Methods to Persuade Geese to Leave?

[Cricky]

They are also consider by many (not me) to be among the smartest dogs too. I guess I've never been around a "standard" poodle so I'll just take your word on that.

Some thoughts from Gun Dog magazine about standards. I’ve had 3 (and am starting to look for a new pup), have hunt-trained them all though I haven’t hunted for years, and agree with most of it. Seems like a fun-loving, eager-to please standard poodle would be a better choice for the OP than an intense, always-on BC.

https://www.gundogmag.com/editorial/gun-dog-breeds-standard-poodle/175495

 

[Freedom56]

Get a border collie.

 

[ivinsfan]

I live on a pond and I have the exact same situation and I found a good solution. I didn't want to put up a permanent fence. I found some plastic fencing like shown in this photo. The fencing can be held in place with wooden stakes also found at hardware store or big box home center. I put the fencing along the pond border. Don't leave any gaps because those geese will find it. The fencing is green and is only 2 feet high and so in blends in. Very unobtrusive. The geese here in Minnesota won't hop even a 2 foot fence. The baby geese can't fly and therefore they can't hop the fence and the parents lose their flight feathers for a while after breeding season. The geese take the easiest route out of the pond and therefore go into my neighbor's yard now. Good luck.

That looks like a snow fence and if you don't know what a snow fence is count yourself lucky..They come in a lovely orange color too.

 

[NateW]

I have a 48" zero-turn, gas powered. No goose poop in the treads. We have thick St. Augustine grass that I cut at 3.5". I guess the goose poop just disappears into the grass and becomes fertilizer. It's never been the slightest problem. We like the geese... and the ducks and herons. They are fun to watch and observe their behavior. It's part of the appeal of living on a waterfront lot.

Regarding border collies, ours is 10 years old now. So he's calmed down a lot. But he was a neurotic-like mess until a couple years ago. Very unpredictable. Non-social. Occasionally dangerous to strangers. They are hard workers and very loyal. But you have to have the time to "work" them constantly. They want to work and they want to please you. But, without a herd of sheep, modern humans don't have that kind of time or patience. So the dogs vent their frustration with neurotic-like behavior.

He was 2-3 years old when we adopted him. I had just retired at the time, so plenty of time to work with him. But still... OMG... a very unpredictable dog. Don't get the wrong idea... he's sweet and lovable. But if you do something unexpected, like dance to a Stevie Wonder song in the kitchen, he will snap at your face and try to get you to behave and "rejoin the herd."

So yeah... be careful with this breed. No doubt they will keep your geese away. But they might also keep your grandkids away. And that's not good. We have to crate him when the grandkids visit. Even as a 10-year-old dog, he's still frustratingly unpredictable.

Thanks Cobra9777, most helpful. The 2nd Australian Shepherd my parents had when I was a kid acted pretty much like your border collie. Extremely high strung and hyper and would nip at strangers if not restrained. This is definitely something to think about.

 

[NateW]

The Renton airport has an ongoing goose problem. When I was flying banners out of there the airport staff would use noisemakers, and sometimes a hired border collie and handler. That was always the most effective. They made a horrible mess where we dropped and handled banners, yuck!
One one busy day, somebody spooked the geese up into the air as I was dropping in to hook the banner. I firewalled it, pulled up and over the geese, then figured I could make the grab and I did.
The ground crew said that as I pulled up to avoid them, the grapple hook swung down and tagged one a direct hit. "it spiraled into the lake like a lawn dart" they said.

They do make a mess. I read that Canada geese is one of the few birds that can digest grass and it goes right through them. Each goose can produce up to 3 pounds of poop per day! It appears the saying "Like *hit through a goose" is true.

 

[NateW]

Yesterday morning I noted that all the geese unexpectedly left. Later in the day they returned. Today was better, though. They only came up in the yard 3 times, and each time I calmly walked out with the leaf blower, started it as I was walking, and moved some leaves around where they had been hanging out. They do not like the leaf blower; when I approach with it running, they promptly waddle to the pond, jump in, and paddle away. This evening a few of them were along the edge of the pond, just outside our property line; the rest of the geese were on the other side of the pond in the common area. Even if a few were in the yard I would not mind, but when the whole flock of 100+ of them come into the yard, that's a different matter.

