geese and chickens?

[ducklover87]

Well for a mothers day present I am getting my mom some chickens as she has been wanting them and I needed to fill the minimum for the hatchery. I only need 4 ducks to even out my breeds and I was going to give geese a try since you all are the worst enablers lol. But of course as it turns out they don't have the type of ducklings I need in stock until like late June. I didn't want my mom to wait any longer than she already has so I just added more chickens in place of the ducks. Me and my mom don't live together so its not a housing question. I was just wondering if the chickens would be OK in transit with the geese. Will the geese kill the chickens because they will be so much bigger? Sorry for all the background information.

 

[larkflying]

I think the goslings and chicks will be fine - the goslings are bigger but they don't move around much at a day old, plus there isn't a lot of space in the boxes anyway. If the hatchery will do it, then it should be okay . . .

 

[ducklover87]

OK thank you. I figured if the hatchery will do it they should be fine but I'm such a worrier and just wanted to make sure.

 

[larkflying]

And - I would totally get more geese over ducks any day -- we love the ducks and they are fun to watch, but the geese are so much more personable they have won us all over . . .

 

[flockman]

I completely agree!

 

[goose4]

When we first got birds last year we had the geese ducks and chickens together for a day or two. The chickens used to sit on the geese. We separated everyone because geese and ducks are messy.

 

[ducklover87]

Lol that's funny because I tell everyone I'm getting geese and they are like omg why? They are so mean and I'm like that's not what I've heard(of course referring to all of you and your great experiences). This forum is what encouraged me to have geese. I hope to have a great experience with them. Goose4 that's great to know! I'm really glad they are going to be OK together.

 

[goose4]

You will love having geese. They are such characters compared to the ducks and chickens. They generally get along with the other birds but there is a pecking order and the geese are at the top. They all understand so things work fine. Everyone free ranges. The waterfowl spend there day together as a group and the chickens are another group but they share the shed at night.

 

[ducklover87]

Are geese always at the top? I know my Pekins kinda do their own thing while my newer ducks do there's. Sometimes they intermingle but not often. Will the geese kinda stay by themselves too or will they attach themselves to a group? Or does it all depend on the geese?

 

[flockman]

Geese usually find their way to the top it seems. Mine sure did. Especially my gander just before breeding season. My gander hates chickens. If they get too close he charges and pulls a few feathers. The worst he has done is to fight with the rooster who doesn't like to back down. After a flogging by the gander, for the rooster attacking him, the rooster stays out of the way.