Having geese with chickens

[Strawberry74]

I agree, geese need to be separate from chickens. Mine were raised with chickens and once they hit sexual maturity all bets are off. Even the female geese were bullying my chickens. I have Sebastopol. Some people can make it work and don't have issues and Sebastopol are one of the most quiet and calm breeds but when the mating Instinct kicks in gooses and ganders alike get ornery. I also had them with ducks and they would try to mare the ducks and I was fearful that they would drown them because of the size difference.

 

[donteatbees]

I agree, geese need to be separate from chickens. Mine were raised with chickens and once they hit sexual maturity all bets are off. Even the female geese were bullying my chickens. I have Sebastopol. Some people can make it work and don't have issues and Sebastopol are one of the most quiet and calm breeds but when the mating Instinct kicks in gooses and ganders alike get ornery. I also had them with ducks and they would try to mare the ducks and I was fearful that they would drown them because of the size difference.

Good to know!

 

[GoosesGeeses]

That's good to know! What breeds do you have?

Brown Chinese and Sebastapol

 

[AGeese]

I've got eleven hens and two roosters but am currently waiting for more hens, I know it's not a good ratio. I was looking on the Meyer hatchery site and saw a bunch of breeds of geese. I'd never get a single goose (even if I wanted to, Meyer has a minimum of 2), but I have some questions.
If a gosling grows up into a gander, will he mate my hens? Or would he leave them alone if the other goose is a girl? Would my roosters fight a gander if he tried to mate a hen?
Will the goslings actually grow up to like the chickens if they're raised with them?
I've heard that geese can be deterrents for hawks, is this true? Will they actually fight a hawk that's going after a hen? (This I'm just asking out of curiosity. They've got netting up and a LSD, so the goose isn't needed for protection)
What is owning a goose like? I know I could read articles and whatever, but I'd rather hear first hand experience. Will they attack my dad who works away and isn't home every day? Or my other family who aren't the main caregivers? How do they react to new chickens if they're around them? How do they like their coops? Can domestic geese fly well? Would my hawk net hurt the geese if they flew into it? Would they fly to a pond that's separate from the chickens?
And anything that I didn't ask that should be said, you can tell me anyway. I care deeply about my animals and would never want to get one to later realize I didn't know enough.
Thanks in advance!

Don't do it!

 

[Goosebaby]

Geese are highly individualistic so it’s hard to predict what dynamics you’ll end up with, though in general geese like their personal space so a separate hutch, cage, or coop at night away from the chickens and ducks is preferred for everyone’s safety.
For the most part geese tolerate other birds so long as they aren’t constantly invading their space. Ganders get hormonal in winter/ spring breeding season and they become easily angered and territorial. They can’t help it and there’s no way to prevent it, even if there isn’t a female they’ll still behave this way.

Geese are accepting of everyone who spends a lot of time with them. People that they don’t know at all are usually scary to geese, people that they know but who they don’t spend much time with can be regarded as rivals and invaders to their territory, so relatives that don’t spend much time with them may have it rough in breeding season.

However if you do get an aggressive gander how you deal with an attack is if they charge say “NO” firmly then grab their neck just below the jaw “so they can’t bite you” gently but firmly enough that they can’t get away, while you scoop them up with the other arm and carry them around for a minute. Hormonal ganders like to think of themselves as gigachads, picking them up rocks their whole world in a humane way, a good snuggle is always fun to get in anyway and when you set him back down he’ll think he got scooped up by Godzilla and be more chill for awhile.
As you or someone else keeps doing this and he’ll learn what “NO” means and attempt to conduct himself more civilly. Like I said though, they can’t really control themselves when they’re hormonal so you’ll have to repeat this often if he has a spicy personality.
Chasing them around reinforces his view that you’re a threat he needs to defend his mate from, holding him down reinforces his perception of you as a rival because in his pea brained hormonal state of mind you just lowered your size to something he thinks he can vanquish.
For those that don’t have time to socialize with the geese simply holding some sort of staff or broom is enough to keep the geese away. The geese will probably never like them but they’ll avoid the spooky staff thing.


