Should I get a goose?

[AGeese]

I cast my vote for a pair of Steinbacher geese anyway (if you can find them)
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[GMoose]

Would you be planning then to have the goose / geese in with the chickens? A lot of people report that they do fine mingling with the chickens in a common area and having separate housing at night time, but they bully chickens terribly if they try to keep them all together.

I've always kept my geese with my chickens they almost never fight at all for me, that may just be because my geese are chillers though

 

[spaceylocust]

I have one female African Gray goose and LOVE her! She was ordered from Cackle Hatchery along with some chicks. She was raised with the chicks, was mother to them from day one, and doesn't bully the chickens but will let one know if she's out of line, just like any chicken would do to a subordinate. I held her several times a week while she was young so she is friendly--not a lap goose, but she isn't human aggressive. She lives with the chickens, including 1 rooster; free ranges during the day and in the coop at night. No one has mentioned how intelligent they are. She is super smart and loves to talk with me. She was purchased to prevent aerial attacks. She won't go after a hawk but her size and noise is a deterrent.

 

[McChooky]

2 strands of electric fence around the place will allow the flock to run in and out without being trapped by predators .Poultry that can fly or run for cover have a better chance of surviving an attack than those in an open area. Prey animals need netting and plenty of hiding places.Geese are killed by falcons and eagles instead of hawks.

 

[ColtHandorf]

I came upon geese.

the feed cost is up

Do you have any idea how much one goose eats? lol I fill a fifty-pound feeder once a week for seven of them. Especially if they can't get to pasture. In the winter they eat even more. If you're worried about the cost of feed and not the safety of the birds you currently have as a trade-off, I would not recommend adding more birds that are just going to increase the amount of feed you are purchasing.

Would you be planning then to have the goose / geese in with the chickens? A lot of people report that they do fine mingling with the chickens in a common area and having separate housing at night time, but they bully chickens terribly if they try to keep them all together.

This is completely accurate. Very few of my geese get along with the chickens enough to be with them full time. Some tolerate them if they are out free-ranging together in the afternoons, but still bully them. Others, like my gander Golly, regularly murder chickens for the apparent fun of smearing their insides on his outsides.

My geese haven't protected my birds from anything. Red-tails regularly make attempts on the birds with the geese out there. The bobcat doesn't care for goose, but they don't bother her in the slightest either.

 

[NinjaGamer2022]

Abso-stinkin-lutely you should get a goose!!! Well, a pair to be more specific. I got 1 goslings last summer and raised them with my chickens. Surprisingly they bonded with the chickens instead of each other. My gander was AMAZING at alerting for any kind of predator, he even fought off a hawk. Sadly he passed away last week from a suspected dog attack. My other goose has assumed his responsibilities with ease.

I highly recommend guard geese! We have had a great experience with them and the only "extra" things we do is have a bucket of water for them to dunk their heads in and we feed all flock/flock raiser so they get niacin in the winter when there is no grass.

They are great foragers as well, they free rang in the wood with our chickens. Just our experience, hope this helps!!

Jellybean & Cricket
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My I ask did you separate them at first then introduce them once they had bonded with the chicks or did you have them together in the same brooder? Also what breed of goose are they? Thanks,

 

[Vicker]

My Pilgrim Goose gander was one of my favorite pets of all time. I had a male/female pair of goslings. The male was the sweetest thing ever. He came to the door and tapped for us. He would sit in our laps. He was like a little puppy dog. I would not recommend geese if you don't have a proper place for them to swim and splash around. Having a bucket to stick their heads in is not enough. When they were little, they raced around underneath the water in a little tub and then moved up to entertaining us in the pond. They did not get along with the chickens, and it was a rodeo every evening trying to move them into their own coop for safety. Geese don't really sleep at night, so they weren't keen on being cooped up for hours.

 

[NinjaGamer2022]

My Pilgrim Goose gander was one of my favorite pets of all time. I had a male/female pair of goslings. The male was the sweetest thing ever. He came to the door and tapped for us. He would sit in our laps. He was like a little puppy dog. I would not recommend geese if you don't have a proper place for them to swim and splash around. Having a bucket to stick their heads in is not enough. When they were little, they raced around underneath the water in a little tub and then moved up to entertaining us in the pond. They did not get along with the chickens, and it was a rodeo every evening trying to move them into their own coop for safety. Geese don't really sleep at night, so they weren't keen on being cooped up for hours.

We plan to soon get them a kiddie pool once they're old enough. They look to be around a week old, no feathers. IF they have a kiddie pool would you think it would be fine to keep them with chickens? Thx,