My 81 yr old mother heard that people have started to use Geese as Watch
Geese. Since she lives on a large farm next to a lake, she thought it
might be a good idea for protection and would be much easier than a dog.
(Why do I feel like I am dealing with a child.)

Since I have heard other people talk about feeding wildlife, I thought I
would post my response to her.

Mom,

If you have two Geese, before you know it you will have many more Geese
who stop by to visit your two geese and decide to stay. Once they stop
by and see that your place has great food and is close to the water, you
will have more geese than you can imagine. If you want to see how
much poop Geese can poop, visit any of the marina’s and see how much
Goose Poop they have all over.

One of the problems the marinas and parks have is the Geese pooping so
much in the coves around the parks that they have had to close the
beaches due to unsafe water.

If you want to see how severe this problem is go to Google and type in
“please do not feed the geese” (600,000 hits) and “please do not feed
the wildlife” (2,000,000 hits).

If you visit the Georgia Dept of DNR they have a link that addresses
this question and the problems for both the animals and humans:

Is it OK to feed wildlife?
Generally speaking, people feed wildlife because they enjoy viewing
wildlife or they see themselves as caretakers and are concerned about
the animal's well-being. In the case of feeding birds, this is a
practice widely accepted, and problems hardly ever arise. With other
animals, the end outcome is not always so good. When people feed
wildlife such as deer, raccoons, foxes, alligators, bears and Canada
geese, the animals are reduced to a semi-domestic state. Too often these
animals lose their instinctual fear of humans and become a pest or
nuisance. Also, many times these animals will become aggressive, which
then raises concerns about human health and safety. People often think
they are feeding one animal, but in actuality they are feeding several.
The animals take up residence close to the area where they are being
fed. The result is they are concentrated in higher numbers than what
would occur in a natural setting. When this happens, you increase the
animal's susceptibility to disease and increase the probability the
animal will die from automobile collisions or other unnatural causes.

http://georgiawildlife.dnr.state.ga....=215&txtPage=1

So I would recommend you don’t get any Guard Geese.

FOLKS REMEMBER : PLEASE DO NOT FEED THE WILDLIFE

On Aug 29, 7:52?pm, "Reginald P. Smithers III"
wrote:
My 81 yr old mother heard that people have started to use Geese as Watch
Geese. Since she lives on a large farm next to a lake, she thought it
might be a good idea for protection and would be much easier than a dog.
(Why do I feel like I am dealing with a child.)


Hmmmm. Were I some ne'er do well with designs on your 81-year old
mother, let me consider what sort of obstacle I'd rather face in the
front yard: Pit bull, or goose? I agree with your mom, a goose would
be "easier". :-)

Up at Union Steamship Marina on Bowen Island (Howe Sound, BC) they
keep a pet swan. Much classier bird than a dirty poop-pumping goose,
IMO. Also unlikely to attract freeloading room mates, unless you have
wild swans in your area.

A PO'd goose *can* be formidable, I've seen them flap and hiss a
medium size dog into submission. Don't know whether a swan would be as
aggressive or protective, but a swan adds a touch of class while a
goose adds a pile of poo.

On Wed, 29 Aug 2007 21:54:34 -0700, Chuck Gould
wrote:

Up at Union Steamship Marina on Bowen Island (Howe Sound, BC) they
keep a pet swan. Much classier bird than a dirty poop-pumping goose,
IMO. Also unlikely to attract freeloading room mates, unless you have
wild swans in your area.

A PO'd goose *can* be formidable, I've seen them flap and hiss a
medium size dog into submission. Don't know whether a swan would be as
aggressive or protective, but a swan adds a touch of class while a
goose adds a pile of poo.

