Help please, Which geese do I get!

[Mayfiel511]

Hi, I am new to raising poultry and have been raising chickens (4+ 1 rooster) since July now. I am now eagerly awaiting a larger addition of Chicks, ducklings and Emden goslings to our flock. The question is about the geese. I just read that Embden geese were not for beginners, esp. The males during breeding season. My husband and i arent worried but i have a 10yr and 13 year old that are fine with chickens. Will the Ebden be too much for them? I was thinking of cancelling the male and adding 1 Toulouse male and some Toulous females to go with the Embden geese. These are mostly for meat and goosefat but I'd like to hatch our own next year hence the choice of breeds. Also on my list for this year is the Super African as a pair of guard geese as we do have predator pressure from above and ground here in NJ. I'd like to raise them all together so timing seems to be everything. Also, I'd like to put them on/near our large pond but I'm afraid of them being killed by predators or the wild geese that visit it as its on a woodland edge. Should i just keep them in the paddock with the chickens (in their own housing) and get a kiddie pool or maybe make a small pond (Seems like a big investment)? What should I do? Coyotes here are the size of greatdanes. Any suggestions on how to pull it all together? We have lots of space to work with but lots of predators too. Also, can i house ducks and geese together without them fighting or mating? Thanks

 

[Kelsykin]

Ducks and geese should be fine together. Never have had a problem with mixing most of my poultry together.
How big is your pond? I know my ducks tend to sleep on the pond at night when it is not frozen. I have a variety of predators here in Kentucky similar to what you have in NJ.

 

[AltonaAcres]

Sounds fine to me. If you want a very calm, and less prone to attack breed, Buff geese are really sweet and gentle.

 

[Kelsykin]

Sounds fine to me. If you want a very calm, and less prone to attack breed, Buff geese are really sweet and gentle.

These are my favorite and the males I have had were never aggressive

 

[Iain Utah]

I've had worse aggression issues with my rooster than my ganders. As for gander breeds, production breeds tend to be more aggressive than pet breeds such as dewlap toulouse or sebbies.

 

[Mayfiel511]

Ducks and geese should be fine together. Never have had a problem with mixing most of my poultry together.
How big is your pond? I know my ducks tend to sleep on the pond at night when it is not frozen. I have a variety of predators here in Kentucky similar to what you have in NJ.

Thanks, Our pond is about 1/3- 1/2 of an acre. I could put their pen there but that is far from the chickens (about 200 yards), which I'd really like them to help guard.

 

[wamtazlady]

Geese don't actually guard. What they do is make a lot of noise when they see something unusual. It will be up to you to hear the geese and come running. Only problem is that they alert for things all day. Mine alerted when a car drove by and when my neighbor was in the pasture. They are not going to fight off a predator to protect the chickens.

A better way to protect your chickens from 4 legged predators is putting up electric poultry netting.

 

[Kelsykin]

Thanks, Our pond is about 1/3- 1/2 of an acre. I could put their pen there but that is far from the chickens (about 200 yards), which I'd really like them to help guard.

They will alert to danger, but they are not going to protect anything. What protection a livestock guardian is what you need.

 

[Iain Utah]

Often when there is true danger, the geese get very quiet, which can be a form of an alert if you are really tuned into your birds' behaviors.

Sadly for chickens/ducks, having a mixed flock with geese only better insures your geese safety, as predators will leave geese alone if it has an easier option.

 

[lara_k]

I guess it depends on the predator. I added an Embden goose to my flock of ducks, and her mere presence does seem to effectively deter the local Red-tailed and Cooper's hawks. They fly overhead, but haven't had a go since I added her. I find that she is much more alert than the ducks, scanning the skies and honking when she sees raptorial birds. I know she's limited though---she's a bluffer, and I wouldn't expect her to be effective at deterring land-based predators like coyotes, dogs, foxes etc.