Would a pair of geese protect my free range flock from eagles?

[Farmfresh]

I feel your pain losing your dog like that when they are just doing their job. I had to get rid of my German Shepherd for protecting my house when we were gone. He would get out of the yard and pinch in the butt anyone who dared walk down our side walk. :/ Fortunately he never hurt anyone badly and we were able to re-home him to a farm full of kids and lots of jobs to do.

I know that most birds of prey need to be able to swoop in and out without wing interference. Even something as simple as a clothes line might help. I also seem to have little problem with the Red Tailed hawks around us if we have turkeys in the flock. They are big and scarey I guess.

 

[big brown horse]

I feel your pain losing your dog like that when they are just doing their job. I had to get rid of my German Shepherd for protecting my house when we were gone. He would get out of the yard and pinch in the butt anyone who dared walk down our side walk. Fortunately he never hurt anyone badly and we were able to re-home him to a farm full of kids and lots of jobs to do.

Thank you so much! Putting down an otherwise young, healthy, hard working dog was the hardest thing I ever had to do. Especially since she was already rescued from abuse, starvation and neglect as a 10 month old puppy. She didn't really get a fair shake in life, did she? Her troubled past was probably the reason why she flipped out on our neighbor's dog.

I did learn a valuable (and expensive) lesson, I will never own a dog that shows any signs of aggression. There are too many at the pound, on death row that ARENT aggressive who would love a chance to guard a flock of dumb chickens etc on 5 acres out in the country.

My new pup, 7 month old "May" is a bearded collie (did I mention that?) and is as sweet and cuddly as can be. She gets along with the cat and my other dogs just fine. She is very alert and is yearning to be with the flock/herd. She needs some training first. She is working around the horses just fine, staying out of harm's/hoof's way yet following them everywhere, so I think she has potential. (I got her from a rescue group here in WA. She wasn't abused or neglected, just too much for an apartment.)

I'm loving my geese! Does anyone know how they taste? (Not these guys, but their future youngin.)


Thank you all for the input and support.

 

[Henrietta23]

I'm so sorry. I can not even imagine!!!

No experience with geese here other than being terrified of them....

 

[big brown horse]

I'm so sorry. I can not even imagine!!!

No experience with geese here other than being terrified of them....

Aww, thanks!

 

[ORChick]

So sorry about your dog; that is a nasty situation to have been in. My sister-in-law had a bearded collie; she was a rescue dog, and had *issues*, so she wasn't really trustworthy, but she was a pet and not a guard dog so SIL was able to control potential problems. Except that she always barked at my DH when we visited (only once every 2 years or so, as they live in Germany); we figured out that it was his hat! None of the other men in her life wore a hat.
As to geese, I've never had anything to do with live geese, but I have taken to roasting a (supermarket) goose for Christmas these last few years. They are delicious, and I'm sure your free range geese will be even better. Dark meat for the most part, but I prefer that. And goose fat is great for cooking.

 

[rhoda_bruce]

I find they similar to duck, but when I ate it, it wasn't as dry as the duck was....more tender. Not quite as gamey. I plan on eating one of mine for Christmas again.

 

[Farmfresh]

Especially since she was already rescued from abuse, starvation and neglect as a 10 month old puppy. She didn't really get a fair shake in life, did she? Her troubled past was probably the reason why she flipped out on our neighbor's dog.

Same with our dog. He was dumped with a note on his collar, bone skinny, sick and wormy at 9 months old. A friend of mine picked him up right after watching a van throw him out. (never did find the van owners. ) When we got him he would sleep curled around the toilet. I am pretty sure he was kept locked in the bathroom. So of course he had separation anxiety. His little brain was always pretty tweeked, but I still miss his big goofy self.

Geese make great protectors, but I don't know about the Eagle part. My D1 had a big African goose named Clark. The pizza man could come .... but he could NEVER LEAVE!!!

 

[big brown horse]

Aww! He is so cute!

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

dont you just love them big ol' goofy birds!?!?! and see why i want to be the Grand Poobah of Goosenstein ?

i have it on good authority that goose tastes like duck. thats all i'm sayin'. i say no more. no one i know would say "here honey its duck for supper" when its actually goose. nope. i dont know anyone like that.