Guard Goose in the chicken run during the day?

[StefSierke]

We have a backyard flock of 15 chickens and are seriously considering a guard goose. We will get as a gosling and raise with chickens. My question is- my chickens are in a run all day; they don’t free range. Does the goose stay in the run with them during the day

 

[Isadora]

What purpose is the guard goose supposed to have? Sounds like your chickens are penned up and really a secure pen is going to do a lot more than any goose will do.

 

[Isadora]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...d-goose-and-why-you-should-not-get-one.77508/

Please give this article a read.

 

[StefSierke]

What purpose is the guard goose supposed to have? Sounds like your chickens are penned up and really a secure pen is going to do a lot more than any goose will do.

Extra protection. I read all the time about how people lose chickens from predators.

 

[nuthatched]

Extra protection. I read all the time about how people lose chickens from predators.

Guard geese is really a myth, they can get aggressive towards your chickens. And in the event of the predator, a goose wants to get out of dodge too and isn't likely to attack anything bigger. Just like a rooster, a goose protects the flock by sacrificing itself, you'll go through them quickly if you have a lot of predators.

 

[JoJoM]

I've had my chickens attack one of my geese, it was awful! Now that they're bigger, they all tolerate each other, but if the chickens get too close, they get hissed at and chased off. I'm sure if given the chance, the geese would gladly serve up a chicken to a coyote!

 

[StefSierke]

Guard geese is really a myth, they can get aggressive towards your chickens. And in the event of the predator, a goose wants to get out of dodge too and isn't likely to attack anything bigger. Just like a rooster, a goose protects the flock by sacrificing itself, you'll go through them quickly if you have a lot of predators.

I cannot have a rooster here. I’m still doing research on having a guard goose. When you Google “Best guard animal for chickens”, goose is what comes up.

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

I cannot have a rooster here. I’m still doing research on having a guard goose. When you Google “Best guard animal for chickens”, goose is what comes up.

People present all kinds of info on the internet and in books, so Google search results shouldn't substitute for your own critical analysis of the information these sources present. Don't forget to check out the authors' credentials, particularly at the time the articles were written.

I also encourage you - as @Isadora already suggested - to carefully consider the arguments made in Pyxis's article about the myth of the guard goose before consigning one to this fate.

BTW, I raise geese and have repeatedly discouraged people from trying to employ a goose as a "guardian" animal - because, while they have many other great attributes, they're not livestock guardians.

 

[nuthatched]

I cannot have a rooster here. I’m still doing research on having a guard goose. When you Google “Best guard animal for chickens”, goose is what comes up.

If you can't have a roosters, I doubt a goose will work, geese can get loud!

 

[Miss Lydia]

We had a huge red tail hawk fly in and grabbed a bantam hen. My geese were up against the gate to our back yard right along with the ducks. No noise or guarding at all. The only alert I got was my 2 roosters.