Geese ganging up on Ducks

[Miss Lydia]

Most of ya'll know I have 2 geese an Embden gander and a Toulouse goose, mating season has been on going since Jan. but in the last couple of weeks I have noticed my 2 geese will get into the community pool and if a duck happens to be in there they will literally work together as a team to rape her, my goose will hold her under water and my gander mates with her, then My goose will continue to mount her and hold her under, now I know holding under is normal stuff for drakes to do to ducks but this is almost brutal like she really wants to drown her. I have no way to separate everyone they all live in a huge fenced in area, with plenty of room to stay out of each others way and thank goodness the pool is outside of the fence because at least this way they don't have full access to it and I can monitor their behavior better. Has anyone else experienced this with their geese and ducks ? Since Missy has been mating she has become very moody to the point of making it her business to run off any ducks that get in her space so I really don't think she likes ducks period. lol when I took my duck out of the pool she did seem stressed and wobbly at first.

 

[wildpeas]

One of my geese has gotten to the point of meanness toward the ducks that I have to let them out of their yards at separate times for free ranging. If they get into her yard she will chase them until she catches one and tries to rip their wings off. Needless to say we are more vigilant now about keeping them apart. It's too bad you dont have a way to separate them.

 

[Miss Lydia]

One of my geese has gotten to the point of meanness toward the ducks that I have to let them out of their yards at separate times for free ranging. If they get into her yard she will chase them until she catches one and tries to rip their wings off. Needless to say we are more vigilant now about keeping them apart. It's too bad you dont have a way to separate them.

We're fencing in more of our property, just waiting on materials to get here and having the fence man come since my dh has had shoulder surgery and I don't want to wait till end of this year to get fencing done, so if I have to the geese will be separated. My gander is very tolerant of most of the ducks because that is all he knew for the first 5.5 yrs of his life, but Missy just seems to be in a bad mood when it comes to the ducks and also the chickens she has been known to grab them too. and I didn't dare let her around the mama hens with their chicks. I am looking forward to mating season being over maybe then she'll calm down some. At least I know it's not isolated, thanks wildpeas.

 

[Alaskan Dragonfly]

I've heard of Geese drowning ducks during mating season before, and chickens also. Probably time to separate them if you don't want to loose any.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I've heard of Geese drowning ducks during mating season before, and chickens also. Probably time to separate them if you don't want to loose any.

I honestly think that may have been her intention, because this duck and my other youngest one are the lowest in ranking and the drake with them will not stand up to the geese, My other drake won't take no bunk off of them so they leave his girls alone. Both of my geese are terrified of this drake.

 

[coffeekittie]

I have read about this behavior before, too. I think I've been lucky that my flock of geese tolerate my ducks well. The ducks can even eat first. They are separated right now, with the intention on reuniting in a larger, grassy pen, but I'm worried my geese would now do what yours are doing, given the time apart. I might just figure out a new pen to keep this from happening.

I'm sorry you are having such trouble with your waterfowl.

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

Oh my, that sounds very dangerous for your ducks. My geese, in general, will go after anything in their yard smaller than them. Sometimes they even nip at the goats. So i keep them separate from my chickens and ducks.

i had to rehome one of my geese a month or so ago after she went broody. Aside from being really loud and annoying, she started going after me like she was going to bite me whenever i went into that part of the yard and she was off the nest. She had been so sweet before, but those hormones really changed her.