Having geese with chickens

[AGeese]

The problem is when a goose pins or geese corner a chicken or a chicken submits to a goose. I wouldn't keep them together to avoid that situation. If you haven't had geese they'll go through a hormonal phase in their first years and can be very aggressive during mating season.

 

[donteatbees]

Don't do it!

Sounds good! Glad I asked. The idea seemed a bit odd anyway given the different needs of the animals

 

[donteatbees]

Geese are highly individualistic so it’s hard to predict what dynamics you’ll end up with, though in general geese like their personal space so a separate hutch, cage, or coop at night away from the chickens and ducks is preferred for everyone’s safety.
For the most part geese tolerate other birds so long as they aren’t constantly invading their space. Ganders get hormonal in winter/ spring breeding season and they become easily angered and territorial. They can’t help it and there’s no way to prevent it, even if there isn’t a female they’ll still behave this way.

Geese are accepting of everyone who spends a lot of time with them. People that they don’t know at all are usually scary to geese, people that they know but who they don’t spend much time with can be regarded as rivals and invaders to their territory, so relatives that don’t spend much time with them may have it rough in breeding season.

However if you do get an aggressive gander how you deal with an attack is if they charge say “NO” firmly then grab their neck just below the jaw “so they can’t bite you” gently but firmly enough that they can’t get away, while you scoop them up with the other arm and carry them around for a minute. Hormonal ganders like to think of themselves as gigachads, picking them up rocks their whole world in a humane way, a good snuggle is always fun to get in anyway and when you set him back down he’ll think he got scooped up by Godzilla and be more chill for awhile.
As you or someone else keeps doing this and he’ll learn what “NO” means and attempt to conduct himself more civilly. Like I said though, they can’t really control themselves when they’re hormonal so you’ll have to repeat this often if he has a spicy personality.
Chasing them around reinforces his view that you’re a threat he needs to defend his mate from, holding him down reinforces his perception of you as a rival because in his pea brained hormonal state of mind you just lowered your size to something he thinks he can vanquish.
For those that don’t have time to socialize with the geese simply holding some sort of staff or broom is enough to keep the geese away. The geese will probably never like them but they’ll avoid the spooky staff thing.


Geese like routines. It can be hard getting them in their cage but patience and practice are the key to teaching them. You can entice them with tossing treats in the first few times, then herd them in the direction of the cage while repeating “in in in,” “bed bed bed,” or whatever you prefer repeatedly. It’s easier if you have another person to help the first few times. After they learn the routine it’s not really difficult getting them in for the night.
Geese naturally avoid “caves” because they prefer to be in wide open spaces where they can see predators coming, they also don’t like the sound of rain on a roof, for some reason it freaks them out so they’ll prefer to be out in the weather. However we do know better, that being in a secure enclosure away from predators and extreme weather is in their best interest so they just have to learn to deal with it.

You can try using a lamp as another commenter mentioned, but it isn’t completely necessary, geese are individuals so some might prefer a lamp but they can be weaned off from it. Many lamps are safety hazards in coops so I advise against it unless it’s absolutely necessary and please do your research on lamps with better safety standards if you are considering one in their coop. Absolutely do NOT use those cheap tin clamp heat lamps sold everywhere unless you’re planning on never taking your eyes off it. Those are dangerous, I just had one almost light my carpet on fire after it spontaneously disassembled.

Geese are great hawk deterrents because of their size. My flock all fear hawks but the hawks see enormous possibly dangerous birds so they don’t bother with my ducks.

Thank you for all the information! I'd ideally not get a gander, but I'm sure it happens where they mess up sexing them. And that's so intriguing to me that they hate "caves" so much. And I absolutely am against the lamps too. We do have one that's good quality that we used our first time having chicks (and for at least a decade for my dogs who hate being indoors) until it was warm enough. But my coop stays warm enough without extra heat. I'd make sure to build a warm coop for my geese too. Or bring them in the garage if it's too cold. I'm not sure what they can tolerate compared to chickens, I'll have to figure that out too!

 

[donteatbees]

As previously said, geese are highly individualistic, so bear that in mind. However, I have two American Buff females, and I LOVE them. They likely don't love me back, but they are generally well behaved and don't mess with other people.

I got them as goslings from a farm store and handled them daily as they grew up. They house in a small shelter by themselves at night and it's surrounded by a chain-link pen, where they eat their meals.

They're pleasant but not cuddly. On the rare occasions that I have to pick them up, one will allow it and put her head on my shoulder. The other one has blackened my eye by battering me with a wing. And, when they're sitting on a nest (no gander, so the eggs aren't fertile; they don't care), they hiss and become quite defensive. I usually wait for them to forage and sneak the eggs into the house when they're not looking.

During the day, they are loose with chickens and runner ducks. Often, the waterfowl will lie down together in the yard. But, it's not uncommon for the geese to suddenly decide to roust the ducks and march them across the yard, parade-style, for no apparent reason except their own amusement.

