Using geese to protect chickens?

[Emzyyy]

I heard that Guineas will make a bunch of racket when something is in the yard but they wouldn't really defend the chickens

 

[pwand]

Quote:
I always figured a sign like that would be a legal liability --- if my dog bit someone, the sign would indicate I knew it was a problem, and all that. Maybe I've just watched too many legal-type shows.

Check out this link.

If your guard dog attacks someone?
http://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080514155102AApVTDs

 

[tileman@prodigBird Raiser]

i have sebastopol geese and they are very protective of the other birds like the ducks and the chickens. They yell if anything flys by or they see somehting strange going on.

 

[walkswithdog]

Depending on the size of the chicken hawks and falcons may not carry them at all, may eat only a portion of what they've killed or flap nearby and hide and eat most of it.

That was my recent set of lessons. Which sucked. I lost six.

I'm probably getting a PYR. Eventually I'd like donkeys or a mule to go with the goats etc.

I wish we had more of this fenced.

Hope geese work for you.

 

[Fredster]

We got home with our new chicken protectors about 90 minutes ago. Not exactly geese, though. My wife is calling them George and Gracie, but I'm actively lobbying against those names.

The girl (red collar) did a little chasing, but it looked like play and not prey. They both have accepted us, but stay with me (at my heels) when my wife and I separate.

One promising thing: one of the pullets was off in the pig yard alone, walking back and forth along the fenceline, clucking. The dogs immediately went to her, and started pacing back and forth and whining. It sure looked like they recognized that she was separated from the flock and that it bothered them, but maybe I'm reading too much into it.

These pups are four months old, and have grown up with chickens. Their mother got a uterine infection right after they were born and her milk dried up, so they were bottle-raised. They're about the friendliest dogs I've ever seen, which does discourage me with regards to human predators, but maybe they'll still get after someone trying to steal a chicken if they need to.

So far, so good.

 

[chicknmania]

I've been wondering that too. My guess would be that your pred is a hawk...lots of times they will sit and eat the chickens, or just take part of it away, and sometimes, if they're scared, they won't even bother eating any. Let us know how the geese do if you get some.

 

[skaadi]

Our chicken coop set up is like this. We have lock tight coop with good ventilation at the top which is latticed and wired in. The door has a lock and everything. They are safe in there. We were letting them free range in our 1/2 acre yard, until an Americana vanished. Then we built a play area/run. Chicken wire and chain link. The top is open ( they can hide under the coop and in a dog house and under a bush if need be so I felt this would be ok. 2 days ago a silky disappeared! Did it find a crack to slip through? Yesterday I left for an hr with our GSD out to guard the chickens. I came home and everything was ok. When i left again, I left the dog inside, it was getting hot. I went to get sign my son up for football, (i was gone for 2 hrs) we came home to a dead jersey hen (still only about 3 mos) her head gone feathers everywhere and eviscerated. It was sad to see. I know we have hawks, opossums coons and foxes in the area- we are in the Nature coast of FLA. but this is getting annoying! There is a coon that thinks its out pet- if we leave the dogs bowl or water outside it thinks were feeding it.

I dont know if it would have climbed down into the run during the day to do that or if it would be a hawk. I need to know how to reinforce there run, but am strapped for cash right now so I cant go super commando paranoid.

Any suggestions would help greatly as to the type of predator were dealing with.

 

[Shanay235]

Quote:
I had a domesstic cat (albeit a stray one) take a small, female, runner duck, within the last 3 weeks. I also have four brown chinese geese in the same pen with my ducks and it still didn't stop the cat.

 

[gordensark]

I hate to tell you, but domestic cats will take chickens, I've shoot two in the last year attacking my chickens.Seeing is beliveing.
Gordensark

 

[walkswithdog]

My predation has been cats, hawks and a fox. And a few who went into the varmint dog yard - now that's dumb.

Not a single dog so far.