**Geese as Watchdogs? Coyotes? HELP My Sister Out, Please!**

[ranchhand]

Thank you in advance for any help!

My sister lives in mid-state SC. They have lots of coyotes there now, and that's one reason she's never gotten chickens.

She has asked me if a flock of geese will keep the coyotes away- she heard that the 'yotes will eat the eggs if they can, but the geese will keep them away.

Any thoughts?

 

[TinkleTurkey]

I doubt it, because coyotes are generally noctournal and i doubt the geese would wake up until after the coyote has snagged his dinner.

The honking might drive one away eventually, but not if its really hungry. At best they'll be a slight annoyance.

 

[Shiloh Acres]

My geese will stand up and watch -- they are very watchful. They tend to hiss first and then honk if something disturbs them. I don't think it likely anything could sneak up on them. They are in a coop with wire fencing on the sides so they can see out, inside a fenced yard with a llama, for their protection.

They might make noise and alert to coyotes. I'm not so sure they'd scare coyotes away. I'm sure my goats screamed their heads off when coyotes were breaking into my barn, and that didn't scare them off. I'm also sure many other prey-type animals do the same.

*IF* a coyote had NEVER seen a goose, it MIGHT be intimidated. A pack much less likely, and even if the yote IS intimidated, they are smart animals and would probably quickly learn to take a goose.

And I certainly hope no one is suggesting she rely on a flock of geese to actually attack coyotes and drive them away. That's a sure recipe for having a flock of geese eaten.

 

[thekid]

get a bunch of turkeys that are males

 

[TinkleTurkey]

Personally, the only thing that keeps coyotes away for sure is dogs.
I'm sure you're asking about geese because you can't or don't want dogs for that purpose, but I have three that keep a watchful eye on my flock and I've never lost a bird to a predator.

Dogs even keep hawks at bay, because if a hawk sees a dog near-by, it wont risk diving down.

 

[desertdarlene]

It's very unlikely that geese will help keep coyotes away. At the lake that I go to, just about every goose was eaten by a coyote, eventually. People did get more geese and, often, there were no losses for several years, but it does and will happen. They're no match for a determined coyote. It's even happened at another lake where there's a fence surrounding the area. Usually, the dominant gander gets attacked first because he's more likely to defend the flock.

 

[thekid]

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those males should keep them away get a bunch though a coyote will fear a lot of them

 

[sourland]

A goose is no match for a coyote, and a flock of geese is no match for a pair or family of coyotes. Coyotes work on the divide and conquer principle. This is how they effectively kill even large dogs. Sorry that I could not be more positive.

 

[ranchhand]

Thanks for the advice, I think I've talked her out of geese. They have a house, a large paddock for 2 horses and a few spoiled house dogs that never spend the night outside. The property is not fenced. The paddock has a 3 sided run-in for the horses, now she wants to know if chickens can roost in there. I basically said no, because she has no idea about how to care for birds.

It's 8' tall, so I told her they'd need a series of roosting bars, the poop would fall on the horses, they might spook the horses, won't stay in the paddock and would only attract coyotes, not get rid of any!

I suspect I changed her mind about that plan but I'm still thinking about how they can deter the yotes.

She new to rural living and has never had a bird of any sort. Just learning to shoot, ride, etc. Maybe I should raise some turkeys and then deliver the grown birds with instructions.....

 

[Oregon Blues]

Geese aren't really warriors. They are all bluff and won't even try to bite unless they think you are afraid of them and won't fight back. They might smack a coyote with their wings, but while one coyote is dancing in front of them, another will grab them by the back of the neck.

Not even dogs will keep the coyotes away unless they are enormous dogs of a guarding temperament. Even the big dogs have their livestock stolen because the pack will divide and conquer. One or two keep the dog occupied while another sneaks around behind and grabs a bird or a lamb.

The only way to keep chickens in an area with coyotes is to keep the chickens full time inside very secure fencing with a secure cover.