Thinking of getting a goose or duck.....

[4390evans]

Anyone else got them, are they ok living alone or would they prefer a friend?
I am hoping it may help with slugs etc?

Been thinking of getting some type of feathered creature for a while but now is the right time for us.

[Guest]

They stink!!!

Now I have got the mean anti-social bit out of the way. If you are adamant you really want them they should really have friends. Having said they they can imprint if they don't have siblings when they are young, but do you want a duck or a goose that never wants to be a part from you. Indian runner ducks are quite fun if you are just after pets. Also will they have their own run or were you thinking of letting them roam around? If the later then have a rethink as they leave big wet poo-ey puddles Depending on breed will also affect character and give you an idea of there appetites. I found runners quite sensible with only a liking for lettuce, but some breeds of geese will strip trees of bark. So def. do some research.

Good luck which ever way you choose

[Snoop Puss]

Some people have told us that we should get ducks; other people have told us you need to be prepared for a lot of mess and stinky water.

[roitelet]

Big feet and gloopy poo!!!!!!!!! I've had ducks and wouldn't again, the mess is horrendous even if you have loads of space. Nice creatures though.

[veggiechicken]

Why not chickens?

[Zelenina]

Yeah, like everyone says, they're messy and probably not good for a small garden. And geese are very noisy and can be aggressive. Ducks are quite noisy too, but if you just wanted them as pets, the drakes are much quieter. And I don't think one duck or goose would be happy on its own.

I also found the ducks I had were very nervous and difficult to tame or handle, even though I got them as young ducklings. My hens were much more personable. But that might vary with different breeds.

I think chickens are a better bet for you. If you're thinking of having only one due to lack of space, then maybe a pair or trio of bantams would be better than one full size bird.

[muddled]

I don't think any duck/goose/chicken/quail should ever live alone.

They are very far down the food chain as such are 'prey animals'. This means that in order to achieve any degree of safety, one eats, several watch and ALL listen. The more you have, the more chance one will spot the predator and raise the alarm.
Now we might know we've got them in a foxproof run with a roof to keep out eagles and sparrowhawks...but they have tiny brains and little imagination! All they really know is what they've gleaned through millenia of evolution and that is....

LONE BIRDS GET DEAD!

Therefore, a lone bird will be living in a whirly mess of anxiety interspersed with terror

[CaraFlower]

The only time I would ever have a single creature is if they were sufficiently happy being alone or couldn't be with others (e.g some types of hamster), or were sufficiently integrated into the family or another species that they saw as their group (e.g dog). Ducks and geese don't really fit into these catagories unless you hand reared it and had it has a house duck/goose. Which would get a bit messy I imagine.

Duck wise I love: Call ducks, which are small and whizz around flying, the males are quiet(ish) but the females are frightfully noisy; Muscovy 'ducks', both sexes are quiet - the males are large and a bit stupid, and the females can fly/perch (better than a hen anyway)and are very very clever. The average duck is a bit stupid, with big feet and are are very engaging.
Geese eat grass primarily, and seem to mostly come in the aggressive variety, although I knew a few growing up that were quite sweet.

All the above would probably cause more devastation than slugs, in the average garden, except maybe call ducks but I wouldn't advise them unless they had lots of airspace (they really do zoom about when they get going!) or were in an enclosed run and the noise wasn't an issue.

[Small pumpkin]

Please do not keep any poultry or waterfowl on its own.

Basically I'm saying the same as everybody else, just not using so many words to do it

[Scarlet]

They are flock birds alnd should be kept in a trio as a minimum. Some birds don't eat slugs and you really won't have a garden left if you let them free range. I don't think geese are a good choice either with little kids about...and unless you can pen them in the kids will loose their garden space. I wouldn't want mine playing in a ton of duck carp.
If you have the room, a trio of bantams would be perfect for youngsters. My boys first birds were bantams .

[Snadger]

We aren't allowed ducks or geese on our allotments but we are allowed chicken/bantams.
The main reasons I feel are the noise and the stink. Geese are fantastic guard dogs but really require wide open spaces of long grass to graze on and a large water source.They can attack at will and cause major injuries to children or grown ups.

If your garden is an acre or more, preferrably with a large pond away from the house, by all means go for it with two ganders and a drake. If not, stick to chickens or bantams I would say.

[Nicos]

Up to about 7 months geese are lovely.
chatty, fairly friendly but then the hormones kick in and they can become quite aggressive.
I certainly wouldn't have young children wandering about near older ones.
If you raise them for meat- ie buy female goslings in May and 'do' them in Nov/Dec then you would be OK-ish ( min of 2 as the others say)

I have only experienced Toulouse geese which are supposed to be fairly friendly.

Nope- they didn't need loads of water- we had 2 plastic sandpits filled with water for them to play and bathe in everyday ( fresh each day cos they poo in it)
Actually they poo big splodgy squits about every 20 mins...everywhere

[kathyd]

How much space do you actually have for them? If you have plenty of room, and a decent sized pond, I honestly don't think you'll be bothered by the smell, except in their sleeping quarters which do get a bit pongy ... We have chickens, and also 4 khaki Campbell ducks - 3 girls, one male. The male chatters all the time, but it's quiet, and he does go for my knees (as high as he can reach) at feeding time, but he can't hurt through trousers and is otherwise totally non aggressive, and an excellent protector of his girls. This breed isn't huge - think mallards in the local park - doesn't really fly so no wing clipping needed, doesn't go broody, and lays an egg almost every day, including through the winter. They free range around our garden and do little damage to the plants, but I've not noticed a big reduction in slugs and snails! They do love it when I collect slugs and snails for them though, they'd eat them all day. They're quite friendly and will come close to me, but they don't want to be touched or handled. They're lovely to have around, but having had them on a big pond, I'd never now keep ducks if all I could give them was a little paddling pool or an old bath...

[Dalrimple]

Been thinking of getting some type of feathered creature for a while but now is the right time for us.[/QUOTE]

Get an eiderdown the are less noise ,don't eat much and easy to bed down at night .

i'll get my coat Dal

[4390evans]

Well I think it will be chickens haha
They are just pets, but the other half will have the eggs
Hopefully good "first" pets for the kids. ..