Do skunks bother Geese?

[tberggren]

I heard that geese can be great protectors of ducks and was wondering how they would handle a skunk attack.

 

[Olive Hill]

Depends on the goose, depends on the skunk and it also depends on the environment. A really hungry skunk is going to be more motivated to get food at all costs. Some geese are very brave and aggressive, some are not so much. Either type can be injured by predators and rendered unable to fight any longer. If the geese are penned in they have no where to go to get away from short, slow predators such as raccoons and skunks. If they're not penned in however, they're more susceptible to faster predators such as fox, coyote, etc. The only surefire way to protect any of your stock is to lock them up tight.

 

[DaveK]

As a general rule skunks will go for eggs first if there are nests. They wreck the nests smashing some and dirtying the others. They can and will take goslings if they have the chance and are not at all above taking on a goose. As Olive Hill has stated even a brave and seemingly aggressive goose can still come to grief when up against a skunk ( and I'll add or most any other predator). I will take some flack for this most likely, partly because with geese one never knows much for sure, but I'm going to say here that the idea of geese being the great protectors is just an old maid's whim. They posture and threaten and get loud, all of which serve them well in social interactions with their own kind but most predators really don't care. Very often the end result is a seriously maimed goose, or worse.

 

[Olive Hill]

Quote:
Well if you get flack, I'll take some too. I absolutely agree with you.

 

[mominoz]

Having had some killed by a set of raccoons years ago , I agree too. That said, Their 'Bluffing' goes a long way with non-hungry predators, however.

The neighbors cats, hightail it over the fence when my are let out. My cat leaves the pastured area.

They also keep out human children & teens, any any form of delivery,maintenance people., goverment revenewers cool: They may also deter hawks & crows and blackbirds. They also sound warnings about people and animals larger than themselves which may deter them, as they can't figure out what the heck they are and are they dangerous???!!! For comic relief there is nothing funnier than some big old macho guy afraid of a goose