Some corporate HQ's with extensive grounds around here have retention
ponds. Geese flocking there were becoming a problem. Attacking
employees, goose crap all over the place, etc.
They now have a company bring in a pair of nesting swans in the
spring, and remove them in the fall.
Goose problem solved. Greatly reduced anyway. The swans seem to
tolerate ducks.
I was at the Chicago Botanic Garden (it's actually in Glencoe, IL)
once and was surprised to see they had brought in a Border Collie and
owner to shag geese from a lagoon. Never got to talk to him as he was
across the lagoon - the owner, that is.
The dog seemed in his element, taking short swims to make his point to
any reluctant geese, then ranging ashore again.
One time I was canoeing on the Kankakee river with my wife and she
spotted a pair of swans. "Oh, steer over there so we can see the
pretty swans," she said. We got within 50 yards and one - the male I
assume - came steaming at us. His wake was bigger than our canoe's,
and he didn't look friendly.
"Paddle faster!! Paddle faster!!" I shouted at my wife as I steered
away.
I think he got to about 10 yards of our stern, but I was too busy
paddling to be sure of that. Whew.

--Vic

Vic Smith wrote:
On Wed, 29 Aug 2007 21:54:34 -0700, Chuck Gould
wrote:
Up at Union Steamship Marina on Bowen Island (Howe Sound, BC) they
keep a pet swan. Much classier bird than a dirty poop-pumping goose,
IMO. Also unlikely to attract freeloading room mates, unless you have
wild swans in your area.

A PO'd goose *can* be formidable, I've seen them flap and hiss a
medium size dog into submission. Don't know whether a swan would be as
aggressive or protective, but a swan adds a touch of class while a
goose adds a pile of poo.

Some corporate HQ's with extensive grounds around here have retention
ponds. Geese flocking there were becoming a problem. Attacking
employees, goose crap all over the place, etc.
They now have a company bring in a pair of nesting swans in the
spring, and remove them in the fall.
Goose problem solved. Greatly reduced anyway. The swans seem to
tolerate ducks.
I was at the Chicago Botanic Garden (it's actually in Glencoe, IL)
once and was surprised to see they had brought in a Border Collie and
owner to shag geese from a lagoon. Never got to talk to him as he was
across the lagoon - the owner, that is.
The dog seemed in his element, taking short swims to make his point to
any reluctant geese, then ranging ashore again.
One time I was canoeing on the Kankakee river with my wife and she
spotted a pair of swans. "Oh, steer over there so we can see the
pretty swans," she said. We got within 50 yards and one - the male I
assume - came steaming at us. His wake was bigger than our canoe's,
and he didn't look friendly.
"Paddle faster!! Paddle faster!!" I shouted at my wife as I steered
away.
I think he got to about 10 yards of our stern, but I was too busy
paddling to be sure of that. Whew.

--Vic




We have a lot of farms in our area, and many property owners with ponds.
The ponds attract geese and ducks and some property owners have swans.
All the critters seem to get along well enough. There's a ranchette
around the corner where the owners raise horses, ponies, and llamas.
When the crops on the fields around here are harvested, the geese move
in for a while. They're very pretty animals. We've had pheasant and wild
turkeys landing in our yard. Happily, most of the property owners around
here have banned hunters from their land.

Since we infringed on their territory, I'm glad to see some of the wild
critters making do. They're certainly better neighbors than some
ticky-tacky subdivision would be.

"HK" wrote in message
. ..
Vic Smith wrote:
On Wed, 29 Aug 2007 21:54:34 -0700, Chuck Gould
wrote:
Up at Union Steamship Marina on Bowen Island (Howe Sound, BC) they
keep a pet swan. Much classier bird than a dirty poop-pumping goose,
IMO. Also unlikely to attract freeloading room mates, unless you have
wild swans in your area.

A PO'd goose *can* be formidable, I've seen them flap and hiss a
medium size dog into submission. Don't know whether a swan would be as
aggressive or protective, but a swan adds a touch of class while a
goose adds a pile of poo.

