Looking for "Guard Geese"

[Erin Combs]

Hey there Backyard Bird community! We are new to the world of chicken care and we have 11 birds in our flock here in CT. We are looking to add a couple of Toulouse geese to our flock as guard birds. Would you all recommend this and where might I find a pair of females? I think that is what I want. But, that said, I would love your input please. We live in a suburban neighborhood and I don't want to mess with our currently content neighbors. I want to a be a considerate urban farmer. What goose needs must I consider? Thanks!

 

[Iain Utah]

Welcome to the forum. Geese are a wonderful addition to a backyard flock, and are good at alerting everyone of humans entering their area, but there is no such thing as a guard goose for predators.

 

[kazula5]

We have a pair of buff geese and 3 ducks to go along with our 19 chickens. They are very loud when strangers enter the area and they do keep a very sharp eye on the sky for hawks, much more so than the chickens. Depending on how far off the hawks are, they cautiously go about their business, keeping an eye out, or run for the coop. They don’t particularly care for the chickens so they don’t sound any alarm. If the chickens see them go, they head for the coop also.

One thing to keep in mind is geese can be very loud. Mine honk when I leave in the morning, come back at night, feed them, feed the chickens, etc. When we lived in a suburban setting, my neighbors were fine with the chickens and appreciated the occasional eggs. I don’t think they would have welcomed the geese.