Our new flock/gaggle/herd of homestead geese has been a ton of fun to watch and interact with. Compared to chickens (standards or bantams), the geese have way more to offer in terms of personality, and I find myself honking with them in excitement more often than not. They are also more self sufficient than chickens, and are obtaining a good deal of their nutrition from pasture and grass. Geese prefer the tender new growth of vegetation, so we need to protect our new seedlings and young vegetables from their grazing.
Nothing like hanging out with the geese and enjoying a nice cup of coffee
Apart from this, managing a goose herd is pretty easy. We have them in a cattle panel paddock that we move every day or two. When we are at work, they stay in there, and graze the pasture/lawn, and swim in a kiddie pool/pond. On days when we are home and working outside, we let them wander a bit more freely and fence them out of areas we’d like to protect. If they ever wander too far, they are extremely easy to herd back to where you want them, and by just walking behind them 1 person can easily direct them anywhere they please.
The geese seem to want to stay close to us, but if they wander too far…
It’s very easy to herd them back to where you want them to be
They then resume grazing on clover, grass, and lawn weeds
I have been messing around with different portable fencing ideas, using both bird netting and chicken wire in combination with step in posts, and Emma and I have decided that we prefer 3 foot tall chicken wire with white step in posts. This combo is the best for visibility, and is also tops at keeping the geese in/out. The chicken wire easily clips to the posts, so there is no need to worry about zip ties or carbiners, and the system is easily put up or taken down.
This system of portable fencing should help us to better focus the energy of our goose herd, and allow us to practice our own form of intensive rotational grazing. If we add chickens, or even pigs, than we are well on our way to a sort of Salatin or Savory multi-species grazing system. This, in combination with our mineral supplement mix, will increase the fertility and soil life on our land, and make our entire homestead more efficient and productive.
This makes geese a great livestock option for the small farm or homestead