Kid friendly weeder geese

[ak2787]

We are looking to get some weeder geese for our farm. I was wondering which breed of weeder geese would be best with kids? The geese would be in area that my kids play all the time and I know some geese can be mean. My kids love our chickens and I know the geese would also be treated as pets so I'm looking for the friendliest breed

 

[Black-Teacup]

In my experience, "weeder" geese turn into "eat the whole garden and lawn" geese, lol, so I'd be careful!

I've owned African geese, which were an actual riot, though a bit loud, and currently have a Toulouse Sebastopol cross who is really very sweet and quiet. I only let her into the garden during the spring before my plants start to come up so she only eats the weeds. (Though some weeds they will ignore because they taste bad or feel weird, like mullen or thistles).

A lot of making them kid friendly is teaching your children to not chase them or make fast movements towards them. Raising them from a very young age helps a bunch too.

 

[LovedMyAlydar]

I think if you keep females you might have better luck, my experience is that once they reach sexual maturity and breeding season rolls around, they can turn a bit aggressive and territorial. I have had issues with males attacking my hens and actually killing them. I have females only right now and have no issues. I have African and Embdens. I have also had French Toulouse as well.

 

[The goose girl]

A lot of making them kid friendly is teaching your children to not chase them or make fast movements towards them. Raising them from a very young age helps a bunch too.

Much agree!

Kid friendly geese only get you so far. Goose friendly kids is the key issue.

My goose used to hate kids, but then she'd only been exposed to my neighbor's two terrors. During the last six months she's met some new and way better behaved kids, and although I have to supervise, she's much more comfortable around her new little friends than ever before. She'll greet them and start grazing just two feet away from a toddler - which would have been impossible a year ago. The older ones (5-6 years) can even feed her treats.