What are you using to for daytime fencing for geese?

[addctd2plnts]

Hi,

Got two beautiful pairs of Pilgrims this Fall from a show breeder and almost lost a female today in electric netting. Drives me crazy that they won't leave it alone! They've been shocked and know it's live but won't leave it alone. We are next to 3500 acres of conservation land and park so there's a good amount of predators. I liked the electric netting so I could move it and keep them on fresh grass. The only other option I see to keep them safe is to use the welded wire and run several strands of electric wire on the outside and upper edge. We have Foxes and Raccoons. Will it keep them safe?

TIA

 

[Miss Lydia]

We are surrounded by woods and predators we put up no climb horse fencing to keep the bears out and then ran barbwire around the top. No electric at all. Your plan sounds good to use electric on the outside and upper edge. Geese just can't leave much alone and can get into trouble because of it.

 

[Cynthia1828]

I'm on 4 acres with a 1 acre pond and livestock fencing all around - no electric or barbed wire - and my geese respect the fence. Since they're really protective I think they understand that the fence marks what's "theirs." My flock is 5 in total (3 Embdens and 2 white Chinese) - plus I've got a llama and alpacas, who are good guardians - and the geese don't have a pen. Never a problem with land predators like coyotes or raccoons, but a hawk once swooped down and tried to grab one of the Chinese girls right out of the pond (when the geese were all about 6 months old). She had a ton of feathers torn from one side and would not fully enter the water again until the next summer. To specifically answer your question about safety, it seems like geese are pretty good at staying safe on their own if they've got somewhere to escape TO. I agree with Miss Lydia that electric wire might cause more problems than it solves...

 

[gooseapplefarms]

I keep the poultry netting off during the day and just energize at night. A few times I turned it on during the day initially when my geese were investigating it so they got a little zap. This taught them not to chew it to shreds.

I find that geese don't understand barriers like fences. When they get spooked, they try to run right through the fence. Since it's not energized, they end up climbing over it, or they manage to get tangled for a few minutes. Maybe the think that getting their head and neck through a fence opening is keeping them safe.

For the most part, if they have enough room to roam, they don't really test the fence IMO. They are happy to stay in their little pasture unless something spooks them.

 

[addctd2plnts]

Never knew Geese would be such a pain. I assumed after they got zapped a few times they would stop messing with the fence and stay away from it. But after a few months they are still biting at the electric fence. We have way too many predators to leave a fence without electric. I'm just wondering if a Fox can jump a 5 ft fence and clear it without touching the electric wire on the top? We even have Eagles migrate through.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I'm not sure if one could jump over a 5' fence. We have foxes here too and so far never had one inside the fencing not during the day anyway. We also have Eagles but our main problem during the day are hawks the eagles stay along the river. I don't know how you can stop your geese from messing with the fence if being hit by a charge doesn't stop them. They are just so curious.

 

[gooseapplefarms]

I'm starting to think it's your electric fencing or the energizer that's the problem here. I understand them getting spooked and running into the netting, but if they're still nibbling it, then that fence is defective in some way or another and it's unlikely to deter predators.

 

[JRies]

Im not sure this will help you but its working well for me. My Africans are heavyweight and actually respect a 2 foot fence. but can be done with 4 foot fencing also. I needed to seed in some of the pasture for spring. So I bought 2 foot welded wire fencing and made movable fence posts out of left over pieces of 2x4's. The geese walk up to the fence they can see over it. shake there heads and move on. Here is were I got the Idea for the posts.
The nice thing is I can move it to different spots.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Im not sure this will help you but its working well for me. My Africans are heavyweight and actually respect a 2 foot fence. but can be done with 4 foot fencing also. I needed to seed in some of the pasture for spring. So I bought 2 foot welded wire fencing and made movable fence posts out of left over pieces of 2x4's. The geese walk up to the fence they can see over it. shake there heads and move on. Here is were I got the Idea for the posts.
The nice thing is I can move it to different spots.

That is such a neat idea.

 

[addctd2plnts]

I'm starting to think it's your electric fencing or the energizer that's the problem here. I understand them getting spooked and running into the netting, but if they're still nibbling it, then that fence is defective in some way or another and it's unlikely to deter predators.

It's live but it's a pulsing charge. I know it's live because it shows it on a light and they squawk when they nip at it and it shocks them.