Chicken Chat Group!!!

[ArtGirl]

Wow. Weird question. Have you ever had problems with geese drowning chickens?

 

[Marthab1953]

Wow. Weird question. Have you ever had problems with geese drowning chickens?

No I haven't but they are very aggressive during breeding season and maybe the chickens were in their territory.

 

[ArtGirl]

Yeah, that's what we thought. We just got some goslings and were deciding whether we should keep them.

 

[Starfire669]

Yeah, that's what we thought. We just got some goslings and were deciding whether we should keep them.

Hi, I am new to chickens and geese having gotten my first batch 8 weeks ago. But I have learned a lot in those 8 weeks. To start my 8 week old goslings and chickens were brooded and are now housed together and they are very attached to each other. I did this 1 not knowing better, and 2 hoping to teach the geese to sound the alarm if something molested my chickens when they are all free ranging. My older goslings not only tolerate the chickens, they allow them to sleep on their backs like mobile roosts and will even hold still so the chickens can clean their bill of stuck food. When I let the geese out but leave the chickens in the pen (we are only a week into supervised free range with the chickens due to their size and the feral cat/dog population around here) the chickens cry for them. When the chickens finally join the geese, they run straight to the geese and stick close to them. At night, i call the geese home and you see a whole flock of chickens frantically running behind so as not to be left behind.
That being said, the geese will be moving out, either by winter or sooner if problems develop. I have a second batch of 2 4 week old goslings, 2 3 week old goslings, and 9 black australorps pullets. the 8 week old geese attack both the younger goslings and chicks if they see them. And during breeding season nothing is safe from a territorial gander defending his mate. Best to give the geese some privacy during that hormonal time.

If you just got goslings, you can read a thread I started titled Baby Goslings, Care and Questions. I lost a baby gosling from my first batch from feeding medicated chick starter and a niacin deficiency combined. I started the thread so other new gosling parents don't have to go through that painful learning experience. Also the Book of Geese by Dave Holderread has a ton of information about everything you need to know, choosing a breed, breeding, incubating, hatching, raising, maintaining, illness, and even a few recipes for goose. I highly recommend it.

This pic was taken 4 weeks ago

So was this pic


This was taken 2 days ago.

 

[ArtGirl]

Thanks for the info. Awesome choice of chickens. We have australorps and they are awesome! They are extra friendly and they are awesome egg layers.
We can't have our chickens free range because of the local wild life and the dogs in the area so they are in a cage. That's why we though they wouldn't do good because of the small amount of space. When we got them we were prepared to either make a new pen or just sell them.

 

[Starfire669]

Thanks for the info. Awesome choice of chickens. We have australorps and they are awesome! They are extra friendly and they are awesome egg layers.
We can't have our chickens free range because of the local wild life and the dogs in the area so they are in a cage. That's why we though they wouldn't do good because of the small amount of space. When we got them we were prepared to either make a new pen or just sell them.

Is your yard fenced? If so and a predator gets in your yard to attack your chickens, shoot it. the dogs will slaughter every chicken it finds for fun, and will try to tear through your coop to get at them. Wild predators, such as foxes, possum, and others will keep coming back after they get just 1 chicken. It would be like advertising an all you can eat buffet.

I love the australorps, they are my youngest chicks. I also have 8 week old Barred Rocks, Rhode Island Reds, and Sliver Laced Wyandottes, and 6 week old Buff Orphingtons. I couldn't make up my mind on anything but egg size and color, so decided to try some of each. Now I have chickens coming out of my ears, lol.

 

[ArtGirl]

Our yard isn't fenced but our run is. We have a cage to catch the racoons that were getting in and we haven't had any problems. So far we've caught 5 of them. For the dogs we have it set up to where they can't get in but they would cause problems if the chickens were free. We've tried too shot them with a BB to scare them but they run before we can get to them.

I also love the Bard Rocks. My Bard Rock roo is the sweetest chicken ever! He loves people and falls asleep if you hold him long enough. We also just got some Buff Orpington chicks and so far we love them.

 

[Starfire669]

Our yard isn't fenced but our run is. We have a cage to catch the racoons that were getting in and we haven't had any problems. So far we've caught 5 of them. For the dogs we have it set up to where they can't get in but they would cause problems if the chickens were free. We've tried too shot them with a BB to scare them but they run before we can get to them.

I also love the Bard Rocks. My Bard Rock roo is the sweetest chicken ever! He loves people and falls asleep if you hold him long enough. We also just got some Buff Orpington chicks and so far we love them.

I will use a BB gun to scare a cat, but a dog gets the 9mm or shotgun, period. I grew up in this neighborhood and the strays here are vicious. I have been attacked and chased back home by those dogs. I still carry the scars on my arms, though my legs healed. Those suckers are under a death sentence if they set 1 paw in my yard and I catch them. i have 2 boys, age 11 and 12, 6 dogs, 2 outdoor cats, and now chickens and geese.

My yard is fenced, but I have seen the dogs either jump the fence or tear a section of chain link out to get the cats, chickens, and female dogs in heat.

 

[ArtGirl]

Wow, we don't have many strays here but the owners let there dogs run as they please. We were worried about getting sued otherwise those dogs wouldn't be a problem any more.

 

[Starfire669]

Wow, we don't have many strays here but the owners let there dogs run as they please. We were worried about getting sued otherwise those dogs wouldn't be a problem any more.

Call the sheriff and ask, that's what I did. I was told if I feel the animal is a threat to me, my family, or my livestock I can shoot to kill.