I took Pearl & Daisy for their first 'walk' today.
Now: a preface. What had I hoped to happen? Well: I wished for a recreation of all the videos I had seen of others walking their geese out in the open, with the geese happily trotting behind their shepherd.
What ended up happening? When I took the geese on a 'walk' from the back yard to the front yard, they got confused, and it took me quite a while to get them headed to where I wanted them to go (the front lawn). Eventually, I had to catch Pearl and pack him to the grass.
There, for the most part, they behaved themselves. I was anxious about them hopping the fence (much shorter in the front yard) and trotting off into Coyote Country, but this did not happen. They also did not follow me as tightly as they do when we are traversing the backyard, but I had to remind myself: this was a break from routine, and
no bird does well with a break in routine. I was eventually able to get them back into the backyard, smoother than our trip
out of the backyard, so I counted it as a success.
Of course, now I'm rethinking whether it was a good decision.
I know it's an apples to oranges comparison, but I do not want a repeat of the Mallards: going outside to find them gone. The geese do seem to be a lot more homely than the ducks, and I'm hoping today's excursion was merely a fun treat and not something to tempt them to search for greener pastures.
I would love some input from more experienced goose keepers about whether I should try and continue taking them for short walks around the property, or whether it's best to leave them in the backyard.
