Protective Geese?

[Ramblin Rooster]

Hi Folks.

I free range my ~40 chickens and 2 ducks pretty often and recently a fox has been pretty bold and so have a few large red shouldered hawks and I was wondering if (in addition to being great pets) geese would protect my flock and/or alert them (and us) to predators when they are free ranging.

I have heard geese can fight off a fox, and can alert flocks of hawks nearby. I lost a silkie to a fox yesterday so I want to prevent any more losses this summer when I will be free ranging them a lot.

I would love to keep these geese as pets also, so please keep that in mind if you're suggesting specific breeds.

Thanks!!

 

[Monkeybean415]

Bumping for you! I'm also interested in possibly getting a pair of geese to go along with our flock of 15 layers

 

[Miss Lydia]

Hi Folks.

I free range my ~40 chickens and 2 ducks pretty often and recently a fox has been pretty bold and so have a few large red shouldered hawks and I was wondering if (in addition to being great pets) geese would protect my flock and/or alert them (and us) to predators when they are free ranging.

I have heard geese can fight off a fox, and can alert flocks of hawks nearby. I lost a silkie to a fox yesterday so I want to prevent any more losses this summer when I will be free ranging them a lot.

I would love to keep these geese as pets also, so please keep that in mind if you're suggesting specific breeds.

Thanks!!

I think it's a misnomer to say geese can fight off a fox. they may try but they are no match for anything with teeth and claws. their only defense is wings and bluff. A flock of maybe 10 or more might be able to scare one away. I have a feeling someone will have to give up it's life for the flock though.
Plus Observing my flock of 4 geese they would most likely not care if anything was going after a chicken or duck. Now if something was going after one of them they may try and fight back.

You might be better off getting an LGD.

Very sorry for your loss.

Oh and by the way since breeding season my geese have been so hateful to the rest of the flock of chickens and ducks they have their very own fenced in area till breeding season is over.

 

[jtn42248]

There seems to be a belief that geese are in some way endowed with tremendous protective instincts for their farms and its residents be they human or animal. In fact, that is not the case. While most geese are outstanding at announcing the presence of anything out of the ordinary they do not make good guard animals. This in in the same way that a Pomeranian makes and excellent watchdog and a lousy guard dog. One is like having an alarm system the other is able and willing to attack anything that is not supposed to be there and will usually either win or make a valiant effort at it.

Geese can be (and often are) aggressive toward other birds especially during mating and brooding season which is about half of the year. While there are many that believe and/or have geese living in harmony with their other birds, it has not been my experience with my geese. In fact mine became so aggressive toward my chickens and ducks that I had to move them to their own coop, run and range apart from all other birds.

I started with three Toulouse and this year they hatched out 8 goslings who are now 7 weeks old. The free range on 3 acres of pasture and if they perceive any threat in the area they sound an alarm, not for me or to protect anything else, but to call everyone into a tighter cluster where they hunker down close to the ground as one mass...I think it is in part to protect the young and in part to appear to be much larger than they are individually. The gander will charge anything that he feels is a threat to his brood and the females will position themselves between the intruder and their young. It is all very sweet and nice to see them working as a unit to protect each other but it is in no way an effort to guard or protect the chickens, ducks or anything else on the farm.

I would suggest that you consider, as indicated in a posting above, canine protection for your flock. Our dogs do more in that regard than the geese do and they are separated by a high fence.

And let me edit in one additional item. A goose defending itself or its brood against any four legged predator will have the same end result as you trying to defend yourself against a Mountain Lion using only a feather duster.

 

[ashton strain]

I have two geese and did have two ducks but a fix got in there and took one of my ducks and some duck eggs.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I have two geese and did have two ducks but a fix got in there and took one of my ducks and some duck eggs.

Sorry for your loss .

 

[ashton strain]

Thanks

 

[ashton strain]

This is my second time using this site and I now it is a little off topic but how do I make new threads

 

[Miss Lydia]

This is my second time using this site and I now it is a little off topic but how do I make new threads

Go to the top of this page and look on the left hand side it says post a replay or start a new thread. and there you have it.

 

[ashton strain]

Thanld