Using geese to protect your flock

[Pyxis]

Curiosity question: yall say the goose is no more effective than a rooster at guarding the flock. Does that include times when the goose has eggs or goslings? Im sure im not the only one who has been surprised on a river bank by a hissing Canadian goose with wings spread snd charging at you. Do domestic geese no longer possess such protective instincts?

They still protect their goslings. They don't protect random other birds, like chickens, in the same way. And they're still only effective in deterring certain smaller predators from their goslings. A large enough predator would just see the charging goose as a larger meal.

 

[cscarney]

My Pilgrim geese DEFINITELY still possess their protective instincts, especially when they have goslings. Normally they're pretty friendly (for geese anyways), but all bets are off if anyone or anything tries to mess with their babies.

My gaggle seems to do communal nesting and brood rearing here, so I can't speak to how a single pair would do regarding predators, but the 3 pairs plus goslings gaggle seems to be pretty predator proof. At least as far as large raccoons and foxes go.