Your Homestead Needs Geese {16 Reasons Why}
Never considered geese before? Me neither.
That first spring on our new homestead, I bought a breeding trio of large African geese on a whim. I liked their cool look, and we had the space and shelter. I just wanted to see their beauty on the land in the early mornings as I drank my coffee. After quickly researching what was needed to raise geese, and confirming a price and time with the stranger online selling them, I was set.
My husband rolled his eyes and obliged me as I told him what I had done — after the fact, of course.
Very shortly, those geese would become my favorite animals on the homestead.
And now I cannot shut up about my geese everywhere I go.
Geese are often underappreciated on the homestead, but they bring many benefits beyond their charming personalities. These birds excel at natural weed control, provide flavorful eggs, and can be raised for meat and their down and feathers. Low-maintenance and independent, geese thrive on pasture and forage, making them a sustainable choice for any farm.
Whether you want to diversify your flock, improve land health, or simply enjoy their presence, geese can play a unique and valuable role on your homestead.
I raise ducks (Saxony, Cayuga, Welsh Harlequin, Muscovy, Pekin, and soon Silver Appleyards) and chickens (Azure Blues, Orpingtons, Bresse, Red Rangers, and more), but I’m obsessed with my geese in a unique way.
Here are 16 compelling reasons why geese might be the perfect addition to your homestead.
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Grass Grazers That Thrive On Pasture
Unlike chickens or ducks, geese are primarily grazers and prefer to spend their days seeking various grasses and plants. I initially assumed they would have similar eating habits to my other poultry, but I quickly learned that geese are dedicated vegetarians, avoiding insects and worms entirely.
While some geese might eat mealworms if introduced as goslings, both my African geese and Embden geese refuse anything but plant matter. Their preference for grasses makes them excellent foragers on pasture and easy to feed.
Geese Are Surprisingly Cheap To Feed
Unlike chickens and ducks, which generally require daily grain supplements even when foraging, geese can thrive almost entirely on pasture. They can naturally convert plant matter into energy efficiently, which means they can sustain themselves primarily on grasses.
My geese lived off pasture with only a small weekly ration of seeds and grains throughout spring, summer, and fall. Even goslings grew strong on this diet, needing minimal supplements like oats, flaxmeal, and sunflower seeds. I supplemented with roasted root vegetables, sprouted seeds, hay, and occasionally alfalfa pellets in winter. Despite their large size, geese eat far less than expected, thanks to their efficient digestion and nutrient absorption.
Minimal Shelter Requirements
Geese are incredibly resilient birds, requiring minimal shelter compared to chickens and ducks. A basic structure, like a shed or A-frame, is sufficient to protect them from rain, wind, or snow.
With only straw bedding for comfort, geese will happily come and go. They are tolerant of both hot and cold weather and don’t need insulation, which makes their sheltering needs affordable and easy to maintain.
Their large size, alert nature, and preference for staying together in groups make them less attractive to many predators, further reducing the need for heavy fortifications, such as a chicken coop that needs reinforcing with hardware cloth.
Their natural behaviors allow you to provide simple protection without needing expensive and labor-intensive predator-proofing. Unlike other poultry, you won’t need to worry about intricate latches or complex coop designs; just a sturdy space to retreat to when needed is usually all required to keep them safe and comfortable.
They Can Be Taught To Target Specific Weeds
One of my least favorite aspects of our homestead is all the invasive plants that came with it. The three worst are creeping bellflower, goutweed, and thistle. Nearly impossible to eradicate.
Geese can be trained to selectively eat weeds, making them natural weeders for your garden or homestead.
Historically, the Cotton Patch goose was bred specifically to weed crops like cotton without damaging the main plants. Although modern herbicides have replaced them on large farms, you can still train geese for this purpose on your own property. Introducing goslings early to specific weeds you want to target is key, as geese tend to be picky eaters and are less receptive to new foods as they age.
To train them effectively, gather and freeze the weeds you’d like them to target, then feed these to goslings regularly when they are young. Over time, they’ll develop a taste for those specific plants and seek them out. Geese can be especially effective in weeding vegetable gardens, orchards, and pastures, where they can roam and naturally control unwanted vegetation without using harmful chemicals.
They Will Not Destroy Your Garden (Probably)
Unlike chickens, geese will (probably) not destroy your garden.
For one, they do not dig up and scratch the soil looking for a cooling dust bath or insects and worms to eat.
For another, they seem to prefer and target weeds and leave other plants alone.
Gigantic Delicious Goose Eggs
Geese are seasonal layers of massive eggs.
How massive?
About three times the size of a large chicken egg with massive yolks.
Here is a picture of my African geese eggs and one showing them next to my large Orpington eggs.
Depending on the breed you raise you will get anywhere from 40 to 100 goose eggs starting in the spring.
The eggs are as delicious and nutrient-dense as any other egg, but goose eggs are rare and hard to come by.
