Some years ago, when looking at a potential new home, the owners had geese on the property. Every time we would try to go outside the house to look around, we were chased by the geese. We were strangers in their territory and they didn’t like it! I think they probably cheered and gave each other high fives when we finally drove away! Shortly after we found a house and moved in, a neighbor said he had to go to California for work and he had some young chickens and geese that he wanted to give my boys. (I think that was a ploy so that I wouldn’t say no.) I was a little wary based on my previous experience, but we took them in. Thirteen years later we still have the geese and I am happy to report, I have not once regretted the decision!
Geese don’t require any more time or attention to take care of than your chickens do. In fact, our geese are in the same coop and run as our chickens. They tend to like the outdoors and so spend most of the time out in the run, even in the snowy winter months. They don’t require any nesting boxes or roosts. Occasionally on a cold winter night they like to nestle down in a thick layer of straw. Geese are herbivores and eat green vegetation and grains. They like grass, weeds, leaves, fruits, vegetables and they eat the same grain feed mixture that I give my chickens. Like I said, we’ve had them for 13 years and they have done fine.
Geese do like a lot of water! Both for drinking and for bathing. During the winter I just have a large water pan for them, but during the warm spring and summer months I have a plastic kiddie pool filled with water for them to play in and enjoy. They also like to be sprayed gently with water from the hose.
Geese get along well with the chickens. I think they are at the top of the hierarchy ladder, probably due to their size, and the chickens are wise enough to give the geese their space, but I have never seen them fight or injure anyone. The bonus is that geese are great protectors against predators. We often have owls around and each spring a mother hawk comes back to a neighboring tree to raise another young. I have lost some free range baby bantam chicks to these predators, but I have never lost a chicken in the run with the geese. My geese are very vocal if anything or anyone strange encroaches on their territory, warning the chickens of possible danger. My mom lives a couple blocks away and she would joke that she always knew when I got home after leaving her house, because she could hear the geese greet me! If they feel threatened they turn into some pretty formidable foes with their outstretched wings, long necks and loud squawks running around in circles! Any predator would think twice at that sight!
We have African geese; they stand about 3 feet tall, weigh in at around 20 pounds and have a wingspan of somewhere in the neighborhood of 5 feet. They are easily identifiable due to the distinctive knob at the base of their bill. If you are thinking about predator control for your flock, you might want to consider a goose or two. I’m glad I did!
