My Goofy Gaggle

Over the course of the past twelve years, many people, my hubby included, have wondered why I have geese. Geese are loud, pushy, and tend to pinch people on occasion. They muscle the ducks out of the food and the water dish. In general, geese can be real stinkers.


However, for all the bad things that geese can be, they can certainly be lovely additions to the farmyard. They are faithful to their mates, make wonderful parents, are protective of the property they call home, and can be gentle when raised properly. The trick to raising geese, for me, has been to make sure that goslings do notbond to me during the first few days after hatching.
 I've found that once geese are bonded to you they consider you part of the gaggle and that is when the trouble starts. Things are all fine and fuzzy when they`re goslings. They follow you around just as they would their parents and by gosh it`s cute! Fast forward to the following year, when the ganders start to feel funny stirrings and you`re viewed as an unwanted trespasser/goose who is getting far too close to their chosen ladylove. A flogging may be in your near future.



Geese are not for everyone. If you have neighbors who dislike noise, don`t get geese. If you`re intimidated by large birds that can get pushy on occasion, don`t get geese. But if you enjoy birds with tons of personality, you just might enjoy having your own goofy gaggle.