Geese Becoming a Problem

[Evermore Ranch]

Check in with some of your local feed stores to see if they know of someone who would take them. Be careful with Craigslist - Great resource but does come with lots of Spam and listing free will be gone fast but you will have to screen homes if you are concerned for their future. Also there are regulations dealing with Canadian Geese. You should talk to local feed stores to help steer you to a reputable person to take them.

another route you could check: see if there are any Sanctuary Farm Programs in your area with local rescue groups. We have helped rehome many fowl through our own program.

ETA:
I also agree Geese can be fun. I absolutely love mine and they act like a bunch of pups following me around. But you do have to work with them a great deal.

 

[elieugene6]

I had the same problem. Well mostly. I moved into my grandmothers house a little over a year ago. It sat empty for 4 years. My dad lives next door and has geese that live out back in the hen house (that I have since overrun) at night and free range all day. lol. These geese were nasty and I have 2 children. The male is a Chinese but not show type stock it is English stock which are larger and closer in size to African geese. The other two the females are Pomeranian. The male is the worst except in spring then they are all bad. Chinese are known for their guarding tendencies and I am thinking that might be what you are dealing with. My kids were terrified of them and I was pretty scared myself as when I was 5 I got locked in the hen house with our mean Chinese gander. Well I had to get over it as my dad wasn't getting rid of them they do guard the property. So I would chase them I have caught them a couple times. The male is just now stopping coming at me, he is afraid of the kids as they chase him whenever he is near. They all run from my fiance. Yes catching them is difficult as mine don't come close enough to catch. I have only caught them because they sleep in with the chickens.

There are some good things about geese. They saved my chickens from the weasel that took out almost all of my dads rabbits. It never even tried to come into the hen house despite the fact that it could have. We have a small hole halfway up the door for the barn cats to come and go. The rabbits have since been moved into a separate area of the hen house. The weasel took out the majority of them which is around 20 rabbits in a 3 day period but since they were moved in there we haven't lost anymore. Trapping didn't work but for some reason everything is safe in their and its not the cats because they would go in where the rabbits were to. I too hate the poop that they nicely deposit everywhere, and wanted to get rid of them but now that they are starting to come around so am I. I actually just bought 4 Chinese geese eggs and another 4 Pomeranian eggs which are due to arrive within the next few days. I am hoping that by raising them myself they will be very friendly because if you can get past their meanness and poop they actually are kind of cute, when they aren't getting into stuff.

That being said if you can find a way to contain them it will be easier to tame them. If you were to build them a small pen and a small house and trick them in with food. If you definitely want them gone maybe try contacting your local cooperative extension office and seeing if they know of anyone that would take them.

 

[TennesseeTruly]

One of the things I want to point out that no one else has. Its breeding season and this is when they act up. they may calm down once its over with. You just happened to move in at the same time as breeding season and thats probably whats got them in an uproar.

laurie

 

[JROOSTER]

Hehehe sorry didnt get to finish my thought, im at work and we had to take a pt to Surgery. Any who I just wanted to say, my geese can get snippy with me if I dont look right or something is different but most of the time they are no problem. Hope it all works out.

Jrooster

 

[elieugene6]

Quote:
I had planned to mention that in my "book" but somehow it got left out. lol.

 

[greatergraceoffbg]

I would rehome them, i have had geese and not to be disagreable with other posters but this is instinctive behavior, nothing will change it. if you post them on Craigslist under Farm and Garden and explicitly state that there is a SMALL rehoming fee (I recommend very small like 25.00 if you are serious about rehoming them) and that they need acreage and not a small back yard, AND that the purchasers are responsible for capture and transporting them, providing containers etc. Someone will reply.

For what they are worth,
My sincere thoughts,
Andy in Fredericksburg

 

[Suzie]

I have to agree with TennesseeTruly here... it is breeding season... maybe give them a month or so - they are worth it - is their home too and they will have a protective instinct but they do make wonderful guardians and despite the poop ( it is good as manure ) they are worth the effort when they settle down with you....!

Maybe you will end up breeding them - goslings are so cute....!

Good luck with whatever you decide to do!

 

[annageckos]

Relocating the domestic goose should not be a problem. But you can not sell the two Canada geese, or even catch them. Canada geese are wild and protected by the government. For the two Canada's I would try calling a wildlife rehab center or something similar and seeing what they suggest. If you put an ad out trying to sell them, or even just giving them away, you may end up getting fined.

 

[allie5683]

I wanted to take a quick minute to thank everyone for all the advice and tips you gave me! I really did not want to go about this the wrong way.

Quick update: All 3 have found new homes. The Canada geese are non-migratory, since the one is injured and the other is its mate, after talking to the locals and visiting the feed store we have successfully and legally relocated them to a park. (Catching them wasn't easy, but once we got one of them in a cage and left it in the open the other one couldn't resist coming nearby). I have to admit, once I finally got one in my arms and was petting her soft black neck feathers I felt the slightest twinge of not wanting to let them go. But, honestly, I think they will be happier and I will be, too.
The big huge "mean" gander guy was much more difficult to catch. It took four full grown adults (2 of those people experienced goose handlers) to finally corner and catch him. I was put in touch with a local couple who has 30+ acres with 3 good sized ponds and a few other geese. They do a lot of work with local kids and invite them to the property to get hands on with different animals and teach them respect, etc. It's pretty neat. Since I was referred to them I let them have the gander for free, so long as they could catch him. It took 2 hours (seriously 2 hours and 4 adults versus one silly goose), but I'm glad he's off somewhere where the people will really love him and work with him, rather than just tolerate him.

Seriously, again. Thanks everyone for all the tips!

 

[desertdarlene]

I'm glad they all got their own homes and hopefully the Canada geese will be OK on their own. I find it funny that it took everyone so long to catch that gander! I mean, he sounds like the ones that live at the lake near me and they rush right up to me to give me a biting. How funny that they run away when you want them to come up. I'm glad he's going to home where they can handle and care for him. Afterall, he's just being a gander who has been allowed to get away with his bad behavior in the past.