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johnday
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Reged: 03/28/04
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Posts: 97
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Loc: monroe michigan, barton city soon
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Geese
11/08/04 04:45 PM
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Anyone know anything about using gaurdgeese? How effective, how are they around their owners, how much trouble to keep? All I know about them is that they are big, sometimes noisy, and really hurt when they peck you. You guys really don't want to know the details on that one. 
Trucks are red, Tractors are blue.
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gsganzer
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Reged: 07/31/03
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Loc: Denton, TX
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I don't know if "guardgeese" are a particular breed, or is a generic term. I have two egyptian geese. They're landlubbers apparently. I have a 1 acre pond that they avoid like the plague. They'll play all day in a kiddie pool, but the pond is taboo. They're real affectionate to me and will let me pet them and pick them up. They honk like crazy when people come around that they don't know. The good thing is that there's no way to shut them up, which is great for guarding. They can bite pretty hard, so my wife says.
I believe the egyptian geese are also called "weeder" geese. Apparently you can turn them loose in the garden and they'll pull all the tender weed shoots without touching the garden plants. I'll let you know how that works out this spring.
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johnday
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Reged: 03/28/04
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Loc: monroe michigan, barton city soon
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gsganzer; Are the egyptians the large white ones?
BTW, are you another refugee from TBN? Seems to be many us here too. 
Trucks are red, Tractors are blue.
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gsganzer
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If mine are true bred egyptians (Mine may be crossbred) then they're grey and sort of look like a canada goose. Black beaks with orange feet. I'm a TBN'r.
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gsganzer
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Loc: Denton, TX
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Johnday,
I had a chance to do some web surfing for egyptian geese and I believe mine are crossbred. They look like they may be a cross between the big white barnyard variety and egyptians. Mine have the large bump on the nose.
I have a male and a female. She's a pretty prolific egg layer in the spring and produces an egg every 1 to 1.5 days. She never seems to set on them but a gave a few eggs to a friend and he was able to hatch them.
I think any type of goose would work as a guard goose. They naturally start honking whenever people come around. They can also be aggressive. I think most people panic and freak out when a goose starts hissing, honking and chasing them. One thing about geese is that they're messy. They will crap everywhere and dirty their water bucket with mud. Mine have worked out real well because they're not interested in swimming. Therefore they hang out around my workshop, which is exactly what I want them guarding.
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johnday
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gsganzer; Yeah; the term gaurdgeese is generic, guess I could have been clearer. I've got a pretty good picture of what your guys look like. Just how large are they? Do they get along with cats and dogs. I suppose if I was to get them as babies [don't know what a baby goose is called] they could be acclimated with other critters. They just sound like a neat idea. Do you think coyotes might be a problem for them? 
Trucks are red, Tractors are blue.
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LazyJ_Arabians
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Reged: 09/16/02
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Loc: Central Arkansas
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Guardgoose no, alarm system yes. A goose will do the job of a hundred infrared motion detectors.
We had a Toulouse gander. He was one of the most enjoyable pets I've ever experienced. All of my horses, dogs, cats, duck, chickens loved having him around. I live for waking in the morning and going out to hear my animals greet me good morning and Henry was always the first and the loudest. Call his name and a 50mph missile would come sliding in at your feet. He would sit on the deck with me and repeat every singsong question I asked him and try his best to communicate. My kids were constantly sneaking him in their beds at night. Problem was, he was too brave, I didn't have the heart to lock him up, and a coon took him one night before I could get dressed and go out to help him. He was defending a broody chicken that had nested outside the henhouse. My Labrador was so depressed he moped around and didn't eat for four days. After a family discussion, it was decided Henry was a one of a kind that probably couldn't be topped so we wouldn't even try to replace him. I made the book "Wild Goose, Brother Goose" a required read of the kids for closure. Four years later I still hear statements that start with "Henry could've ..." and that majestic bird is probably up there hearing it and nodding his head and honking.
Catch-22, I often speculate that he was the pet he was because he had no mate, but I always felt I had taken advantage of his nature by not allowing him a mate. This is a very important question to ask yourself when considering a goose because they are extremely "mate" oriented. Very inspiring to watch this instinct, especially among wild geese.