And if you’re raising pastured geese on lush and varied grasses with minimal inputs you’re getting an egg from an animal that isn’t fed the typical soy and corn commercial feed which can make for an even healthier and more nutritious egg.
It’s nearly impossible to do this with chicken and duck eggs.
However, as geese are seasonal layers they will stop once they’ve reached their maximum and you will not get the sheer abundance that you do with ducks and chickens.
But as they’re significantly larger, a single goose egg is enough for one person to have a great breakfast.
Red Meat
Goose meat is rich and red. It is not like chicken meat and it is not like duck meat either.
You can also cook it medium rare. And in fact, you should.
The taste is incredible.
As geese are so large, they also yield a huge, meaty carcass that can feed a family with plenty of leftovers.
It’s a shame that bland, boring commercial chicken meat has become the standard and that most people have never enjoyed goose nor would they know how to cook it themselves.
Valuable Down & Feathers
I treated myself to a luxury goose down duvet this past year.
It was very expensive.
And it’s been worth every penny as a duvet if this quality will last a couple of decades.
In an old farmhouse that feels very isolated during a windy winter when the snow piles up outside, nothing beats the warmth of goose down.
I also absolutely cannot survive a Canadian winter without my Canada Goose jacket.
Goose down is a very valuable by-product of the geese farming industry.
And the industry is small with few — but high-quality — operations in North America.
If you raise your own geese, you have a source of goose down and feathers that you can use to make duvets, pillows, and even your own clothing if you’re so inclined.
Depending on the project, you can mix goose and duck down too if you also raise ducks — which you should consider doing too.
Less Prone To Predator Pressures
Geese are large and powerful animals that (thankfully) don’t know how intimidating they can look to humans.
Every time a new neighbor stops by, they always ask the first time if the geese are safe to be around.
And yea, they are. Canada Geese ( that look tiny next to my African Geese) are an exception to this — you’re right to scared of those demons.
But domestic geese are typically more terrified of you.
My geese have been entirely pasture raised, never touched or coddled by human hands, but they’re still scared of my toddler who is shorter than they are.
That said, geese face less predator pressure than chickens and ducks by their sheer size and strength.
Creatures like raccoons, skunks, weasels, martens, possums, will not go after a grown goose.
Aerial predators like owls, eagles, and hawks will also not bother.
(Although all of the above might target goslings).
A coyote? Yes.
A large fox? Also yes — but with more difficulty.
I lost a female goose to what I assume was a fox this year. I had stupidly left the gate unlocked and while she was broody and vulnerable on her nest, the fox took her.
I found her remains in a corner of the pasture a few days later. Her entire body cavity had been ripped open and eaten.
The fox had left the neck and head untouched.
Effective As Guard Animals (Sorta)
This one is partially true but mostly a myth.
You see, geese vacant be pretty loud.
And little thing happens that is outside of the norm or they don’t like for whatever reason — you will hear about it.
Oh boy will you hear about it.
And so will your far away neighbors who hopefully enjoy the ambient country sounds of geese screeching at nothing.
So if you’re in bed at night and you hear a goose racket start up — something is happening on your land that is out of the norm and the geese are warning everyone within hearing.
Hopefully the sound will make the offending creature think twice about whatever they were doing and they will scamper away instead to a house without loud geese.
The one time they remained quiet was a night we heard a chilling chorus of coyote howling that sounded like it was right outside our window.
Even they seemed to know it was best to lay low until the threat had passed.
This doesn’t mean, however, that geese will jump in to defend an animal
on your property from being attacked.
Yes, I’m sure you know someone who witnessed exactly that, but I would absolutely not count on it in any way.
Geese are not like dogs.
If you want that level of protection and security, get a livestock guardian dog.
I see people perpetuating this myth that geese will be defenders of your property and other animals and it is very much not true.
Source Of Fertilizer
Geese poop constantly and they are eating constantly.
This results in a lot of waste being generated.
This is a great thing because you will be fertilizing your land.
Their bedding of straw will also make for amazing compost whenever you clear it out.
Goose feces can look bulky and unseemly on your lawn but it is mostly water and grass fibre and will break down during the rain.
Some people even collect it and compost it separately but I absolutely could be bothered. My geese are confined to their own acre with my Icelandic sheep so it’s not a concern.
Geese droppings contain a hefty amount of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus making it fantastic for your vegetables or just in keeping your grazing pasture lush and healthy.
Goose waste is also about 77% water. When dried it has a fertilizer value of 2-4-2.
Healthy & Hardy
Whereas chickens seem to be plagued by everything from pasty butt to mites and lice to wry neck and coccidiosis and sour crop — not so with geese.
They are healthy and hardy birds.
In a non-intensive pasture-managed system like I have, where crowding isn’t an issue, and they’re allowed to live naturally according to their instincts, there is little stress or worry about disease.
