Everyone complains about my geese.

[Jennyhaschicks]

I have a pair of Pilgrims. I love them dearly but everyone is deathly afraid of them.. They are fine with dh and now even my kids are scared of them. I don't think they would actually bite anyone unless they were reached out at or provoked.. I guess I can't say for sure but I think their bark is worse than their bite. Back to my rant.. My family is afraid of them... most of my visitors are afraid of them. I feel like I am really outnumbered here! Dh tells me all the time to get rid of them because no one likes them. I DO!
Is anyone else on here outnumbered like I am?

 

[Camelot Farms]

Is there any way to pen them so they arent running amok terrifying everyone? *wink*

I have a couple of roosters that intimidate people so I just try to keep them penned when ''those' people are coming.

On the other hand, my DD is now afraid of our big BO roo so he is going to a new home with a fellow BYCer next week. He hasnt done anything to her, he is just huge.
She has priority over the critters so he has to go.
Now visiting family...eh. Not so much priority

 

[zazouse]

My hubby is afraid of mine even when they are not looking at him.

If they honk at him he freezes or does a happy feet dance to get away.

They love my youngest daughter when she comes over.

I keep telling him just walk like they ain't there cause they are not going to do anything, but the way he acts they are gona take advantage of his fear sooner or latter.

 

[PineappleMama]

Tough call... DH and Mattie (dog) have a very weird relationship... she barks him into the house... she barks him out of the house... he moves to fast she barks... talks too loud she barks... waves his arms she barks...

But if he lays down she's right there demanding pettings.

Dumb dog.

Gave serious consideration to finding her another home, but I just couldn't do it... she's MY Mattie Moo.

And so DH puts up with it rather than a crying Piney.... but that's my DH... he rocks.

 

[Omniskies]

Is there a reason for them to be afraid of the geese? Do your geese act aggressively around your family?

What you may want to do is get into the habit of giving your geese treats (if you don't already

. Once they love the treats, have your family, one by one, come with you and toss treats down as well. It will help the geese associate those people with good things, which may make them less inclined to be meanspirited or snippy.

Pilgrims are fantastic, and have a great personality. Exploit their love of food and get your family involved. If your geese will be hatching their own eggs this year* (or if you plan on getting goslings) then have the family help raise them while the babies are still impressionable and want to be around everyone.

* Do NOT let your geese raise their own babies this year; especially if you are having problems with them being snippy. They will become protective (they are parents, after all), and they will make the babies stand-offish. Raise the babies yourself once they hatch - or hatch the eggs yourself. Once the goslings have been socialized and are larger you can put them with the adults.

Any other information you can provide would be helpful, such as how the geese act around your family and why they are frightened in the first place.

 

[The goose girl]

Quote:
Poor you! Being a gooselover can be a lonely journey. Most people around me thought I'd lost it when I got my first geese - and I'm guessing most of them haven't changed their minds.

I live alone, so I don't have to think about spouse and kids. My mother is a country girl, so she's very understanding. Actually, she thinks my goose loves her, but he really doesn't know her and is scared of her when she visits!

Over the years, some of the people close to me like friends and boyfriends have tried to persuade me to get rid of my pets. My last boyfriend was jealous of my two cats - can you believe it - and for no apparent reason asked me to choose between him and them. Cats are still here...

If you like your geese, that's sufficient, noone else has to. I mean, you don't go around asking your family to quit their hobby, just because you don't share it, right?

 

[Miss Lydia]

good response goose girl, My Dh really doesn't feel like I do about my goose, ducks and chickens but he tolerates them because he knows they make me happy. As for visitors well we keep our fowl in an area where the visitors have to actually open a gate to get to them. Believe me most never open the gate and we warn them not to try to pet the goose.

 

[StevenW.]

My exact problem with the geese I use to own.... No one liked them and they never hurt anyone but it was time for them to go and they never hurt me or touched me or anything but I did get a scar from my gander cause I picked him up.... All my fault on that one

 

[floridaquilter]

I can sure understand the disappointment in everyone not liking your geese as much as you do....I have the identical problem here. I sure love my three geese. My 24 yr old son hates them with a passion. He is terrified and now refuses to go out front to take out the garbage for fear of being attacked. My grandchildren love to go out front but usually they all come back in within 3 minutes screaming and crying like little banchies..reporting the abuse they are receiving by my gander "Fred" I laugh but I am the only one in the family that thinks it is funny

The gander is the only one that will attack but it doesn't hurt..just a scarey threat.
I do plan on putting up a fence to keep them away from our main yard. it will be nice to have someone take out the garbage once again.

 

[gottsegnet]

Aw, my Pilgrims are such darlings. To me.

They follow me around, let me pet them and even sort of tolerate me picking them up so long as THAT DOG is out of site. They don't like her. She tries to boss them about. They occasionally strike out at the children, but mostly I just encourage the children to chase them about. Not enough to stress them, but enough to let them know that they aren't the kings of the barnyard.

I'm trying to teach the little ones to stand their ground. The geese are still deciding what to do with them. You can almost see the gears working and when my 3yo steps toward them with the broom, the run off screaming bloody murder. But they are oh so happy if she turns and runs, and do a little victory dance after chasing her off.

A lot of it is about teaching people how to act around them, but that isn't as easy with visitors. We'll see how it goes for us during the breeding season, especially since we free range and don't have fences to keep them isolated to one part of the property. (Though that may change by then. I have plans to make a portable pen out of snow fencing for them.)