# Geese breed recommendations



## RockyTopFarm (Apr 22, 2017)

Friendly non aggressive breed 
Have a toddler 
Upstate NY mountains so cold hardy a must


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## NH homesteader (Apr 22, 2017)

I have never met a friendly goose. I've heard having one goose, they tend to be friendly, but if you get more... Not so much.

@Southern by choice did you have geese? Um.... I can't think of who else to tag.


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## Southern by choice (Apr 22, 2017)

Pilgrim geese are very social and are not loud, they can be sexed by eye color at hatch.
We own Brown Chinese and we also have had Toulouse. The Chinese geese are actually guard geese and are very protective and territorial. Too many together and they can be problematic.
The Toulouse can be similar.

Our original pair of BCG are very friendly toward us but not others and not a breed I would recommend for children.

The Pilgrims are quieter, social, follow you around and should be relatively toddler safe of course how one raises their child is another matter. Respect is a must and children shouldn't be allowed to just pick them up and carry them , chase them etc.


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## frustratedearthmother (Apr 22, 2017)

I second Pilgrim Geese.  I had some for years.  They are so docile that I could reach under the goose and check her eggs or pick up the goslings when they hatched.  Can't say she loved for me to do that, but I was never attacked for it.  I had two trios and both hatched babies several times over the years.  They sold pretty well too.  I would sell them for $15 - 20 as day olds and got $150 for adult trios.  That's been several years ago.


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## NH homesteader (Apr 22, 2017)

Wow you two are almost making me consider getting one or two to hang out with my chickens.


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## frustratedearthmother (Apr 22, 2017)

I don't think you'd be disappointed!


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## NH homesteader (Apr 22, 2017)

My husband is a very patient man, who agrees to 90% of my "great" ideas. But the one creature he will NOT allow to live on our farm... Is a goose! 

This breed sounds like a good fit having young kids!


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## Southern by choice (Apr 22, 2017)

My friend has them and she has several toddlers in her group and no problems. 
Everyone hates my geese!  But they are guard geese! They do their job well!
They will surround a strange car that pulls up... people do NOT get out when the geese surround them! 
They are as good as the LGD's for sounding an alert! 

I have only heard good things about the pilgrims.
 I am thinking when we move I might like to try a pair. Not sure though. Our BCG will be with us for another 20-25 years and they do better without other geese.


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## babsbag (Apr 23, 2017)

@Southern by choice  Your geese are BETTER than your LGDs at sounding the alarm. I would always hear your geese first.


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## Southern by choice (Apr 23, 2017)

babsbag said:


> @Southern by choice  Your geese are BETTER than your LGDs at sounding the alarm. I would always hear your geese first.



They are LOUD! We originally got them to sound the alarm for the chickens, before we had our dogs.
I've seen videos where people train them to be quiet and follow and only sound the alarm when there is a stranger or an intruder... crazy. I couldn't train a goose to save my life.


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## samssimonsays (Apr 23, 2017)

I had a white chinese and a brown Chinese female at one time and I loved them. We got them to guard our chickens but we would take them go walks and bring them swimming with us. Yes they are loud but they were like puppies. We also raised them very hands on and we had trained them to sit still when we were on our walks so if we came across a situation that may be dangerous for them we could scoop them up hold them over our shoulders on their backs and they would curve their necks around ours and tuck their feet to their chest and once we passed the area we would put them down and continue on our walk. I have met some testy ones but mine were very great.


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## Southern by choice (Apr 23, 2017)

Our originals were also very hands on... this is what would happen when you left the door open....


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## frustratedearthmother (Apr 23, 2017)




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## NH homesteader (Apr 23, 2017)

I had some chickens try that the other day!


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## Southern by choice (Apr 23, 2017)

NH homesteader said:


> I had some chickens try that the other day!



I cannot find the pictures but years ago we had this chicken that would freak out... always trying to get in the house.
Well, we opened the door and let her in... she walked around poking her beak in and over this way and that...
She eventually went into the closet where our laundry baskets were tucked away... of course filled with laundry...
She hopped up in one we closed ( not fully) the door and we suspected she wanted to lay an egg...
She did... cackling after the fact, then she jumped out , came out of the closet and went to the door to go back out.

I kid you not... CHICKENS CAN COMMUNICATE WITH EACH OTHER!

Over the next few weeks we had hens lined up outside the door... all waiting to get to the laundry baskets in the closet to lay their eggs.
A LINE!!! 

It just became normal life for us and this group became the "laundry layers"... we had up to 4 hens at a time laying in the laundry baskets. 
We made a big mistake though... we started giving them treats after they laid... so then they started going to the fridge after they laid for their grapes! 

Miss those girls!


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## NH homesteader (Apr 23, 2017)

thanks for the warning! That is hilarious!


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## frustratedearthmother (Apr 23, 2017)

That's crazy!


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## Pyxis (May 10, 2017)

I'm a little late to the party, but I breed Tufted Romans and I love them. They are the smallest of the domestic breeds deriving from the grey lag, so they're not very big - ganders only get to about 10 or 12 pounds. They are very docile and sweet. I've never had any aggression from any of them and my oldest female actually lets me reach under her to check eggs while she's on a nest. They also are good with children. My young cousins are around them all the time with no problems. The geese simply move away from them if they try to approach them.

They are great watchdogs too. They are, after all, the geese that saved Rome from the Gallic invasion. They alert at the site of a predator or if they spot a stranger pulling into the driveway. The rest of the time they are quiet and I don't know they're there.

Here's one of this year's goslings:


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## Sally Sunshine (May 14, 2017)

I have an Buff American, one spoiled very friendly goose I hatched, she thinks she is a goat since she grew up right along side them

 

 

 .  I also have three others growing out a blue a lav and an Ice American.


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