 

[Ginny]

A golf course has fake swans that keep them away. The ponds without these fakes have geese.

 

[ERD50]

... Regarding border collies, ours is 10 years old now. So he's calmed down a lot. But he was a neurotic-like mess until a couple years ago. Very unpredictable. Non-social. Occasionally dangerous to strangers. They are hard workers and very loyal. But you have to have the time to "work" them constantly. They want to work and they want to please you. But, without a herd of sheep, modern humans don't have that kind of time or patience. So the dogs vent their frustration with neurotic-like behavior.

He was 2-3 years old when we adopted him. I had just retired at the time, so plenty of time to work with him. But still... OMG... a very unpredictable dog. Don't get the wrong idea... he's sweet and lovable. But if you do something unexpected, like dance to a Stevie Wonder song in the kitchen, he will snap at your face and try to get you to behave and "rejoin the herd."

So yeah... be careful with this breed. No doubt they will keep your geese away. But they might also keep your grandkids away. And that's not good. We have to crate him when the grandkids visit. Even as a 10-year-old dog, he's still frustratingly unpredictable.

Very interesting. I had a Border Collie mix when I was a kid, and he was a mellow dog (we got him when was more than a few years old). But I have no idea how much Border Collie, he was a mutt, just that he kinda looked like one.

But a few years ago, I saw a demonstration of a Border Collie controlling a small herd of sheep. I can see what you are talking about. That dog just had to be working those sheep. Was "on" all the time. The trainer said the dog would try to 'get away with things' and misbehave when in front of a crowd. And the 'worst' thing she could do to that dog was to tell it to sit, and not herd the sheep. That dog was going nuts, whimpering and whining and shaking as he watched those sheep drifting away. When she let him go, he worked so hard to bring them back under control. Fascinating. It's actually a lot like some OCD behavior.

But yes, I can see how if they don't have an outlet for that energy, they could be a problem. Amazing creatures.

-ERD50

 

[NateW]

I live on a pond and I have the exact same situation and I found a good solution. I didn't want to put up a permanent fence. I found some plastic fencing like shown in this photo. The fencing can be held in place with wooden stakes also found at hardware store or big box home center. I put the fencing along the pond border. Don't leave any gaps because those geese will find it. The fencing is green and is only 2 feet high and so in blends in. Very unobtrusive. The geese here in Minnesota won't hop even a 2 foot fence. The baby geese can't fly and therefore they can't hop the fence and the parents lose their flight feathers for a while after breeding season. The geese take the easiest route out of the pond and therefore go into my neighbor's yard now. Good luck.

Excellent tip; thank you SoaringEagle.

 

[Morgan22]

If you are thinking of getting a dog I would recommend getting a gun dog breed like a spaniel or retriever. They can make excellent pets and in general enjoy chasing the birds away.
Do not get a herding breed like a border collie unless you are ready to spend a lot of time wearing them out/keeping them busy. They are almost always "on". Many times they do not do well with small children either as they nip at them to herd them.
Just my $0.02.

 

[Brat]

Son and DIL live on a river. Geese are a common problem. The advice given above makes sense. One thing to consider is in the spring when they are building nests, spray the eggs with oil. It kills the chicks, the birds don't discover that until the nesting season is over.

 

[robnplunder]

Post large pictures of this everywhere.





I have similar problem with cats. I've installed a half dozen Solar Cat Repellents (emit high pitch noises, flash lights). That seems to help. A motion activated recording of something that would scare geese may work?

 

[Dash man]

We installed an aluminum fence and haven’t had any geese in our yard since. We also live next to a pond that is home to large numbers of geese and ducks. The geese are too lazy to hop over the fence, so it’s the perfect solution. We did have a dog, which also helped, but he is long gone and the geese have never come back.

 

[sengsational]

Here's an option...

