07-01-2008, 06:11 AM
Geese are extremely susceptible to bribery. Kicking them does not make them friendly but a bit of bread or handful of corn will create geese who are really happy to see you. Georgie & Gracie started out mean, biting critters but now they come over to see if there is bread, corn or something tasty and then they help me do whatever is going on in the backyard. They like to nibble on bean pods, eat lettuce leaves with holes in them, inspect all weeds tossed out of the garden, splash in the water sprinklers, etc. They are good at keeping the grass down, excellent at taking out all sprouted weeds in newly tilled ground and generally fun to watch but they had to be trained to be nice.
Should you ever decide to get geese, get a couple of goslings and raise them by hand. They will be much friendlier that way. They also like to interact but don't really like to be petted at least that's what I've found with Georgie & Gracie. That might be because this particular pair were not petted since hatching so it isn't something they are used to. If there is a pile of lettuce in front of them or bread, they could care less if they are being petted as long as there is bread.
Should you ever decide to get geese, get a couple of goslings and raise them by hand. They will be much friendlier that way. They also like to interact but don't really like to be petted at least that's what I've found with Georgie & Gracie. That might be because this particular pair were not petted since hatching so it isn't something they are used to. If there is a pile of lettuce in front of them or bread, they could care less if they are being petted as long as there is bread.
Kurt Wilson