Geese like routines. It can be hard getting them in their cage but patience and practice are the key to teaching them. You can entice them with tossing treats in the first few times, then herd them in the direction of the cage while repeating “in in in,” “bed bed bed,” or whatever you prefer repeatedly. It’s easier if you have another person to help the first few times. After they learn the routine it’s not really difficult getting them in for the night.
Geese naturally avoid “caves” because they prefer to be in wide open spaces where they can see predators coming, they also don’t like the sound of rain on a roof, for some reason it freaks them out so they’ll prefer to be out in the weather. However we do know better, that being in a secure enclosure away from predators and extreme weather is in their best interest so they just have to learn to deal with it.

You can try using a lamp as another commenter mentioned, but it isn’t completely necessary, geese are individuals so some might prefer a lamp but they can be weaned off from it. Many lamps are safety hazards in coops so I advise against it unless it’s absolutely necessary and please do your research on lamps with better safety standards if you are considering one in their coop. Absolutely do NOT use those cheap tin clamp heat lamps sold everywhere unless you’re planning on never taking your eyes off it. Those are dangerous, I just had one almost light my carpet on fire after it spontaneously disassembled.

Geese are great hawk deterrents because of their size. My flock all fear hawks but the hawks see enormous possibly dangerous birds so they don’t bother with my ducks.

 

[Callender Girl]

As previously said, geese are highly individualistic, so bear that in mind. However, I have two American Buff females, and I LOVE them. They likely don't love me back, but they are generally well behaved and don't mess with other people.

I got them as goslings from a farm store and handled them daily as they grew up. They house in a small shelter by themselves at night and it's surrounded by a chain-link pen, where they eat their meals.

They're pleasant but not cuddly. On the rare occasions that I have to pick them up, one will allow it and put her head on my shoulder. The other one has blackened my eye by battering me with a wing. And, when they're sitting on a nest (no gander, so the eggs aren't fertile; they don't care), they hiss and become quite defensive. I usually wait for them to forage and sneak the eggs into the house when they're not looking.

During the day, they are loose with chickens and runner ducks. Often, the waterfowl will lie down together in the yard. But, it's not uncommon for the geese to suddenly decide to roust the ducks and march them across the yard, parade-style, for no apparent reason except their own amusement.

The geese will hiss at chickens and snap at them -- as long as the chickens scatter. A little hen who turns and faces them can easily scare off a bullying goose.

Like toddlers, everything goes in their mouths. Chewing on wood (like my house trim, a formerly nice settee, the frame on a small chicken coop) is one of their hobbies. Once they have an item in their beak, it's THEIRS -- even if the gardening glove was mine first. And, while ducks nibbling on a finger is amusing, a goose bite is far from painless.

They also like to take whatever they can find -- corn cobs, pumpkin stems, chunks of wood -- and drop those into water dishes. And, no water dish is too small for them to attempt to bathe in, even if only their feet fit inside it.

They wouldn't care if hawks or eagles carried away every other bird on the property, but they will sound an alarm that makes everyone else take cover. Visiting opossums will make them yell, hiss and spread their wings out fully, but they will then wait for me to remove the offending pest.

But few things are as much fun to watch as my geese doing zoomies down the length of the driveway, running at top speed, like a plane taxiing for takeoff on a runway, then suddenly realizing they can't really fly very high or very far.

 

[Yardfulla poopers]

Geese are highly individualistic so it’s hard to predict what dynamics you’ll end up with, though in general geese like their personal space so a separate hutch, cage, or coop at night away from the chickens and ducks is preferred for everyone’s safety.
For the most part geese tolerate other birds so long as they aren’t constantly invading their space. Ganders get hormonal in winter/ spring breeding season and they become easily angered and territorial. They can’t help it and there’s no way to prevent it, even if there isn’t a female they’ll still behave this way.

