Flock guardians?

[Jayellebee]

i have a flock of Ducks and was wondering about getting a goose for a flock guardian. I know geese are very good at alerting owners of danger.... but I’m not sure where to start. I have a ton of questions about adding a goose to my flock.
Is it best to add just one? Or a pair? Also, is an older goose a better choice? Or should I wait until spring and try to get a gosling? Are there breeds that are more protective? Male or female? I have 3 drakes if that matters.. Any advice would be helpful! Thank you!

 

[Pyxis]

You need two geese. You should never, ever, ever keep one goose alone. It's very unfair to the goose, asking it to live with a different species its whole life that doesn't speak its language, have the same mannerisms, the same diet, and can never be its mate.

So, if you do go the route of getting geese, you need a pair at minimum.

What kind of protection are you looking for? If you just want something that will alert to danger so that you can run out and intervene, then geese might be for you. If you're wanting something that will actually protect your other birds, then geese aren't what you're looking for.

Goslings are nice because you can raise them to be used to you and be friendly. With older geese, there's no guarantee of that. I'd recommend either a male/female pair, or two females if you don't want goslings.

 

[Jayellebee]

You need two geese. You should never, ever, ever keep one goose alone. It's very unfair to the goose, asking it to live with a different species its whole life that doesn't speak its language, have the same mannerisms, the same diet, and can never be its mate.

So, if you do go the route of getting geese, you need a pair at minimum.

What kind of protection are you looking for? If you just want something that will alert to danger so that you can run out and intervene, then geese might be for you. If you're wanting something that will actually protect your other birds, then geese aren't what you're looking for.

Goslings are nice because you can raise them to be used to you and be friendly. With older geese, there's no guarantee of that. I'd recommend either a male/female pair, or two females if you don't want goslings.

Awesome. Thank you! I’ve been doing a little research, not much yet, it was just a thought, but one article said to have a single goose, so it would imprint on the flock you have to protect it. I thought it was a little fishy since I know how ducks need other ducks...

And yes; I wanted something to alert me of danger.. sometimes the dog is more worried about playing with his ball than what’s going on with his ducks

 

[Pyxis]

Sounds like geese might be for you, then

Yes, for some reason people LOVE to tell others that you can keep one goose alone. There's even a Youtube famous homesteader that recommends it and it makes me very mad.

So, as far as breed goes, you've got lots of options You'll just have to think about what you want. Do you want something larger and more intimidating, or something smaller that doesn't eat as much? Docile and friendly to humans, or more aloof? Is something high-strung okay, or do you want them to be calm?

Can you deal with a LOT of noise? If not, Chinese geese are not for you.

 

[GreatGranny]

Our family has American Buff geese! All females! Sweet, friendly and they love our chickens! Their pen is connected to the chicken pen and they converse with the chickens all day, except when we socialize with them, usually for a couple of hours a day! They see us as part of the flock and it is so cool when they run over to be with us, just honking their head off! my hubby adores them! So much so we started with two and now have four! We let the younger girls join the flock at a very early age because there was not the aggressiveness you see with chickens! The older girls have been raising the younger girls for weeks now! Here you see Lily, Amy, (older girls 2 and a half months old) Gertrude, and Slappy (born the 6th of June)! Slappy has extream crossbeak but she is thriving just the same!

 

[dogkahuna]

We have gotten excellent results ordering ducks and geese from Metzer Farms in California. They publish breed comparison charts on-line. Here is the goose chart--http://www.metzerfarms.com/GooseBreedComparisonNew.cfm?affiliate=undef&CustID=21728060

 

[thehenhouseinpa]

I got my two Toulouse goslings from Metzer Farms. I got a boy and girl pair. They are so far loving life. They just got introduced to outside life. They are friendly but not sure how good of a "guardian" they will be. The gander will hiss at the dog and then run away with his lady. They love to hang out around the chickens, not introduced and living with them yet but getting there. Regardless I love them!

 

[Magnolia Ducks]

When the coyote came for duck buffet yesterday, Fred the gander was the fastest one of the bunch with the goose right behind. Pate' the duck was too slow and therefore was the buffet. She was one of my best layers too. I have Africans so they are loud enough to wake the undead but don't expect geese to protect the flock. Fred likes to terrorize human visitors. Much more effective than the dog who prefers the lick to death method. I do love my geese and they have very distinct personalities. They are much better at guarding you from humans. In fact my predator losses have risen since acquiring the geese. The two probably have nothing to do with each other.

 

[GreatGranny]

When the coyote came for duck buffet yesterday, Fred the gander was the fastest one of the bunch with the goose right behind. Pate' the duck was too slow and therefore was the buffet. She was one of my best layers too. I have Africans so they are loud enough to wake the undead but don't expect geese to protect the flock. Fred likes to terrorize human visitors. Much more effective than the dog who prefers the lick to death method. I do love my geese and they have very distinct personalities. They are much better at guarding you from humans. In fact my predator losses have risen since acquiring the geese. The two probably have nothing to do with each other.

I agree, Magnolia, whole-heartedly!