My loving 3 mo old goose attacking my 6 yr old son

[Goosehaven]

My two year old gander has really gotten aggressive this summer compared to last. Breeding season this spring was horrible but he still will attack me even now. I've got so I carry a small rake with me in the backyard and he stays away when I'm carrying that. I've never had to hit him with it. The first time he came at me when I had it I just stuck it out toward him and he went running off the other way carrying on like nobody's business. So far its worked for over a month without any attacks from him.

 

[The goose girl]

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Should Parker whack Buzz with a stick? jennifer

No, definitely not! Noone should hit their goose with anything. Buzz is showing normal gander behavior, and Parker is probably showing normal 6-year-old behavior. The two don't always mix. Please don't punish the goose for being a goose. Pen him instead, and try to teach Parker how to navigate around Buzz.

In my experience, geese are usually more uncomfortable around children than around adults. This may be due to several things:

1. They are more used to adults handling them
2. Children are way smaller, so the geese may not see them as the same "species" as adults
3. Children usually move more abruptly than adults. That makes the geese skittish/aggressive
4. Children can be very loud and cry out, especially if the goose startles them

Size is not everything. I've had a pair of geese that would chase cars, pecking at the license plate. When the car "fled", the geese would walk proudly back to me: "See, we certainly got rid of that big scary thing".

Confidence is way more important - and that can be difficult to have, when you're a small 6-year-old and the goose seems huge and angry.

If I get attacked by an angry gander, I grab him firmly but not hard by the neck and tell him in a loud voice that I'm not scared by him. In a few seconds, he will try to get away, and eventually he'll leave me alone - still yelling at me, of course, but at a distance. But I'm really not sure I could have done that when I was 6...

 

[Frosty]

Quote:
Funny how that works... we have train tracks about half a mile away. Every time a train comes, the dogs bark and carry on, and every time, the train runs away! What would I do without the dogs to protect me from the trains?

The only time that I would not recommend raising your arms to make a goose back down is if it's a mama with goslings. I had a goose yelling at me so I spread my jacket like wings and stepped towards her... I am glad that there was a fence between us because she lunged at me!

 

[erthymom2]

oh, i am so going to try this..it works with my cat & dogs but now i have another victim for my "red light of terror" to play with ! LOL

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You can move your geese with a red laser light???

I can do this with the cat, but we've never tried the geese - hysterical! j​

 

[Goose and Fig]

My toulouse are 2 1/2 months. They have scared my 3 year old on several occasions- but they weren't going to attack him. They are used to people filling up the feed bowls, and if no one has been outside to fill them for a while (geez they eat a lot!) they will all run at whomever comes out. If I'm sitting outside reading they will all come up and start nibbling on my shoes, the chair, anything. I've even seen them trying to pull the siding off the barn. They taste EVERYTHING!

What seems to work if my little guy is freaked out is to have him run AT them. It throws them off and they all run away.

 

[[email protected]]

Thank you all for your responses. So far the behavior has abated, not sure why. But parker carried the drumstick, making him feel better, for a little while, and was very wary of Buzz, but Buzz has chilled. Parker is very active of course, and I know that it makes the geese very uncomfy. I have told him continually to not be scared or back down, so we will see how this progresses. Buzz is extremely smart compared to my goose baby, he never nibbles and seems to be very cognoscente of not biting, so maybe he was hormonal that day

Parker let the geese out of the coup this am and so far, so good. Last night as Parker was running around the house, Buzz got in his way and Parker ran straight over him, that may have done worlds of good. I expect next Spring to be interesting, but that I will tolerate. I'm protective over my goslings too! j

 

[mominoz]

We used to have one goose that would lay in wait under the deck until my youngest son came down the steps to attacK!While trying not to laugh (well he was good at keeping sales people away!) We gave him a piece of plastic plumbing pipe and told him he could shoo the goose away or push him with the pipe, but he couldn't hit him with it. It worked. The goose kept away and it gave our son some confidence, which I think is what it's about.

 

[[email protected]]

You know, I have no idea what all of that was about,,, it seems to have subsided. Yesterday Buzz went at him a little and I was there and told him to stand firm, scream and hold up his arms, waving. So he did that and it seemed to have helped out. Buzz is going thru his adolescent age trying to figure out who he can bully. It is funny in a way!

Several weeks ago when Buzz was just sticking out his neck at parker and getting really close, DH and I knew what was happening but Parker didn't, so I was like 'oh look he loves you so much' and that made parker really happy

We just snickered... jennifer

 

[Tater n Beans]

I have eight and ten year old boys and a pushy chinese gander. My youngest son (Kevin) is not afraid of anything, but when my oldest (Steven) gets chased by the gander, he runs away and squeals. There is a significant difference in the gander's response to the two boys because he gets the response he wants from Steven. Kevin just grabs him by the neck and shoves him away with the tip of his boot. He can come in the goose pen now without too much trouble, but Steven gets chased right out every time. We're working with Steven and the goose to get past this, partly by letting the boys help feed the geese in the morning...with my husband and I present of course.

 

[smileysal]

We have a Chinese Grey Gander, Jack , and my mates 6 yr old Josh, and they are the best of mates!!

http://www.thepoultrygarden.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=48&t=7652&start=105#p125976

I've tried to copy the pic and I can't!!!!