Hi all!
We live by a pond, and it's a predator hotspot. I was wondering what the best guard fowl would be. Guineas? Geese?
The chicken coops sits right next to the pond, so besides the already chicken fort know we have, I'm looking for a daytime free range alert/deterrent. We can't get LGDs

Edit:
It's not going to be bone crushing if they get eaten once in awhile, but I'd prefer them to stay alive.

Edit:
Also, what would the best breeds be for geese?
(Large, happy to spend some time on the pond foraging, large enough to not be a target for large catfish, good foragers, etc.)

Guineas. My guineas, if they hear the tiniest noise, the start making noise. They are funny and with enough handling as keets, could follow you around. They are funny, and good foragers. Just through some all flock out and done, they eat, now go back to guarding. You'll know when there is a problem. My guineas scream 24/7. Have three keets newly born. One was born two days ago, the others yesterday. Two died, I needed to stop ones suffering. The other passed peacefully.

 

[Pastel the Rooster]

Hi all!
We live by a pond, and it's a predator hotspot. I was wondering what the best guard fowl would be. Guineas? Geese?
The chicken coops sits right next to the pond, so besides the already chicken fort know we have, I'm looking for a daytime free range alert/deterrent. We can't get LGDs

Edit:
It's not going to be bone crushing if they get eaten once in awhile, but I'd prefer them to stay alive.

Edit:
Also, what would the best breeds be for geese?
(Large, happy to spend some time on the pond foraging, large enough to not be a target for large catfish, good foragers, etc.)

Raise the Guinea keets with the chickens to that they become loyal and want to stay around them instead of wandering alot. Tell us what you pick!!

 

[Isadora]

Well, neither Guineas or geese are going to make it if a predator decides to go after them, but I think geese are better in the situation. Geese could at least escape out onto the pond if a predator was to try to eat them and they're larger, which potentially can make them a little bit less of a target.
I have my Guineas for tick control. I love them, but they are useless as guards. They alarm call at everything. They can see me going the house and still scream at me when I come out 2 minutes later with a bucket. They also wander like crazy. I don't know how much property you're talking about and how your landscaping is set up, but if your pond is a predator hotspot your guineas are going to get picked off quickly.
My geese are also quite loud and raucous when there's things going on. They are currently penned in the same area as my ducks. The only time I've seen them doing actual guard work was when a hawk tried to swoop at one of my ducks just a few weeks ago. All four of my geese spread out their wings and charged it. That being said, I don't think my geese would stand a chance against a fox or a coyote. They have a little bit of advantage against a small Cooper's hawk.

 

[Cold-Blood]

Well, neither Guineas or geese are going to make it if a predator decides to go after them, but I think geese are better in the situation. Geese could at least escape out onto the pond if a predator was to try to eat them and they're larger, which potentially can make them a little bit less of a target.
I have my Guineas for tick control. I love them, but they are useless as guards. They alarm call at everything. They can see me going the house and still scream at me when I come out 2 minutes later with a bucket. They also wander like crazy. I don't know how much property you're talking about and how your landscaping is set up, but if your pond is a predator hotspot your guineas are going to get picked off quickly.
My geese are also quite loud and raucous when there's things going on. They are currently penned in the same area as my ducks. The only time I've seen them doing actual guard work was when a hawk tried to swoop at one of my ducks just a few weeks ago. All four of my geese spread out their wings and charged it. That being said, I don't think my geese would stand a chance against a fox or a coyote. They have a little bit of advantage against a small Cooper's hawk.

@Isadora- hawk deterrent during the day, alarm at night is kind of what I'm looking for. Nighttime I can see the coop easily from the window and give whatever shows up a reminder with either a pellet or go out with the dog. (when we move into the house we are renovating)

 

[Cold-Blood]

The hawk that most often comes is a Northern Goshawk- not exactly the best of situations

 

[Cold-Blood]

Probably geese are you best options. I read African are pretty loud and forward, as well as being bigger. Chinese geese are loud and more agile.

If I do geese, from what I'm looking at I'm thinking African

 

[Cold-Blood]

Also wondering- are Guinea fowl a bird that broodieness hasn't been bred out of?