The geese will hiss at chickens and snap at them -- as long as the chickens scatter. A little hen who turns and faces them can easily scare off a bullying goose.

Like toddlers, everything goes in their mouths. Chewing on wood (like my house trim, a formerly nice settee, the frame on a small chicken coop) is one of their hobbies. Once they have an item in their beak, it's THEIRS -- even if the gardening glove was mine first. And, while ducks nibbling on a finger is amusing, a goose bite is far from painless.

They also like to take whatever they can find -- corn cobs, pumpkin stems, chunks of wood -- and drop those into water dishes. And, no water dish is too small for them to attempt to bathe in, even if only their feet fit inside it.

They wouldn't care if hawks or eagles carried away every other bird on the property, but they will sound an alarm that makes everyone else take cover. Visiting opossums will make them yell, hiss and spread their wings out fully, but they will then wait for me to remove the offending pest.

But few things are as much fun to watch as my geese doing zoomies down the length of the driveway, running at top speed, like a plane taxiing for takeoff on a runway, then suddenly realizing they can't really fly very high or very far.

They sound very mischievous and fun. I bet they'd give my menace hen, Oreo, a run for her money. Or maybe for pizza crusts, as money means nothing to them. They also sound like they'd commit tax evasion if they were ever given the chance. That makes me want them more. One day, maybe in a year or so when we have the resources. But I'm glad to be learning now. Thank you!

 

[donteatbees]

I completely agree with the firm "NO", my gander learned it pretty quickly.
For lighting I used a solar light that shined from the outside into the entrance and it worked well.

Good to know! Thank you!

 

[donteatbees]

I was normally able to lure them in with some romaine lettuce. In reality, the geese went in the coop easier than the ducks but they were all raised together so when the ducks discovered the pond and refused to shelter at night, the geese reluctantly followed suit and stayed on the pond at night.

And are they still safe out in a pond? Will they stay in the middle of float to the edges where things can get them?

 

[donteatbees]

Ok so you have my short answer. Now we need to know more about your setup and plans. Pictures are idea, a diagram would be ok, but you need space first and foremost. Beyond that we need to know how much of everything else you have, what your plan for coop/pen and feeding and watering, all that, free ranging etc..

It's all still just questions for now. I won't be getting them anytime soon. Next spring at the earliest, but probably even longer. I like to ask questions and research before I come up with my own plans because I get ahead of myself and set in my ideas. I have nothing set up yet, but we're not expanding to any extra animals. We've got chickens and their LSD for now. My family has over 10 acres, so space isn't the problem, we just have to build something (too bad it's not as easy as "just" doing it though). I'm still learning about what they need for an ideal enclosure, but obviously a pond and coop (or whatever you call it for a goose). I'm assuming a separate water that isn't swam in. And it probably needs to be covered because they'll try to swim in it. And I assume my local farm supply shop will have feed, if not, then I'll figure that out well before we even build anything IF we even decide this is right for us. And for free ranging, I don't let my chickens out without supervision because of predators. I deeply love my animals and it hurts when one dies. But we're working on fixing things up (we got a coop with a huge penned area but unfortunately the fence sucks and it's uncovered. The electric fence was broken and nothing to stop predators from digging under it, as my lab kindly showed us regularly when she stole the chickens scrap food/treats). So when we make the goose pen (or whatever comes next), we'll do it properly, unlike the last people who had this place and didnt care to have things made well. So it'll be buried fencing, electric on top on the outside side of the fencs and netting to keep predators out. But again, I'm still learning and researching. I'm nowhere near ready and I am aware of that. We won't be doing anything until we fully repair and upgrade the chicken area. Any advice/tips/knowledge is appreciated. Thank you

 

[donteatbees]

I have 10 Tolous geese. I have a couple extra Roos that live in the goose enclosure instead of the bachelor hut.

Geese sometimes chase a chicken or bully them over food.

I think the geese deter predators as well due to the noise they produce.

Makes sense. I'd avoid a goose inhabited area if I were a predator too haha!

 

[donteatbees]

The problem is when a goose pins or geese corner a chicken or a chicken submits to a goose. I wouldn't keep them together to avoid that situation. If you haven't had geese they'll go through a hormonal phase in their first years and can be very aggressive during mating season.

Thats good to know. I definitely was already questioning the idea of keeping them together because of the size difference and the fact geese are water birds and chickens are NOT meant for water. I'd still love to have some geese one day, but definitely apart from chickens and ducks. They seem like fun birds. And since I'm not allowed to keep the Canadian geese that definitely want to steal my identity and commit fraud in my name, I think some legal domestic geese would be a perfect addition one day.

 

[Yardfulla poopers]

And are they still safe out in a pond? Will they stay in the middle of float to the edges where things can get them?

No they are not safe in the pond. They sleep on the banks and swim to the middle when threatened but most predators can swim as well. I lost a few to a bobcat and the rest to a coyote pack because they insisted on staying on the pond.