How high should my goose's fence be?

[Kalsti]

I keep my Embden Goose in my backyard, as I built a pond and have an enclosed little area for her that I enclose with that 1' high metal garden decorative fences that can be poked into the ground to stay upright. There is a little gate to the pond and also a gate for her to leave the enclosure at night when I take her into her shed (enclosed on any openings with chicken wire). Today she did something I have not seen before~ usually she is happy all day in her little outside play area, and as she is old she sleeps a lot between eating and drinking, etc. She today tried to fly over the fence to the pond area, and when I went out to check her she then very assertively "busted down" one of the 2 ft. pieces of the decorative fence, and headed back to her shed.... I never saw this type of behavior with her and wondered what you all think about this. (She has rehabbed at my house and I am now keeping her-- after she suffered a huge chest wound and osteomyelitis, was on antibiotics for a month, etc. She was being tormented at our local park where she was lame, and falling when she tried to walk. She is doing great now and no falling, wound healed, etc.
1) Does anyone know how high this decorative/moveable "fence" should be to prevent her from trying to go over (or through) it?
2) I live in a small city and yet I did see a large raccoon in my front yard the other day...... (there is a 7' fence and gate between the front and back yards, where I keep her during the day. But there are trees, etc. that a raccoon could use to get to the other side of the fence in the backyard and possibly down into the yard.....) Should I NOT leave her during the day in her little open pen in the backyard? (After reading about raccoons attacking during the day).
Thanks for the help with this!
K

 

[cypressdrake]

I have my fence 4ft. But my geese set outside and dare a raccoon to make a move for the chicken or duck barns. I have 6 tufted buff geese out in front my barn, under a street light, and a loud radio playing in my barn 24/7/365 That ended all my predator attacks about 3-4 years back! Wild animals don't like noise, as they don't know what it is and classify it as danger.
A pack of geese will stand together against any predator, better than 1. I would get another one or two. Good luck!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Raccoons are climbers and a lone goose hasn't a chance against one. If you can't be with her or watching her I'd lock her inside and enclousure that is coon proof. top covered and no way for one to reach through fencing to grab hold of her. I have 2 geese and I would not want to imagine what an adult raccoon could do to one of them. As far as fencing goes I have 4' wood fencing and no climb horse fencing around our property but if your wanting to just keep her contained in one area for a short time the plastic poultry fencing at Lowes along with the fiber glass fence post 2.something apiece they have a metal point so you just push it into the ground would work and is very easy to put up. I use it when I have young ducklings and mama duck to give them time to acclimate into the flock.

 

[Kalsti]

Thanks for the ideas! REALLY appreciate it....
K

 

[Kalsti]

Well now today she rammed down the little decorative fence and went right into the pond. She is stronger I guess, as she never did this before! Anyway are these the fences you are advising? (they have an option to be electric....)
Thanks,


Which do you advise for this particular situation?
K

 

[Miss Lydia]

Well now today she rammed down the little decorative fence and went right into the pond. She is stronger I guess, as she never did this before! Anyway are these the fences you are advising? (they have an option to be electric....)
Thanks,


Which do you advise for this particular situation?
K

Hard for me to tell what they look like but I went to Lowes web site and this is what it looks like..

http://safety-fence.com/images/poultry-1.jpg

 

[Kalsti]

Thanks so much again! Do you think something like this would work for her?

 

[livininbrazil]

Thanks so much again! Do you think something like this would work for her?

Wow! I wish there was something like that here! I use 1 metre high weldmesh. They only get over it in emergencies, like going back to the nest or getting to a mate or goslings. Otherwise, they´re quite contained with 1 metre.. Of course, that wouldn´t stop something from outside getting in! For my mobile pens I use weldmesh with broom-sticks to peg them temporarily in the ground!

 

[Kalsti]

So yours are 3 feet high, livininBrazil?

 

[livininbrazil]

So yours are 3 feet high, livininBrazil?

Yes, 3 ft around the part that is still in our plot, and 4 or 5 ft around the outside, as a precaution, as there arereally very few predators in Brazil that would be close to populated areas, happily. My geese can fly out if they really want to, they´re quite light, and if a goose or gander really wanted to get over 3ft, they would. But mostly it seems that if the obstacle is up to their BREAST, they won´t bother! 3 ft seems to serve very well. It sems they prefer to bull-dozers as you´ve discovered!