Should I get a "guard goose"?

[cchicks4]

I currently have a flock of ducks who I am pretty attached to. I am going tonight to a farm to get a couple new ducks for my flock. The farmer also has geese available. We have issues in the past with fishers, raccoons, hawks, coyotes etc on our property. I had 2 roosters that were good at alerting to any unwanted guests. They unfortunately got eaten (but happened to save all of their hens). I used to let the birds roam free but now they are penned when I am not home to watch them. ANYWAYS, I have been reading how good geese are as alarms. Should I pick one up? is it hard to introduce an adult goose? Do I get one or two? Male or female? etc I have 2 drakes who are in charge right now. will they get along with a goose? Thanks for the info!

 

[Abriana]

You can't have just one goose, even if it is a guard goose. You need at least two. Geese need other geese, because they don't speak duck or chicken, and they will get lonesome. I believe that people typically use them as alarms, but I don't think that they will actually attack and drive off a predator, especially if they don't have babies that they are trying to protect.

 

[crazy4ChickensNducks]

Many people have just one goose to guard there flock the goose will eventually bond with the ducks. Some people keep a goose with their chickens

 

[Kessel23]

Many people have just one goose to guard there flock the goose will eventually bond with the ducks. Some people keep a goose with their chickens

Yeah, I have seen one youtuber do it. I forgot his name. Lots of lonely animals will bond with other species. Like Muscovy ducks and MD ducks. Or parrots and humans.
I have never tested the guard goose stuff before but I am planning to get a pair of geese this spring.

 

[sylviethecochin]

Geese may raise the alarm, but so do roosters. Neither is likely to do much to drive anything away.

If you want geese, get geese, but it would be much kinder to get a pair or trio than it would be to get a single.

Geese, in my limited experience (wild geese) ignore my ducks. My ducks avoid them. I imagine that a desperately lonely goose would take any company he/she could find, but that seems cruel.

 

[cchicks4]

I was reading about getting two but apparently they won’t bond to the ducks if you get two and will just form their own little flock.

 

[crazy4ChickensNducks]

How old are the geese and the ducks you are thinking about getting?

 

[HenOnAJuneBug]

The only experience I have with ducks and geese was when I lived on a river where a flock of mallards and one goose hung out. They all got along swimmingly and the goose ruled the flock.

 

[cchicks4]

How old are the geese and the ducks you are thinking about getting?

A year old

 

[cchicks4]

Geese may raise the alarm, but so do roosters. Neither is likely to do much to drive anything away.

If you want geese, get geese, but it would be much kinder to get a pair or trio than it would be to get a single.

Geese, in my limited experience (wild geese) ignore my ducks. My ducks avoid them. I imagine that a desperately lonely goose would take any company he/she could find, but that seems cruel.

I do feel bad getting just one but I was it for the purpose of alarm. I don’t expect it to chase anything off. Just make some noise if something is around while I let them free range when I’m home