Goose Questions--Settle Our Nerves

[gatrapper]

Hey Y'all,

My wife and I placed an order for 3 pilgrim geese. They won't be ready until June.

We have over close to 100 chickens at the moment (most are meat birds) and 8 ducks. We have been reading as much as we can and we are beginning to doubt getting geese.

We are worried about aggressive behavior and having friends or family taking care of them if we go out of town for a week.

Y'all input would be appreciated.

 

[N ID Goose mom]

Here is the link for the breed specific thread: pilgrim geese. I hope this answers some of your questions about your new goslings. From everything I’ve read about them, their very sweet, calm, and great parents. Early socializing and frequent interaction helps.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/geese-breed-focus-pilgrim.1097382/

 

[Gray Farms]

Aggressive geese "information" is generally a mix of folklore and exaggerated stories. Not to say there aren't any aggressive geese out there, there are. But there are far more aggressive roosters than aggressive geese. Geese seem to be deemed "aggressive" because they are territorial of their space and very protective of their flock. The typical charge with wings out, body up, loud honking is a bluff to discourage whomever/whatever is in their space. Truly aggressive geese are almost always a product of how they were raised. They were likely tormented, chased, confined, or even abused at some point in their lives.

 

[chkva]

My aunt got attacked by a goose and had to go to the ER for injuries... It was a wild one though. Wild geese are completely different from what I've experienced. I had one cross the road in front of my car (I was stopped) it came to my window and kept honking and whacking into my car

All geese I've ever encountered on a farm have been nice. They're great at protecting flocks too. I think many times people who encounter a mean goose it's for a reason... They either taunt them, the goose has been abused, they're in the birds space, the goose doesn't have enough space so it's angry... There's always a reason for an animal to be aggressive.

I have truly been on many farms and encountered many... None have been mean, they were more like a dog. They would warn the owner I'm there then if the owner came out the goose would be fine. Then they'd let me pet them and such.