VERY Cold Tolerant
The insulating effect of goose down and feathers makes for an animal that is incredibly cold hardy and well suited to living in the harsher northern climates.
Whereas chicken coops need to be designed with winter in mind for those of us who live in places with hard winters — not so for geese.
The same three-sided shelter is more than adequate for them and in my experience, they will continue to stay outside even in blizzards.
You can add extra straw as the first snows start and a simple wind block at the entrance of their shelter.
We did both things and a simple piece of plywood was used to partially cover the entrance while still allowing them to come and go as they please.
Tons of Personality
I don’t raise geese for pets, and I don’t brood goslings, preferring to leave that job to the geese themselves.
As a result, mine are not hand-tame.
They’re still very entertaining and fun to watch, not to mention beautiful.
Geese have tons of personality.
The people who do raise them as pets find them to to be incredibly affectionate with individual personalities and quirks.
Broody
Geese make wonderful mothers.
In a breeding trio like mine, both females will make a nest of twigs and straw and other suitable materials (including their own down and feathers they will rip from their bodies) before laying eggs.
One will then go broody and proceed to sit on the nest to hatch the eggs.
The broody female takes in very little food or water during this time.
When the eggs hatch the entire family takes care of the goslings and teaches them the ropes of being geese.
The little goslings are so much tinier than the adults but they get to work straight away grazing.
They quickly grow on pasture, though not as fast as grain-fed geese in commercial operations.
My first time witnessing this act of nature was incredible.
Valuable As Breeding Stock
Geese are more expensive than chickens or ducks typically speaking.
This goes for goslings and adult geese and breeding trios.
It’s one way you can make extra money from your land and animals.
Geese are always in short supply.
Their eggs are also very expensive whether that be for hatching or for eating.
Cons & Further Considerations
Geese are seasonal layers and lay during one short period in the spring unlike chickens and ducks.
Geese are big and they require land. Geese are not suitable for small backyards and they really thrive in pastures where they can wander, grazing.
Geese are loud. Sometimes they are loud for no real reason. Another reason why they are not suitable for small backyards and close neighbors. They are as loud or louder than an annoying barking dog.
Geese need water. They need a drinking water container deep enough to dunk their heads and clean out their nostrils. They also really do best with a pond or kiddie swim pool to splash around in.
Geese need a friend. Like all animals, they need a friend of their own species, preferably two (as in a breeding trio of one male to two females). It is cruel to keep a goose alone or to think that your ducks or chickens will suffice — they will not.
Goose droppings are big and there will be plenty of them. On a fenced-in pasture like I have this is fantastic — they’re fertilizing my land alongside the sheep they live with. In a free-range situation where they’re allowed to wander everywhere they please, it can get kinda gross and ugly to look everywhere and step in.
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FAQ
In many cases, geese and chickens (and ducks) can be kept together with no issues. You need to provide ample space for all of your animals and the appropriate shelter requirements must be kept in mind. Geese are very cold tolerant, whereas chickens are not and their coop or house must reflect their respective needs. Keep a close watch on interactions for safety.
Yes, your geese can be kept together with ducks but must be closely monitored for safety and behavioral issues, especially at first. Both species are very cold tolerant and do not require roosts or nesting boxes.
Yes, but keep in mind that they will do best with their own species and other water birds like ducks. Geese are very territorial and can take time to get adjusted to new animals. I raise mine with my Icelandic Sheep and although they largely ignore each other, the geese do not like the sheep in “their” pasture.
No, you cannot and should not keep only one goose. It is very cruel to the goose to deprive them of their own species. Two geese are the minimum and three is even better. A human companion is not enough for them and they are highly likely to develop behavioral issues from this type of arrangement.
Geese are intelligent creatures full of personality and they make wonderful pets. Raised from goslings and handled regularly, they develop deep bonds with their owners.
Domestic geese are too heavy to fly and they will not attempt it. Once a goose knows where home is, it will return to it after a day of foraging. To keep them contained, you need the appropriate fencing.
A goose that is bonded to its human owner will enjoy being touched and petted often. This may be specific to the individual goose.
Geese raised from goslings to adults can forge deep and everlasting bonds with their owners.
Are geese dirty? No more than other animals. They do poop a lot but it is mostly water and it will dissolve in the rains pretty quickly. their poop is also a great source of fertilizer.
Geese can be easier than ducks or chickens to take care of, and in my experience, they are hardier and healthier animals that thrive on pasture with very little human input required. If they have grasses to raise and water to dunk their heads into, they are content.
Domestic geese are seldomly aggressive and will mostly hiss and flap their wings as a bluster. Wild geese like Canadian geese are way more apt to charge and hurt a person, especially a small child. that said, you need to remain respectful of their space and boundaries to minimize the risk of injury. A goose on a nest, or a male protecting her will be more likely to be aggressive.
