Introducing Chicks to Geese

[Croftfamily]

Hello!
I’m planning on buying a huge new flock of chickens from McMurray and want to add a guard goose. We have terrible predators (I’m getting poultry netting for those forsaken hawks but we also have rats and other predators) and I think it’s a great solution until I get LGDs. Since I’m ordering such a diverse flock, they’re coming at two different shipping dates, so my question is, is it okay to introduce new chicks to a gosling? The gosling would be around 4 months old. Or vice versa— can you introduce a gosling to 4-month-old chickens? Also, since I’ll be using these chickens for income (selling eggs), can I keep the 2-year-old goose and introduce it to new chicks, or should I also find a replacement home for the goose? Since I wouldn’t be using them for income, just guarding, I don’t care about it’s ‘productivity,’ and would be fine keeping it, if possible. Just want the gosling/goose(or gander) to be as amicable as possible to it’s chickens!

 

[MGG]

Hello!
I’m planning on buying a huge new flock of chickens from McMurray and want to add a guard goose. We have terrible predators (I’m getting poultry netting for those forsaken hawks but we also have rats and other predators) and I think it’s a great solution until I get LGDs. Since I’m ordering such a diverse flock, they’re coming at two different shipping dates, so my question is, is it okay to introduce new chicks to a gosling? The gosling would be around 4 months old. Or vice versa— can you introduce a gosling to 4-month-old chickens? Also, since I’ll be using these chickens for income (selling eggs), can I keep the 2-year-old goose and introduce it to new chicks, or should I also find a replacement home for the goose? Since I wouldn’t be using them for income, just guarding, I don’t care about it’s ‘productivity,’ and would be fine keeping it, if possible. Just want the gosling/goose(or gander) to be as amicable as possible to it’s chickens!

Geese don't tend to do very well with chickens. I've had both for a few years now and even if raised around chicks/chickens, they're more than happy to mess with them and nip at them whenever possible. Keeping one around chickens all the time would be more dangerous than just risking the predators, imo. Geese are big and even if they get along well with the chickens (which again, doesn't happen very often even if a single gosling is raised with chicks) it could accidentally kill or severely injure a chicken, especially a small chicken. Breed does matter, but even the smaller docile breeds of geese are still much bigger than even a big chicken. I had a small, two month old gosling once grab an adult chicken that wandered too close to his food bowl by the wing, it broke the hen's wing badly and then it later got infected, which was fatal for the chicken. It happened so fast too, there would have been no way to stop it. The gosling was also fine around chickens so I frequently let the chickens out while the gosling was out grazing. He had never previously shown any aggression towards them.
And geese are very social birds, they really need to be around other geese. Chickens just aren't the same as a goose.

Geese are also not very good at "guarding" and really do not work well for that purpose. They might make some noise, but so would the chickens. A good, big rooster is a better flock-protector than a goose.

 

[Goosebaby]

Geese are more of an alert system for predators, they’ll keep small aerial predators like hawks away mostly, but that’s about it. They actually can’t protect themselves from small predators like raccoons and foxes when it comes down to it, the guard goose idea unfortunatly is more of myth.
They will protect their mates and babies, but that’s about it.

 

[Isadora]

I agree that guard geese do not work well in actuality, though they may sound good in theory.

Here's an article about it:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...d-goose-and-why-you-should-not-get-one.77508/

 

[Croftfamily]

Geese don't tend to do very well with chickens. I've had both for a few years now and even if raised around chicks/chickens, they're more than happy to mess with them and nip at them whenever possible. Keeping one around chickens all the time would be more dangerous than just risking the predators, imo. Geese are big and even if they get along well with the chickens (which again, doesn't happen very often even if a single gosling is raised with chicks) it could accidentally kill or severely injure a chicken, especially a small chicken. Breed does matter, but even the smaller docile breeds of geese are still much bigger than even a big chicken. I had a small, two month old gosling once grab an adult chicken that wandered too close to his food bowl by the wing, it broke the hen's wing badly and then it later got infected, which was fatal for the chicken. It happened so fast too, there would have been no way to stop it. The gosling was also fine around chickens so I frequently let the chickens out while the gosling was out grazing. He had never previously shown any aggression towards them.
And geese are very social birds, they really need to be around other geese. Chickens just aren't the same as a goose.

Geese are also not very good at "guarding" and really do not work well for that purpose. They might make some noise, but so would the chickens. A good, big rooster is a better flock-protector than a goose.

I’m sorry for you and your chicken— that must have been awful! Thanks for all the info! These are all really valid points. Just in case I don’t, what else would you recommend? I’m planning on putting my chickens in a static coop/run and I don’t think a rooster would do well in that environment. I’m planning on putting poultry netting around the entire run to protect from hawks, but we have rats that have killed every one of our chicks this year, and I don’t know how to combat that until the chicks are full grown.

 

[Croftfamily]

I agree that guard geese do not work well in actuality, though they may sound good in theory.

Here's an article about it:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...d-goose-and-why-you-should-not-get-one.77508/

Thank you for the resource!

 

[Croftfamily]

Geese are more of an alert system for predators, they’ll keep small aerial predators like hawks away mostly, but that’s about it. They actually can’t protect themselves from small predators like raccoons and foxes when it comes down to it, the guard goose idea unfortunatly is more of myth.
They will protect their mates and babies, but that’s about it.

Thanks for your insight! That’s more of what I’m wanting— just something to make a ruckus and scare of predators/alert my dogs (they’re not LDGs but are super protective). I would only expect dogs and LDGs to fight something, and I don’t have any perimeter animals (donkeys) and don’t know how to fend off smaller rodents apart from poultry netting and smaller wire.

 

[MLCfromTennessee]

I have 10 chickens and 5 American buff geese. they coexist in the coop and run. During the frigid temps the geese made their way into the coop to sleep. now they bed down in there every night.
The geese attempted to bully the girls but my massive roo who stands as tall as the geese keeps them in check.
I have a large coop and run not sure if that is why there isn't much of an issue.
What I can tell you is the girls did not like it when I let the geese in. it took a couple days for it to quiet down

 

[JRies]

I like you fell in love with the idea of guardian geese for my ducks and jumped right in. I fell in love with the geese and raising them but together only works till the hormones kick in.
My original geese that was to be there job. It became short lived and I had to create a new home for the geese quickly.

2 years ago I raised from the brooder 4 geese and 5 runners they did great but when the body size changed so did there needs. I separated them into the goose pen and the duck pen at about 3 months. First thing every morning all of them would meet at the fence that divided them. Geese are so flock orientated and that was there flock the runners felt the same way. But and this is a real big but. Geese and runners have different lives and objectives. They dont look at life the same. Ducks are opportunist Geese have control issues.
That being said Not one hawk has ever dived for my ducks and I have lots of hawk and eagles here.

For larger proprietors Im training a LGD puppy right now. I have seen coyotes walking my fence line during the day. My last dog passed this spring/

Geese present a presents on your property and do make good deterrents. Just like my neighbors who have 4 small dogs they create a deterrent to the coyotes (they see a pack and move on). My 19 geese are always a flock and therefore create a deterrent to young hawks and eagles. My runner pen is right next to them there just not together.

I think its great you want to find the best for your birds. Consider having a separate pen for geese and enjoy what they can give you. A great alarm system, lots of want to be with you and personal interaction, A presents near your flock that warns overhead predators. But please dont get one. Geese need Geese there really the only bird they understand.

 

[camplondon2]

I agree that guard geese do not work well in actuality, though they may sound good in theory.

Here's an article about it:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...d-goose-and-why-you-should-not-get-one.77508/

Thanks for posting the article, I will look into.