Some corporate HQ's with extensive grounds around here have retention
ponds. Geese flocking there were becoming a problem. Attacking
employees, goose crap all over the place, etc.
They now have a company bring in a pair of nesting swans in the
spring, and remove them in the fall.
Goose problem solved. Greatly reduced anyway. The swans seem to
tolerate ducks. I was at the Chicago Botanic Garden (it's actually in
Glencoe, IL)
once and was surprised to see they had brought in a Border Collie and
owner to shag geese from a lagoon. Never got to talk to him as he was
across the lagoon - the owner, that is.
The dog seemed in his element, taking short swims to make his point to
any reluctant geese, then ranging ashore again.
One time I was canoeing on the Kankakee river with my wife and she
spotted a pair of swans. "Oh, steer over there so we can see the
pretty swans," she said. We got within 50 yards and one - the male I
assume - came steaming at us. His wake was bigger than our canoe's,
and he didn't look friendly. "Paddle faster!! Paddle faster!!" I shouted
at my wife as I steered
away.
I think he got to about 10 yards of our stern, but I was too busy
paddling to be sure of that. Whew.

--Vic


We have a lot of farms in our area, and many property owners with ponds.
The ponds attract geese and ducks and some property owners have swans. All
the critters seem to get along well enough. There's a ranchette around the
corner where the owners raise horses, ponies, and llamas. When the crops
on the fields around here are harvested, the geese move in for a while.
They're very pretty animals. We've had pheasant and wild turkeys landing
in our yard. Happily, most of the property owners around here have banned
hunters from their land.

Since we infringed on their territory, I'm glad to see some of the wild
critters making do. They're certainly better neighbors than some
ticky-tacky subdivision would be.

Apparently you haven't witnessed the destruction and mess made by a flock of
Canada geese.


--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

Jim wrote:

"HK" wrote in message
. ..
Vic Smith wrote:
On Wed, 29 Aug 2007 21:54:34 -0700, Chuck Gould
wrote:
Up at Union Steamship Marina on Bowen Island (Howe Sound, BC) they
keep a pet swan. Much classier bird than a dirty poop-pumping goose,
IMO. Also unlikely to attract freeloading room mates, unless you have
wild swans in your area.

A PO'd goose *can* be formidable, I've seen them flap and hiss a
medium size dog into submission. Don't know whether a swan would be as
aggressive or protective, but a swan adds a touch of class while a
goose adds a pile of poo.

Some corporate HQ's with extensive grounds around here have retention
ponds. Geese flocking there were becoming a problem. Attacking
employees, goose crap all over the place, etc.
They now have a company bring in a pair of nesting swans in the
spring, and remove them in the fall.
Goose problem solved. Greatly reduced anyway. The swans seem to
tolerate ducks. I was at the Chicago Botanic Garden (it's actually in
Glencoe, IL)
once and was surprised to see they had brought in a Border Collie and
owner to shag geese from a lagoon. Never got to talk to him as he was
across the lagoon - the owner, that is.
The dog seemed in his element, taking short swims to make his point to
any reluctant geese, then ranging ashore again.
One time I was canoeing on the Kankakee river with my wife and she
spotted a pair of swans. "Oh, steer over there so we can see the
pretty swans," she said. We got within 50 yards and one - the male I
assume - came steaming at us. His wake was bigger than our canoe's,
and he didn't look friendly. "Paddle faster!! Paddle faster!!" I
shouted at my wife as I steered
away.
I think he got to about 10 yards of our stern, but I was too busy
paddling to be sure of that. Whew.

--Vic


We have a lot of farms in our area, and many property owners with
ponds. The ponds attract geese and ducks and some property owners have
swans. All the critters seem to get along well enough. There's a
ranchette around the corner where the owners raise horses, ponies, and
llamas. When the crops on the fields around here are harvested, the
geese move in for a while. They're very pretty animals. We've had
pheasant and wild turkeys landing in our yard. Happily, most of the
property owners around here have banned hunters from their land.

Since we infringed on their territory, I'm glad to see some of the
wild critters making do. They're certainly better neighbors than some
ticky-tacky subdivision would be.

Apparently you haven't witnessed the destruction and mess made by a
flock of Canada geese.




No, I haven't seen any geese destroying a field where corn or other
grains have been harvested. I'd rather have a flock of geese as
occasional visitors than have some ticky-tacky townhouses as permanent
neighbors. Hell, I'd rather have a flock of geese as neighbors than some
of the assholes who post here.

