I was mean to my goose

[Dinosaur Village Keeper]

NEVER RUN FROM A GOOSE. Once you let the goose know you’re scared it feeds its ego and they know they own you. Stand up for yourself. Avoid giving your back to the goose until it is no longer dominant over you

She will not stop coming at me. I have tried a stick, spraying her with a hose, pinching her neck repeatedly like I see them do to each other, pushing her down. She will NOT stop coming at me. I can only pick her up and lock her away but I don’t have a good place to lock her away. Am I missing something I should be doing to make her stop? I used to love her so much and I am coming to hate her. I can’t even go in my back yard because she runs up to me and attacks. She is worse than a mean rooster and I just don’t know what to do!

 

[Berd Man]

She will not stop coming at me. I have tried a stick, spraying her with a hose, pinching her neck repeatedly like I see them do to each other, pushing her down. She will NOT stop coming at me. I can only pick her up and lock her away but I don’t have a good place to lock her away. Am I missing something I should be doing to make her stop? I used to love her so much and I am coming to hate her. I can’t even go in my back yard because she runs up to me and attacks. She is worse than a mean rooster and I just don’t know what to do!

Roll your sleeves up, this is not going to solve itself overnight. Sometimes when I have one that thinks they’re tough stuff and won’t let me be I’ll just pick ‘em up and hold ‘em while I walk around. Geese do not like being close to you or carried by you in a way this is you dominating them. Some people like to dominate them by pushing them down to ground like you mentioned, but this creates a situation where you have to let them up and either back away or trust they will. I have had some that the minute I let off they attack and grab hands, feet, legs, even my face. Yours probably won’t back off so I’d pick it up.

You could try a thick rubber band around the beak (like the kind on asparagus bunches at the grocery) while you carry if you need one arm free to do chores and can’t hold the beak closed. Carry them around for a while like a big football. Let them honk loudly, I’ve even been pooped on but don’t let it weaken your resolve! When your done with chores remove band from beak and throw back into enclosure, like toss in so you are away when it hits ground.

Eventually they learn that if they come up and mess with you they have to get picked up and carried all over the place while you talk to other animals and do chores. It takes time, patience, and perseverance. But eventually they’ll cool off and learn that it’s better for them to ignore you while you do what you need to do around them and they get to keep eating grass like a good goose is supposed too.

Give this a few weeks… if after all your efforts there’s still no improvement. Go major Payne on it. “Killin’ is my business and business is good!” I like to make steaks from the breast meat and the rest is used for Stroganoff with noodles and mushrooms. I’ll get you a recipe if you want.

Good luck soldier

 

[Dinosaur Village Keeper]

Roll your sleeves up, this is not going to solve itself overnight. Sometimes when I have one that thinks they’re tough stuff and won’t let me be I’ll just pick ‘em up and hold ‘em while I walk around. Geese do not like being close to you or carried by you in a way this is you dominating them. Some people like to dominate them by pushing them down to ground like you mentioned, but this creates a situation where you have to let them up and either back away or trust they will. I have had some that the minute I let off they attack and grab hands, feet, legs, even my face. Yours probably won’t back off so I’d pick it up.

You could try a thick rubber band around the beak (like the kind on asparagus bunches at the grocery) while you carry if you need one arm free to do chores and can’t hold the beak closed. Carry them around for a while like a big football. Let them honk loudly, I’ve even been pooped on but don’t let it weaken your resolve! When your done with chores remove band from beak and throw back into enclosure, like toss in so you are away when it hits ground.

Eventually they learn that if they come up and mess with you they have to get picked up and carried all over the place while you talk to other animals and do chores. It takes time, patience, and perseverance. But eventually they’ll cool off and learn that it’s better for them to ignore you while you do what you need to do around them and they get to keep eating grass like a good goose is supposed too.

Give this a few weeks… if after all your efforts there’s still no improvement. Go major Payne on it. “Killin’ is my business and business is good!” I like to make steaks from the breast meat and the rest is used for Stroganoff with noodles and mushrooms. I’ll get you a recipe if you want.

Good luck soldier

Ok, I’m up for it. I hope my arms are too! Carrying a 15 pound screaming, squirming bird around will be no small feet on these arms, but that’s what cortisone shots are for. I could never kill her because she has been a special part of our family, so I will work extra hard to make her behave. Will report back will our progress.