Geese are accepting of everyone who spends a lot of time with them. People that they don’t know at all are usually scary to geese, people that they know but who they don’t spend much time with can be regarded as rivals and invaders to their territory, so relatives that don’t spend much time with them may have it rough in breeding season.

However if you do get an aggressive gander how you deal with an attack is if they charge say “NO” firmly then grab their neck just below the jaw “so they can’t bite you” gently but firmly enough that they can’t get away, while you scoop them up with the other arm and carry them around for a minute. Hormonal ganders like to think of themselves as gigachads, picking them up rocks their whole world in a humane way, a good snuggle is always fun to get in anyway and when you set him back down he’ll think he got scooped up by Godzilla and be more chill for awhile.
As you or someone else keeps doing this and he’ll learn what “NO” means and attempt to conduct himself more civilly. Like I said though, they can’t really control themselves when they’re hormonal so you’ll have to repeat this often if he has a spicy personality.
Chasing them around reinforces his view that you’re a threat he needs to defend his mate from, holding him down reinforces his perception of you as a rival because in his pea brained hormonal state of mind you just lowered your size to something he thinks he can vanquish.
For those that don’t have time to socialize with the geese simply holding some sort of staff or broom is enough to keep the geese away. The geese will probably never like them but they’ll avoid the spooky staff thing.


Geese like routines. It can be hard getting them in their cage but patience and practice are the key to teaching them. You can entice them with tossing treats in the first few times, then herd them in the direction of the cage while repeating “in in in,” “bed bed bed,” or whatever you prefer repeatedly. It’s easier if you have another person to help the first few times. After they learn the routine it’s not really difficult getting them in for the night.
Geese naturally avoid “caves” because they prefer to be in wide open spaces where they can see predators coming, they also don’t like the sound of rain on a roof, for some reason it freaks them out so they’ll prefer to be out in the weather. However we do know better, that being in a secure enclosure away from predators and extreme weather is in their best interest so they just have to learn to deal with it.

You can try using a lamp as another commenter mentioned, but it isn’t completely necessary, geese are individuals so some might prefer a lamp but they can be weaned off from it. Many lamps are safety hazards in coops so I advise against it unless it’s absolutely necessary and please do your research on lamps with better safety standards if you are considering one in their coop. Absolutely do NOT use those cheap tin clamp heat lamps sold everywhere unless you’re planning on never taking your eyes off it. Those are dangerous, I just had one almost light my carpet on fire after it spontaneously disassembled.

Geese are great hawk deterrents because of their size. My flock all fear hawks but the hawks see enormous possibly dangerous birds so they don’t bother with my ducks.

I completely agree with the firm "NO", my gander learned it pretty quickly.
For lighting I used a solar light that shined from the outside into the entrance and it worked well.

 

[Yardfulla poopers]

My chickens coop has a light in it, so I could make a light in the goose coop too. Though that sounds difficult with herding them. I wonder if putting a treat they like would make them go in? I'm fortunate to have a LSD, which should keep coyotes away. Hopefully the bears this year too... also sounds like I should make sure I don't get a gander. I don't have any live stock besides chickens, but would like ducks one day. Thank you, this was good to know!

I was normally able to lure them in with some romaine lettuce. In reality, the geese went in the coop easier than the ducks but they were all raised together so when the ducks discovered the pond and refused to shelter at night, the geese reluctantly followed suit and stayed on the pond at night.

 

[AGeese]

Ok so you have my short answer. Now we need to know more about your setup and plans. Pictures are idea, a diagram would be ok, but you need space first and foremost. Beyond that we need to know how much of everything else you have, what your plan for coop/pen and feeding and watering, all that, free ranging etc..

 

[Mildyoffensivechook]

I have 10 Tolous geese. I have a couple extra Roos that live in the goose enclosure instead of the bachelor hut.

Geese sometimes chase a chicken or bully them over food.

I think the geese deter predators as well due to the noise they produce.