Just how noisy are geese?

[Pumperkinz]

I’m trying to decide between American Buff (for size, color, and temperament) and Pilgrim (autosexing and temperament), so no worries about Chinese or African!

I have Sebastopols, and they are pretty quiet comparatively. If you keep less then 10 it's less of an issue with neighbors.

I've heard buffs are gentle mostly, and less noisy. What's your end goal with them? (Eggs/Meat or?)

 

[la dee da]

I have Sebastopols, and they are pretty quiet comparatively. If you keep less then 10 it's less of an issue with neighbors.

I've heard buffs are gentle mostly, and less noisy. What's your end goal with them? (Eggs/Meat or?)

Meat, help with the abundant grass, and enjoyment. I have always wanted geese. I don’t need anything fancy, but I’d like something good for the freezer. I’m favoring American Buffs because I love their color, calm personalities, and size, but I worry I won’t be able to tell male from female, even as adults. Roosters are quite distinct from hens, and chickens are the only poultry I have much experience with.

 

[Pumperkinz]

Meat, help with the abundant grass, and enjoyment. I have always wanted geese. I don’t need anything fancy, but I’d like something good for the freezer. I’m favoring American Buffs because I love their color, calm personalities, and size, but I worry I won’t be able to tell male from female, even as adults. Roosters are quite distinct from hens, and chickens are the only poultry I have much experience with.

Ganders you can definitely tell at maturity.

(At least in sebbies the boys start the head rolled back honking when agitated).

Ganders look to be quite bigger in buffs, but I see your worry. If you want easier sexing then pilgrims or cotton patch. You can also look into embdens at hatch you should be able to tell girls from boys pretty easily.

 

[la dee da]

Ganders you can definitely tell at maturity.

(At least in sebbies the boys start the head rolled back honking when agitated).

Ganders look to be quite bigger in buffs, but I see your worry. If you want easier sexing then pilgrims or cotton patch. You can also look into embdens at hatch you should be able to tell girls from boys pretty easily.

Thanks! Once I know gander from goose, I’m thinking of leg banding them so I can tell at a glance. Do you think that will work, or are their legs too short?

Embdens are lovely geese, and I had considered them, but I worry for all-white chickens around predators (another reason I’m debating the Pilgrim). My research also indicates that they’re more likely to bully other poultry than American Buff or Pilgrim, and since my priority is my free range chickens, that’s an important thing to consider.

I’m pretty set on Pilgrim or AB (favoring AB because color) unless you know a breed available in the U.S. that’s autosexing, the size of AB, has a calm and easy-going temperament, and doesn’t have a pure-white gander/goose. I haven’t been able to find one, unfortunately. Goose breeds are difficult to research!

 

[jwcarlson]

I'll preface this by saying that I don't have much experience with geese (just short of a year), but I actually like a big white bird mixed in with my chickens. I raised the geese with chicks, and they will come defend a chicken if I pick one up or otherwise upset a hen or rooster.

Anyway, I think there's something to be said for a hawk to see a couple of 10-12 pound big white geese with your chickens personally. Mine aren't "free range" exactly, but have 300-some feet of electric fence that I rotate periodically. Plenty of hawks and owls around, but have had no issues.

 

[la dee da]

I'll preface this by saying that I don't have much experience with geese (just short of a year), but I actually like a big white bird mixed in with my chickens. I raised the geese with chicks, and they will come defend a chicken if I pick one up or otherwise upset a hen or rooster.

Anyway, I think there's something to be said for a hawk to see a couple of 10-12 pound big white geese with your chickens personally. Mine aren't "free range" exactly, but have 300-some feet of electric fence that I rotate periodically. Plenty of hawks and owls around, but have had no issues.

It’s good to know that hawks shouldn’t be an issue with the white geese; I was worried about the Pilgrim ganders should a big hawk or hungry owl show up. We also have foxes, bobcats, and coyotes, and I’m most worried about them, at least until we can finish fencing in our 12 acres. I can’t let our dog in unsupervised with poultry because he likes to harass them, so it’s fencing, luck, and God that we depend on right now.

I will be getting White Rock chickens this spring, but I hope to breed them to another color to get some color into them (which breed or color that is I haven’t yet figured out, but I’m favoring red). I dislike the look of black barred chickens; bold stripes just aren’t my thing, and they look too much like jailbirds .

