Can you teach geese simple commands or concepts.

[MsMelvin]

Lucy is a year old this month.

I know what you mean gd, about staying trained as they have a stubborn streak a mile long

.

 

[Cottage Rose]

Quote:
I love this one.

If there is an open gate a goose WILL go through it.
I'm the "Gate Closing Queen."
People think I'm OCD about it but hey...its easier than
chasing a goose.
Geese pretty much will do the opposite of anything you want them to do
without fail. IMO training them to do otherwise is unlikely....
although I have trained my geese to be herded into the barn at night
(AKA as swearing & chasing them around more efficiently)
and I have established that I'm alpha goose with my ganders during the
breeding season although most will always challenge you to some degree.

 

[Oregon Blues]

I've got a piece of chicken wire, about 18 inches tall, across the gate that I step over. The geese don't try to get over it.

 

[gofasterstripe]

I trained mine without any problems to go up to bed at night up 4 steps and down the hall to their room and they wait for me to shut the gate on the room too. When they are outside and I want them to come to me I shout FLY HERE and hold my arms out and they all jump up flapping and running my way. When I was learning them to do the FLY...

I did it in the front yard and as I was running down the yard with 14 ducklings and 4 goslings flapping and running behind me, 2 cars past and they were looking at me like...what the hell is that waman doing

 

[Denninmi]

Quote:
See, someone is being trained already -- me. Can we get this on Letterman as a "Stupid Human Trick"?

 

[FarmrGirl]

Quote:
Wow! I know my American's are really smart and they figure stuff they're not supposed to do really quickly. They also know their names and they know that when I say "salad" I have a big fistful of greens and they come running. I've never tried to teach them any tricks tho!

That's great... maybe my next batch I'll teach more interesting stuff to.

 

[Tivona]

Well I have no idea on training geese as I just got my 2 goslings not that long ago. However I do have my 7 ducks to go into their pen when I say "shoo, shoo, shoo" and move about a foot when I say "move on" and to come running for a slug when I holler "yuck, yuck yuck"... so at least some waterfowl are definitely able to under stand a few words.

 

[Oregon Blues]

I spoke too soon.

I was filling waterers today and looked up to see my geese marching across my lawn. The big gander had figured out that if he put his fat foot on the wire, he could pull it down.

I took my broom and chased the goslings (who couldn't get over the fence). That brought the adults screaming back over the fence in full battle mode. Nobody squeaks their babies and gets away with it.

So now I have to close and latch the gate every time I go in or out.

 

[iajewel]

I have had geese forever, however I have just started really learning about them with Emilee. She was the only egg that hatched out of 8 and is imprinted. That is a whole nother can of worms, however yes, you can teach them things. Emilee was hatched June 10th and although young says "Ut Oh" when its time to get her diapers on and thats the only time she does it. I never taught her, I just say Ut Oh while we are fighting to do it. She will stay in an area while I mow or do my thing. Allot of it is like potty training a child, you don't potty train them, you simply learn when to stop giving them water so they don't wet the bed. Same with geese, it takes some conditioning on your part as well to get the over all effect.

 

[MuranoFarms]

For some reason I decided that geese could learn sign language. lol Hey, if monkeys can do it...

They now know "get off the patio" (hand movement with pointed finger) and "come" (open and close hand) which is more like 'follow me' They also know 'bedtime' (miming sleeping) which means go into the garage so I can put you in the huge crate. lol If I tell them 'wings out' and run with my arms out...they run after me with their wings out, but I think they are just trying to catch me!