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gsganzer
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Silver Member
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Loc: Denton, TX
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Johnday,
My geese are pretty good sized. Slightly smaller then the white barnyard variety. I pen them up at night, as we have a lot of coyotes. I made the mistake of not penning up some ducks and we had a coyote massacre one night. I don't want the same to happen to the geese. They walk right into the pen each night. Mine get along great with my yellow lab and horse. The dogs stays clear of them.
I'll second LazyJ's feelings. My male goose is a character. He walks right up to me and "talks". If I'm sitting down, he'll climb into my lap to be petted. The wife and I will be pretty bummed out if something happened to them. Our geese were a gift from a neighbor, after he learned we lost our ducks to the coyotes. We started them as goslings in a cardboard box with a heat lamp. They grow fast. I agree with LazyJ that they need a mate. Our two are inseparable.
You can probably buy some at a flea market in your area, or you can mail order them through McMurray.
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johnday
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Member
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Reged: 03/28/04
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Posts: 97
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Loc: monroe michigan, barton city soon
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guys; Thanks for the info. It looks like geese are in my future. I always thought they might be interesting to keep. Plus I've heard stories about geese and ducks about how faithful and intelligent they're supposed to be. Anymore info available would be very welcome. Now if I could just find a goose that could take care of coyotes, that would be one bad goose. The coyotes get into the wild turkeys all the time. You should hear the noise from that! Real eerie sounding, no wonder some kids are afraid of the woods at night.
Trucks are red, Tractors are blue.
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egon
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Loc: Nova Scotia,Canada
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Remember to take a barefoot walk!!!
Egon
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johnday
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Reged: 03/28/04
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Posts: 97
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Loc: monroe michigan, barton city soon
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Re: Geese
[re: egon]
11/11/04 01:47 PM
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egon; Yeah, and watch out where those huskies go, don't you eat that yellow snow! 
Trucks are red, Tractors are blue.
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ggojai
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Reged: 04/13/05
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I realize it has been a while since this was written but I can not resist asking if you got any geese? I have quite a few geese (and ducks) primarily white chinese ( the chinese you have may not be a cross, but brown chinese) and a old toulouse goose who is reputed to be 23 years old. One of my orchard workers have been associated with my ranch for over 18 years and this goose was here when he started! My geese and ducks are free range in a 10 acre fenced orchard and weed like crazy and thanks to my ducks, my orchard is slug free. All wait by their various pens anxious to be put away each evening and to have the hand full of feed that is their reward and the only feed I give. I love watching my geese. My toulouse is my foster goose and loves protecting a hatch regardless of the size. Right now she has 30 White Chinese two week old gooslings and it is a sight to see her with her neck stretched out close to the ground hissing as a goose or duck or dog walks by and to see 30 bright tiny yellow necks stretched out pointing in the same ditection following like fillings following a magnet.
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egon
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Re: Geese
[re: ggojai]
04/13/05 05:33 AM
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Welcome
Nothing like getting a little pinch by getting too close to a goose looking after her brood.
Egon
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johnday
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Loc: monroe michigan, barton city soon
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Re: Geese
[re: ggojai]
04/13/05 05:43 AM
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ggojai; Welcome to CBN and thanks for the reply.
I still haven't gotten any geese yet. I'm waiting until next year when I quit working for someone else and strike out on my own "upnorth".
I didn't realize geese had a lifespan like that. Know what you mean tho by their interests around them. I think they'll be a pretty neat addition to the critter yard!
Hi Egon! Up pretty early too, ya know! 
Trucks are red, Tractors are blue.
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egon
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Up Early?? 
Got a little black alarm clock that works on its stomack. Got me well trained.
Pavol was at back edge of the cutting edge of technology.
Egon
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roho627
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Reged: 10/23/04
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Loc: HouTex
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Ah johnday, just make sure YOU get the guard goose and not the infamous attack goose! on the other side of the little lake(pond) I live on a neighbor had a few geese and about 30 muschavey ducks! Ducks were shy but a couple of those big white suckers(squwakers) took on themselves to guard and pertect my car! It was a goose attack every times someone went outside! Anyway the attack geese mysteriously disappeared & that's all I got to say!
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