Cheap and fun!


I started out trying to find an R/C swan, but this is better!

 

[Car-Guy]

As I have mentioned, a dog (like a Lab) works well.... Ours will chase them off in a minute no matter if they are on land or water. If allowed in your area, a 12ga shot over their heads should have them move along.... If not, aim lower...

 

[sengsational]

Is there really a fine for killing off an invasive species?

 

[Car-Guy]

Invasive? In Texas we have laws that allow us to hunt "nuisance" animals all year long and no hunting license is required... There's a list of unprotected animals that are covered by these laws... Usually hogs are on the top of the list. I don't think geese would be on the list.

 

[Gumby]

Is there really a fine for killing off an invasive species?

Under certain circumstances, yes.

The Migratory Bird Treaty Act prohibits the take (including killing, capturing, selling, trading, and transport) of protected migratory bird species without prior authorization by the Department of Interior U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Canada Geese are on the list of protected species.

https://www.fws.gov/birds/policies-and-regulations/laws-legislations/migratory-bird-treaty-act.php

(a)Except as otherwise provided in this section, any person, association, partnership, or corporation who shall violate any provisions of said conventions or of this subchapter, or who shall violate or fail to comply with any regulation made pursuant to this subchapter shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction thereof shall be fined not more than $15,000 or be imprisoned not more than six months, or both.

https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/16/707

 

[Cricky]

Son and DIL live on a river. Geese are a common problem. The advice given above makes sense. One thing to consider is in the spring when they are building nests, spray the eggs with oil. It kills the chicks, the birds don't discover that until the nesting season is over.

I’m a retired Federal wildlife official. While you can do this in many places, you must be careful to do it in compliance with Federal regulations and any state laws. I can’t speak to the relevant state laws but to comply with the Federal regulations you first need to register under the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s “depredation order.” You can register from this page page, which includes FAQs and a link to the regulation: https://epermits.fws.gov/eRCGR/

 

[Cricky]

Is there really a fine for killing off an invasive species?

“Invasive species” doesn’t mean (in regulations) what you seem to think it means. Canada Geese are native to the United States and are specifically protected in the US’s four migratory bird protection treaties and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. There certainly is a fine for the unauthorized killing of them and the destruction of their eggs and nests.

 

[NateW]

Again, thank you all for your ideas and suggestions; I will try some of them, especially the radio controlled alligator!

Today was a little better. Only took the riding mower out twice today to disperse the geese. After the second time they stayed on the other side of the pond. What I discovered is they are more fearful of the mower when I slowly move up on them without the blades engaged (they can't hear it because its electric). When the geese do notice me, I'm about 50 feet from them, and accelerate as fast as I can. They scatter by taking to the air. I then engage the blades for some noise and mow for 15 minutes or so and then go back inside.

One thing I have noticed is that after the 100 or so geese arrived (about 3 weeks ago), the pond water has become pretty dirty. There is now a layer of scum that I think may have been caused by the goose poop. It's a very small pond, no larger than an acre, maybe only half an acre. At some point the geese may leave if the water gets too dirty for their liking.

 

[pb4uski]

So after all of this you haven't put up a goose fence or installed motion activated noisemakers or alarms?

And you wonder why they keep coming back and making a mess of your yard and pond?

Other than occasionally chase them away you haven't really done anything to keep them away other than solicit suggestions.

If you ever try to do something to keep them away then let us know how it works.

 

[sengsational]

He said he IS buying the gator, and trying some of the suggestions.

 

[Aerides]

So after all of this you haven't put up a goose fence or installed motion activated noisemakers or alarms?.

he asked for ideas 4 days ago. Even if he jumped on all the suggestions on day one, that's pushing the expectations for results just a tad...

I mean I'm waiting on two things from amazon over a week now...

 

[Gumby]

He said he IS buying the gator, and trying some of the suggestions.

And, I would add, this is only the 4th day since the thread was started. If I were the OP, I would wait a few days to get as many suggestions as possible before I went out and bought some of the things suggested.