So we’ve had our geese for a few months now, and I figured it would be a good time to make a post about them.
Geese have multiple benefits for a homestead, besides being just beautiful additions to the farm. Geese come in many breeds, sizes, and colors, so do your research and figure out what sort of geese you want to add to your homestead.
Geese do require water, as do all waterfowl, however they do not spend the majority of their days swimming like ducks choose to do. Geese actually prefer grazing and weeding. They do poop, A LOT, and usually everywhere you don’t want them to, however they are tremendous at keeping weeds and grasses mowed down. They’re fairly self sufficient foragers and grazers. They LOVE fresh greens, kale being a favorite snack.
Geese are also fabulous watchdogs. They’re good protectors and you’ll know if someone is around who isn’t supposed to be there. Conversely, they pick and choose who they like, and they can be mean or aggressive, especially during nesting season.
They lay large, delicious eggs (if you can muster the courage to raid the nest), and can also be used for meat. They’re fairly easy keepers. Ours eat the same food as our chickens, they get in their little pool about 2-3x a day, and they sleep in the chicken yard/rabbitry under the rabbit cages (even though they have their own space).
We lucked out with our geese being very friendly. I mostly attribute this to Talbot being hatched here and hand raised by us. We have one Chinese goose (Talbot) and the other 3 are Toulouse (Gracie, Pearl, & Peanut). Peanut has some sort of deformity to (his/her) beak, being slightly crooked, but it doesn’t seem to bother/affect (him/her). Our guys DO bite. They are very nibbly and if you don’t have greens for them, they take to biting skin blemishes, loose clothing, and shiny jewelry. Painted toenails are also a favorite.
I love our geese, and I recommend every homestead have a trio or quad running around. They’re very entertaining and we enjoy having them around.
