Geese grow on grass, yes? I just lost my first chicken to a hawk attack this weekend. The ladies free ranging days are over. Assuming all goes according to plan and we have more land come spring/summer, ducks and geese are in my future. Geese are obviously much larger than chickens. Do you folks have hawk trouble with full grown geese? Will a gander help in the protection department?
I never had hawk problems with grown geese, but if hungry enough they might give it a try. Great Horned Owls, again if hungry enough, are not beyond killing grown geese.
The geese at the lake don't even flinch at the hawks (now a dog or coyote is whole other deal). I know that some types of hawks and falcons have been known to take down fairly large juveniles, though, if there's nothing else to eat. I can't tell you if a gander will help the way a rooster will for hens.
Thanks for the replys. A rooster is the the plan as well. This hawk was hungry and not phased by me being only feet away (screaming and throwing rocks). Actually, the chicken was probably larger than the hawk. Our dogs have a strong prey drive, so they are always fenced off from the birds. I'd have to assume full grown geese would be safe on pasture.
I have to think my emden gander would be a little hard for a hawk to fly off with. Or my drake muscovies but all the other ,chickens hen ducks would be fair game.
Quote:I used to have a tree right over my goose pen that had a nest of Redtailed hawks every summer. I have seen the hawks eye balling the geese and when the hawks manage to kill a rodent in the goose area the geese drive it off (usually with the rodent in hand) I cover a run when I have goslings and have never lost anything to the hawks. My geese keep a very effective sky watch! I have run ducks with the geese and never lost one of them either. Never had chickens!
I don't think you'd have to worry about hawks with grown geese, but they will get adult ducks. I lost one cayuga hen this past spring to a red-tailed hawk, I don't think it carried her off but it got what it wanted of her in the field across the road I guess But they are a threat to babies and youngsters, though the parents are pretty good at protecting the babies usually. My adult embdens took very good care of the goslings they adopted this past summer, they wouldn't even take them out of the yard until they were almost as big as the 'parents', not even to go for a swim in the pond.