On Thu, 30 Aug 2007 06:31:35 -0400, HK wrote:



We have a lot of farms in our area, and many property owners with ponds.
The ponds attract geese and ducks and some property owners have swans.
All the critters seem to get along well enough. There's a ranchette
around the corner where the owners raise horses, ponies, and llamas.
When the crops on the fields around here are harvested, the geese move
in for a while. They're very pretty animals. We've had pheasant and wild
turkeys landing in our yard. Happily, most of the property owners around
here have banned hunters from their land.

Out of curiosity I plugged goose control swan into google and the
first result I clicked on was this
http://www.canadiangoosecontrol.com/...e_programs.php
Not too surprised to see my area code for their phone number.
Probably the migration path is heavier here than where you are.
Looks like the swans control the algae in the ponds too.
Nothing wrong with controlling goose populations with hunting, since
the alternatives aren't pretty. Don't hunt myself.

Since we infringed on their territory, I'm glad to see some of the wild
critters making do. They're certainly better neighbors than some
ticky-tacky subdivision would be.

That's very sweet, Harry. But what about skunks?

--Vic

Vic Smith wrote:
On Thu, 30 Aug 2007 06:31:35 -0400, HK wrote:


We have a lot of farms in our area, and many property owners with ponds.
The ponds attract geese and ducks and some property owners have swans.
All the critters seem to get along well enough. There's a ranchette
around the corner where the owners raise horses, ponies, and llamas.
When the crops on the fields around here are harvested, the geese move
in for a while. They're very pretty animals. We've had pheasant and wild
turkeys landing in our yard. Happily, most of the property owners around
here have banned hunters from their land.

Out of curiosity I plugged goose control swan into google and the
first result I clicked on was this
http://www.canadiangoosecontrol.com/...e_programs.php
Not too surprised to see my area code for their phone number.
Probably the migration path is heavier here than where you are.
Looks like the swans control the algae in the ponds too.
Nothing wrong with controlling goose populations with hunting, since
the alternatives aren't pretty. Don't hunt myself.

Since we infringed on their territory, I'm glad to see some of the wild
critters making do. They're certainly better neighbors than some
ticky-tacky subdivision would be.

That's very sweet, Harry. But what about skunks?

--Vic

At one time Harry actually would carry out his dinner leftovers leave
them for the wildlife to eat so him and his wife would enjoy their
company. This is known to be very negative for all wildlife so
hopefully he has stopped feeding them and are allowing them to fend for
themselves.

Vic Smith wrote:
On Thu, 30 Aug 2007 06:31:35 -0400, HK wrote:


We have a lot of farms in our area, and many property owners with ponds.
The ponds attract geese and ducks and some property owners have swans.
All the critters seem to get along well enough. There's a ranchette
around the corner where the owners raise horses, ponies, and llamas.
When the crops on the fields around here are harvested, the geese move
in for a while. They're very pretty animals. We've had pheasant and wild
turkeys landing in our yard. Happily, most of the property owners around
here have banned hunters from their land.

Out of curiosity I plugged goose control swan into google and the
first result I clicked on was this
http://www.canadiangoosecontrol.com/...e_programs.php
Not too surprised to see my area code for their phone number.
Probably the migration path is heavier here than where you are.
Looks like the swans control the algae in the ponds too.
Nothing wrong with controlling goose populations with hunting, since
the alternatives aren't pretty. Don't hunt myself.

Since we infringed on their territory, I'm glad to see some of the wild
critters making do. They're certainly better neighbors than some
ticky-tacky subdivision would be.

That's very sweet, Harry. But what about skunks?

--Vic



We live out in the country. There are all manner of "nature aromas" out
here. There's a horse ranchette around the corner, and part of my
property adjoins a 100-acre meadow where a small herd of farm animals roam.

On Wed, 29 Aug 2007 21:54:34 -0700, Chuck Gould
wrote:

Don't know whether a swan would be as
aggressive or protective, but a swan adds a touch of class while a
goose adds a pile of poo.

Swans have an even more nasty disposition than geese. We once had a
swan take a chip out of the gel coat because we decided not to feed
him. On another expedition we apparently got too close to a nesting
area with the dinghy and were dive bombed at close range. They look
like a 747 coming at you in the air.