Topic of the Week - Getting Started, Keeping Geese

[Chickielady]

Hmm... About that "will they honk at everyone walking on the path next to our yard", I gather from the comments that they will eventually get used to people?

So maybe they'll "warn" for a few months, then stop?

No, geese know who belongs on the premises and who does not.
They imprint. That means they know you, they us, they know our dog, they know who is NOT supposed to be there. They know our cars slowing down on the highway and pulling into our driveway, 350 yards away. They recognize the sound of the engine/tires and they know if the car approaching is NOT one of ours.
They are great watch dogs.
Funny story:
I blew up a photo of DH, and printed it out (like a paper mask) and tapes it to windows & in the bushes for a joke, never thought about how the geese would react to this.
This is a pic of the downstairs bathroom window...
I moved the face around and even taped it to the upstairs bathroom window which was funny cuz whoever it was would have to have a extension ladder to peek in that window..
It was so funny that I printed out an Elvis face and the Queen Mum face & taped them here & there, in the bushes, in the barn. It was hysterical seeing Elvis in the bushes..........
THE GEESE WENT BALLISTIC that there was a stranger in the bushes !!!
When I taped the DH face to the front door window, the geese stood there all day, trying to get on the front porch, waiting for him to come out and give them treats.
The moral of the story it:
If you raise them, they know you, your car, your voice.
If you are kind, they love you, if you are cruel, they will hate you.

Our geese are part of our family just as our LGDs are...............the geese' job is to mow the grass and do their watching. They intimidate crows, hawks and Eagles, and more than likely other predators as well.
They have excellent eyesight, seeing things in the sky and underbrush. They work together with the LGDs and sound the alarm if they see anything threatening.
Another note:
Visitors here will always walk up to our LGDs and offer a hand for the dogs to sniff and I have to race to stop them, the dog will bite you !!
he is so fluffy and cute that people just think he is a big puppy. WRONG.
But they will NOT even get out of their car if the geese are out there.
Terrified of geese !

Nobody can just drive in here & go snooping around without the geese letting us know.
I love them.

 

[Chickielady]

Great topic! I am a 3rd generation goose keeper. They are not for everyone. Visit a breeder if you can, so you see what you are getting into. Hear what the breed sounds like, and if you have neighbors are they tolerant? Geese are a big bird, are you comfortable with the size? The age range has already been mentioned and its true. My grandmother had geese easily live 20 years. The eggs are amazing and make wonderful baked goods! I keep brown Chinese, they have been my favorite. But I am very hard of hearing LOL!

I will say a gosling is the most precious little being you will ever meet! If you want alarm geese, limit the contact they have with "strangers" people or animals. They will naturally know what animals are "safe" and what are not. I have seen very few outright attacks, but the one I remember most is a mean rooster getting flogged for attacking me! (yes freezer camp for the rooster) If you have other animals they learn quickly who is the normal critters. My geese will go into my cow and goat pastures no problem. If you want pets and eggs, Socialize! Especially as goslings. If you plan to get a started or mature pair, see how they were raised if possible.
We don't eat our geese because they are pets with a dual purpose. My started goslings go to to my Veterinarians farm, he has an organic operation for poultry. They are kept behind electro netting, and pastures are rotated weekly. The geese live with hundreds of other turkeys, ducks and chickens and help him deter Arial predators. Hawks will not challenge an adult flock of geese. Its saved him a loss of a few hundred birds per season. In turn, they have excellent food, a very large pond and a safe barn to sleep in. Some are 5 years old now, feels good to see them when I visit.

Curious If they remember you and approach you or if they do not remember you and treat you as a stranger ?
My toulouse are noisy ! Only when they see me or DH (or a predator/threat) they go ballistic with honking and screeching that would shatter ear drums at 50 yards.
Almost painful on the ears loud !
The rest of the time they are pretty quiet.
Their way of saying hi I guess !

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Curious If they remember you and approach you or if they do not remember you and treat you as a stranger ?
My toulouse are noisy ! Only when they see me or DH (or a predator/threat) they go ballistic with honking and screeching that would shatter ear drums at 50 yards.
Almost painful on the ears loud !
The rest of the time they are pretty quiet.
Their way of saying hi I guess !

Thee ones I've sold do not remember me. I go out to our vets house twice a year at most, usually for the powdered calf formula. They act as they should, sounding an alarm. The loudest type I have kept were the American Buff. They are beautiful but the gander had a loud call like a screaming woman! They were my next door neighbors, and didn't work out there. They spent every day all day with my geese once matured. She text me one day and asked if I wanted to keep them, and said Merry Christmas, lol. Seems they were biting the wife and they just didn't want them anymore.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

I've read through the whole tread, so forgive me if this has already been shared and I missed it:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/geese-sticky-topics-index.497391/
This is a great spot to visit for a wealth of information, I still read them especially around hatching season.

 

[wcbpolish]

Anyone else's geese laying already? My pen of young Africans has laid 5 eggs so far this month (6 geese, 4 ganders)

 

[jvls1942]

No eggs yet, but soon,, very soon..
they are mating..
when she starts going behind the garage, then I will start checking..

 

[Tampicoguy]

This is an amazing time of year for geese, also.
Nest building and egg laying should begin shortly.
I would love to hear what others say about these 2 topics.

IMO ...... hard to imagine anyone wanting to process a Dewlap Toulouse goose to eat when you could likely sell it for close to $100 minimum. The production variety of Toulouse ..... common grey goose are just a few lbs less than a Dewlapped Toulouse and they reproduce like rats and have a value of about $20. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Aunt Angus]

I just adopted three adult geese - two production Toulouse geese who were abandoned and one Toulouse/African gander cross who bonded with the girls while at a shelter. They're lively birds!

They are in with my goats, but they can see my ducks across the field and very interested in them. They get along fine with my goats, too.

They are also MUCH quieter than my ducks!

 

[NevadaEmma]

I am interested in either miniature geese or Sebastopol Geese. I only have 3/4 of an acre. I don't want to breed so I was thinking 2 males or 2 females. If I get them young can I raise them with chicks?

I love my male Sebastopol goose! He thinks he is as big as an Embden. He has become very attached to me and my husband. At the moment the geese are in mating season. I have been housing Curley with a female that is a year younger than him. She is a cross of an Embden (mother) and possibly a Pilgrim (male).

They are expensive though. I would like to obtain a female Sebastopol as a mate for Curley, but I cannot see spending as much as the hatcheries want. He was one of 5 geese that I purchased two years ago from Metzer as a mixed, end of the day, group.

He can be quite noisy during breeding season, but usually very quiet. Yes you can raise them with chicks. Curley is good with my chickens, unlike some of my other geese that love to sneak up on the chickens and grab their tails. One of my Salmon Faverolles roosters will actually face the offending goose and challenge it to a fight, which so far has not happened!

 

[jvls1942]

aunt angus, I am not familiar with what
a production toulouse is.
nevandaemma, I had a trio of Sebs.
they were among the most unfriendly geese
I ever had. Not mean, just never warmed up
to be like pets. I bought them as adults.
they laid some eggs, but never hatched any.
in my opinion, the Africans are the noisiest.