 

[neo71665]

I would have booted her as far as I could and wouldn't feel bad for it.

Geese can be aggressive and you don't want her to put you below her in the pecking order. She sees you as the top bird in the flock and is challenging you.

 

[Berd Man]

I wonder how this situation is going? Has the goose assumed it’s rightful order beneath you in the pecking order?

 

[Carters Chick House]

Please try not to feel so bad about yourself. I highly doubt you hurt her in any way at all. She was probably more shocked than anything else. It's totally natural to want to defend yourself when something hurts you. Reflexes, you know.
You've had some good advice in this thread. I hope you can work something out because her biting you and giving you bruises on a regular basis should not be tolerated.

I have no geese..only chickens here but my rooster would attack me too. I tried everything and no luck until I started carrying a corn broom. The first few times that he came at me I moved him away by " sweeping" him. Now just the sight of the broom and he stays away. Good luck

 

[Dinosaur Village Keeper]

I wonder how this situation is going? Has the goose assumed it’s rightful order beneath you in the pecking order?

She did MUCH better when I followed your instructions on picking her up and carrying her around and then tossing her in her house.

I was criticized by the woman I got the geese from for doing this for several reasons that are her opinion:
- Banding their mouths, even for such a short time is cruel
- Its damaging to both of my geese since it causes a separation of sorts in their flock
- The entire flock of birds, geese and chickens are very stressed when you carry around any bird

These things worried me as a loving bird mom and I used avoidance after that, which is of course, quite ineffective! Then my mean goose decided to go broody and sit on infertile eggs for the past couple of weeks, so she wasn’t around to bite me!

I am now back to your method that worked, that made me a “cruel” goose mama. Sadly, my husband won’t do it, he says carrying a heavy goose hurts his arms. He can keep getting bit, but I can’t tolerate it! I will try to remember to update again in a couple of weeks!

 

[Goosebaby]

She did MUCH better when I followed your instructions on picking her up and carrying her around and then tossing her in her house.

I was criticized by the woman I got the geese from for doing this for several reasons that are her opinion:
- Banding their mouths, even for such a short time is cruel
- Its damaging to both of my geese since it causes a separation of sorts in their flock
- The entire flock of birds, geese and chickens are very stressed when you carry around any bird

These things worried me as a loving bird mom and I used avoidance after that, which is of course, quite ineffective! Then my mean goose decided to go broody and sit on infertile eggs for the past couple of weeks, so she wasn’t around to bite me!

I am now back to your method that worked, that made me a “cruel” goose mama. Sadly, my husband won’t do it, he says carrying a heavy goose hurts his arms. He can keep getting bit, but I can’t tolerate it! I will try to remember to update again in a couple of weeks!

Banding their mouths does seem cruel, never done it myself and I don’t think it would do anything for their behavior anyway.

Geese obviously don’t like separation or being reprimanded but neither do naughty children. Personally I’d say the “don’t say No” style of parenting doesn’t work with children after observing some of my cousins who were raised like that, I think it works even less with animals.

Carrying can stress an unsocialized or wild bird. If your birds are used to you they handle it so much better. Picking them up just reminds them that you are the boss, you are the big cheese, the alpha Godzilla, and every flock has one. You being it rather than another bird who might beat the shizzles out of them to teach them their place is a much kinder and less stressful alternative. Picking them up isn’t a big deal.


I’m a 5’2 130lb girl, my heaviest “Helios” ranges in weight between 17 to 19lbs And I can lift that fluffy butt just fine. Generally most geese don’t exceed 20 to 22lbs in weight. Your husband should manage just fine.

 

[Goosebaby]

Also getting your birds used to being picked up lessens the stress they’ll experience if you need to pick them up in an emergency or examine them, or if a vet needs to examine them, so honestly there are a lot of benefits to picking them up periodically anyway.

 

[Berd Man]

I should clarify, I only meant try banding then while you carry, so that you could carry them one handed easier. I don’t band mine I just hold their mouths shut if they’re trying to chomp me when I’m holding them. I’ve had some fat lips from a naughty goose more than once