Should I get a pair of geese to help guard my chickens and ducks

[Miss Lydia]

My Embden gander is a real stinker once breeding season begins and he is a biter. But he was hatched here and he is no 11 yrs old we’ll be together until one of us goes. I can’t imagine eating him.

 

[bluemerle]

My Embden gander is a real stinker once breeding season begins and he is a biter. But he was hatched here and he is no 11 yrs old we’ll be together until one of us goes. I can’t imagine eating him.

Miss Lydia, I love your fondness for your geese (& all your animals!) and it's one of the reasons why I'm so excited to get my goslings!

Besides .... the ornery animals tend to be my favorites. They should fit right in!

 

[ThracianHorse]

My Embden gander is a real stinker once breeding season begins and he is a biter. But he was hatched here and he is no 11 yrs old we’ll be together until one of us goes. I can’t imagine eating him.

So... I've known nice geese. I've known geese who weren't nice, but if you proved your 'dominance' they'd relent... even if they never got friendly with you, they'd respect boundaries with occasional reminders. This was what prompted me to get geese in the first place, along with the perpetuated information that leads one to get them as guard animals. I was wholly unprepared for... a year and a half of progressively worse bites, bruises, and altercations. I can't quite fathom the behavior of the gander I raised. It was almost like an aggression fixation. Reams of reading about goose behavior later, and I still have no explanation other than perhaps he didn't have something right in his head, being a hatchery bird. I can't identify anything I was doing as a trigger for the behavior. Who knows? I will say I am enjoying not having to poultice bruises, and dealing with the daily screaming.

Anyways. My point was to carefully consider behavioral ramifications before buying geese, specially for newbies. While my experience might not have been the norm, I certainly didn't anticipate what I went through. I may consider goslings from pairs that are known to be nice in the future but for now... my legs are enjoying the lack of pain.

 

[Miss Lydia]

That is a good post @ThracianHorse. and your right geese are defiantly not for everyone especially those who have a meek personality. Oh I have to deal with my gander yearly and this is when he really gets started. We had it out today. I just pin him down with head away from me hold him down for a few mins let him up and he is okay for a while. Then we start over. lol Ganders depending on breed really do get carried away during breeding and rearing goslings. They have a fierce protective personality and deem everyone a threat. Even the one who has been their care taker for years. I just take it in stride but do not let anyone younger or smaller in with him when he is at his worse. Best to research before you bring any home look at all breeds and talk with those who have the breeds your interested in. Can really make a difference.