Geese for my ducks?

[zooweemama]

I'd like to offer my flock a small layer of protection. I will be moving them to the pond in 3 weeks. A small pond (not acres of pond or anything but it's not a teeny decorative one either). I have been thinking of getting a pair of female geese. Can they be housed with my ducks or would they need to have their own night time housing? Any thoughts on this? Thanks!

 

[NCFF]

Hello ~

I read you other post about letting them go in the pond. That sure will be a nice area for ducks to live. I have 6 week old WH Ducks and 2 pairs of PIlgrim Geese. The Geese keep a look out and sound a alarm if anything comes around. They are incharge, but not going to protect the ducks. I think you need a LGD for that.

 

[zooweemama]

Hello ~

I read you other post about letting them go in the pond. That sure will be a nice area for ducks to live. I have 6 week old WH Ducks and 2 pairs of PIlgrim Geese. The Geese keep a look out and sound a alarm if anything comes around. They are incharge, but not going to protect the ducks. I think you need a LGD for that.

I meant more of a...noisy alarm. A honking goose is a pretty scary thing for a house cat. Probably poor phrasing about protection. I don't know what an LGD is?

 

[Lollipop]

I meant more of a...noisy alarm. A honking goose is a pretty scary thing for a house cat. Probably poor phrasing about protection. I don't know what an LGD is?

It's a livestock guard dog. I agree that geese will only sound an alarm. No more than that unless they have goslings.......Pop

 

[zooweemama]

It's a livestock guard dog. I agree that geese will only sound an alarm. No more than that unless they have goslings.......Pop

A dog is not an option. We have a rottweiler (8 almost 9 years old) whom we are still working on introducing to the ducks but at this point we do not let them mingle at all. May never until they are on the pond. My rott hates getting wet (weird I know). Right now we herd the ducks into their enclosure, then let our rott out. Then put him away and then let the ducks out. It's all day thing currently. Adding another dog isn't an option until my rott passes on. <3 It's tricky managing all this but we work it out since I homeschool- we are home all the time. We had been city dwellers until Oct2010 and this year was our first step towards farm/homesteading.

Even the geese honking would be helpful if something were bothering the ducks/geese. We'd hear it. Our one Cayuga gal and the Buff and Pekin girls are fairly noisy. But when I hear those Canada Geese fly overhead I can HEAR that big time. I am new to all this. We have 4 acres and a decent sized 'small' pond and what I want to avoid is too few waterfowl (which I think might look more enticing than a busy one?). But I honestly don't know!

I appreciate everyone's input.

 

[PetesMom]

I have two buff geese, one gander and not sure the sex of the other yet lol but our area for outside is fenced in (no top though) and when the gander sees some suspicious (even an airplane wayyyy up in the sky lol) he will sound the alarm and everybody heads straight for their coop at full speed! And my gander has gone after the dogs when he thinks they are going to harm the ducks. Sometimes my boxer gets it in his head he wants to try and play with them and the gander doesn't like this and will go after him.

 

[Lollipop]

Ha! This is funny that a Rottie doesn't like water. My 3 1/2 YO Female dives into our pool continuously until we make her stop. She is also a house dog as she came from a city home where the kid would just open the door and let her run. It's a problem we haven't been able to correct in 2 1/2 years. If anyone had told me that I would be living in the country and still walking a dog on a leash, I would have called them a liar.

We do have an outdoor dog, a yellow Lab that showed up at our house a couple years ago in a blinding rain storm. He was about 5 weeks old at the time. My stepson was staying at our house and taking care of the critters while we were in FL and heard him whine. He was a very destructive pup, but now is very handy at keeping the flocks safe. I just got 4 African goslings and turned them loose with my two remaining mixed breed ganders. Like PetesMom was saying, the ganders are very protective, especially of the goslings and puts our Lab to flight whenever he is to close. But back on the subject, I moved here 6 years ago with 7 geese and predators have taken all but the two ganders. I haven't lost any birds since the Lab came here. I don't think geese would discourage a coon or fox, or a coyote. All the best to ya...........Pop

 

[EmAbTo48]

I can say it depends on the the prey you have around you. We have 2 pairs of Sebastopol Geese these are nice size large geese. They aren't very protective and for any predator are just as tasty as the duck

We are dealing with nasty eagles with our ducks. And they have went after our geese. The geese will honk thats about it. If the ducks don't understand the honking and warning its useless. As for a LGD dog we a have a large lab that will attack any unwanted pests, but for us in our case the Eagles don't give a crap....

 

[flockman]

I am new to ducks and geese. My pair of American buff geese are only 6 weeks old. They have been raised with my pekins. Boris the gander is the first one to sound an alarm, followed by Natasha. They become upset when the ducks are not with them but they are definitely in charge and will prove it if necessary. When our barn cats, who have never tried to hurt a duck, goose, or chicken, come near the geese sound the alarm. Thus they alert everyone to the "issue".

 

[zooweemama]

Ha! This is funny that a Rottie doesn't like water. My 3 1/2 YO Female dives into our pool continuously until we make her stop. She is also a house dog as she came from a city home where the kid would just open the door and let her run. It's a problem we haven't been able to correct in 2 1/2 years. If anyone had told me that I would be living in the country and still walking a dog on a leash, I would have called them a liar.

We do have an outdoor dog, a yellow Lab that showed up at our house a couple years ago in a blinding rain storm. He was about 5 weeks old at the time. My stepson was staying at our house and taking care of the critters while we were in FL and heard him whine. He was a very destructive pup, but now is very handy at keeping the flocks safe. I just got 4 African goslings and turned them loose with my two remaining mixed breed ganders. Like PetesMom was saying, the ganders are very protective, especially of the goslings and puts our Lab to flight whenever he is to close. But back on the subject, I moved here 6 years ago with 7 geese and predators have taken all but the two ganders. I haven't lost any birds since the Lab came here. I don't think geese would discourage a coon or fox, or a coyote. All the best to ya...........Pop

Yeah. We are kinda bummed! My hubby grew up with dobes and a female rottie. She absolutely adored the water. Was an absolute duck with fur and legs. I guess the male rotties are generally less inclined to get the jewels cold or something (or so I have heard rottie owners say). So he will gingerly get his paws wet for a sip of water and run off. What a chicken! We'd love to be able to have him around another dog but he was never socialized with other animals in all his years- he gets his cackles up at my mil's little pomeranians so we have to keep them separated too (she live lives in a loft above the garage). Plus she is afraid of because he growled at her one time years ago...so. It's fun working around all this. My poor rottie! He's such a big oafie slobbery teddy bear but some people don't realize you can't stare them down or snuggle their heads (why do people insist on hugging dogs that are not theirs on their heads?) and I don't *think* he would mess with the ducks honestly but I am afraid to put that to test!

All my duckies are in their house by 830-9pm every night so I'm not worried about foxes and things generally. Mostly for daytime...like a neighbors wandering half blind old dog (literally she is half blind and probably wouldn't hurt my ducks but I don't always know she is in my yard), or other birds that my eye ball my pretty runners or welshies- they are so petite and probably tasty looking from up there.

I think my biggest concern IF I got any geese would be if I can put them with my ducks at night. I think I would be looking at Embden or Africans...leaning towards Embden. Although the Sebastopols are absolutely gorgeous- I just have concerns with keeping them warm in the winter and obtaining 4 females. My kids will be doing 4H this coming year and they have shown an interest in doing waterfowl- we'll see. I love ducks so much- I can't imagine not liking the geese too.