 

[Pumperkinz]

Thanks! Once I know gander from goose, I’m thinking of leg banding them so I can tell at a glance. Do you think that will work, or are their legs too short?

Embdens are lovely geese, and I had considered them, but I worry for all-white chickens around predators (another reason I’m debating the Pilgrim). My research also indicates that they’re more likely to bully other poultry than American Buff or Pilgrim, and since my priority is my free range chickens, that’s an important thing to consider.

I’m pretty set on Pilgrim or AB (favoring AB because color) unless you know a breed available in the U.S. that’s autosexing, the size of AB, has a calm and easy-going temperament, and doesn’t have a pure-white gander/goose. I haven’t been able to find one, unfortunately. Goose breeds are difficult to research!

personally zipties works great once you know gander vs goose.

Boys get blue, girls get pink or another color.

For my sebastopols I keep the lines separated by different color bands so I can know who came from what line for genetics and continuity since they have fertility problems + genetics plays a big portion of how they grow and feather out.

With buffs you should be able to band them with zipties and it's cheaper then the full metal bands just my personal preference. You might have to replace them yearly but they are the most comfortable thing for the bird as they don't hurt them and will pop off when they start to degrade.

 

[Pumperkinz]

It’s good to know that hawks shouldn’t be an issue with the white geese; I was worried about the Pilgrim ganders should a big hawk or hungry owl show up. We also have foxes, bobcats, and coyotes, and I’m most worried about them, at least until we can finish fencing in our 12 acres. I can’t let our dog in unsupervised with poultry because he likes to harass them, so it’s fencing, luck, and God that we depend on right now.

I will be getting White Rock chickens this spring, but I hope to breed them to another color to get some color into them (which breed or color that is I haven’t yet figured out, but I’m favoring red). I dislike the look of black barred chickens; bold stripes just aren’t my thing, and they look too much like jailbirds .

The bald eagles don't try and pick up my ganders so far and they only weigh 14 or so pounds. They also heavily watch them and honk loudly and fly at anything that comes near.

Knock on wood but I haven't had any aerial predation with adding them to my yard (thankfully). But it could just be luck and migratory season is over so we will spring what spring entails.

 

[jwcarlson]

It’s good to know that hawks shouldn’t be an issue with the white geese; I was worried about the Pilgrim ganders should a big hawk or hungry owl show up. We also have foxes, bobcats, and coyotes, and I’m most worried about them, at least until we can finish fencing in our 12 acres. I can’t let our dog in unsupervised with poultry because he likes to harass them, so it’s fencing, luck, and God that we depend on right now.

I will be getting White Rock chickens this spring, but I hope to breed them to another color to get some color into them (which breed or color that is I haven’t yet figured out, but I’m favoring red). I dislike the look of black barred chickens; bold stripes just aren’t my thing, and they look too much like jailbirds .

We have plenty of coyotes, bobcats, weasels, hawks, bald eagles, owls and foxes as well. We live on 30 acres with a few ponds and a pretty big creek running through it. I was VERY concerned that we'd have constant issues with predators... but *knock on wood* not a single lose to predators yet. I think geese are intimidating to just about anything that might want to do harm to your flock. And the suckers don't really seem to sleep as best I can tell. At least not like chickens do.

I have no problems with the roosters or the geese because I'm the one in the family that they see the most as I do all the upkeep and whatnot. My dad came over yesterday and wanted to see the animals... so the geese got all worked up and the gander came over and bit me HARD because I was the first one coming into the hoop house. Then a rooster attacked dad.

I've got three American Bresse chickens (all white) and quite a few buff chickens, and a smattering of other random chickens, but predominantly Jubilee Orpingtons. This is our 2nd year on our acreage. I had more trouble with predators when we lived in town. Had a rat kill some chicks once and possums kill a silkie hen one time. Possums were an annual fall invader in town.

We've got a couple aussies and one of them is not a problem with the birds, but one can be. I wouldn't mind not having a fence around them, but I think it's a good deterrent. Plus I'm not sure how keen I would be on all the chickens and the geese greeting me at the car every time I got home. Or attacking anyone else who might show up.