Raising Geese with Ducks - Overall Good or Bad?

[lilyduck]

I lost three ducks to a coyote pack this morning, so I'm thinking of ordering new ducklings and a couple of goslings for protection. I browsed through old posts about raising geese, and saw the terrible pictures of goose attacks on ducks, which makes me worried about having geese with my friendly duckies. My ducks free-range on a big piece of property.

Those of you that have had geese with your ducks - has your experience with geese been overall good or bad? If raised together from day one and brooded together, do ducks and geese generally get along? Have geese been effective at keeping away predators for any of you? What about geese and young children?

Thanks for the advice!

 

[FenDruadin]

Overall very good. But I would not rely on my goose to protect the flock from a coyote! They have predator-proof pens for that purpose.

My goose does make an excellent guardian, and a very intelligent protector. He brings ducks to me if they are injured or in trouble, and warns us if something unusual occurs in the yard. We lost his partner to a domestic dog, because the goose was defending the flock and took the brunt of the attack on himself.

He watches over the flock like they were his children. I almost never see him eating or taking care of himself--he is always always watching and guarding.

But he would be hopeless against a serious predator, and I would never want him to have to face that.

He is hilarious to watch when we bring out ferrets out, though... I'll have to post that picture some time. He gets very upset and shows us just exactly how far his wings spread and how sinister his hiss can be. He does not want those vicious little predators anywhere near his flock. He knows danger when he sees it (even when said danger is carefully under our control, lol).

 

[toletiquesbysam]

Being raised together they should do well!! I do not use them for predator protection but when the geese are running back to the coop for whatever reason, everyone else follows!! I have Sebbie geese and they are good with kids, during mating season they will hiss which is scary to kids.

 

[Kim65]

I had two adult geese and brought in three ducklings two months ago. The geese weren't raised with them, but even so, they tolerate the ducks and are not aggressive toward them. Geese are hard core flock creatures, and if you raised ducklings with them (they brood together very well, having the same habits) they would be bonded and the geese would be protective. I agree that geese are NOT capable of fending off dogs, racoons or coyotes, but they will sound an alarm that even my dog recognizes as "alarm" and he runs out to investigate when the gander does his warning call.

I think geese are more geese-like (aggressive, territorial) in larger flocks. One or two geese together will be much more mellow and less domineering.

Goslings outgrow ducklings FAST. The gosling will be a Baby Huey before you know it.

 

[blissdragon]

Ducks and geese are like peanut butter and jelly.