Sometime last year I got given a book on running a smallholding. That's not an unusual gift for me to be given, but later when I was reading it, I came to the section on geese and someone had taped this little note in the section headed "problems with geese"
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| I've had this pinned up for months now! |
I'm sure not if many others have come across this particular problem with geese before, but I've been told it might make keeping them very difficult if I was to purchase them!
So my question to you all is this - what can I put on my young orchard during the summer that will keep the grass down, not eat my young trees and not cause that particularly difficult problem described above?
My wife strongly suggested that I get rid of my geese so I did. I have seen some old photos where they were cultivating between the trees and growing a summer crop, can't remember what it was though, I will think on it.
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing what we do for love!
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ReplyDeleteI adore my geese..... The two new ones are a bit of handful. But my original four are a delight.
ReplyDeleteAs long as you know how to handle them, they make cracking guard dogs ...
The only real problem of them is that they live for 20 years
I have two geese you can have kev
20 years! Not if I had anything to do with it - they'd struggle to live past Christmas!
DeleteA lawn mower?
ReplyDeleteThat involves a fair bit of effort by my part!
DeleteDucks - but provide a source of water as well - i.e. an old bath sunk into the ground.
ReplyDeleteThey will keep the grass down and eat 'the nasties' and provide super eggs too.
You'll have to round them up at night though, because unlike chickens they don't 'put themselves to bed' and need protecting from Mr Fox.
that note looks like it's been written by a child.
I'm a bit weary of having a pond or any deep water with my two girls being so young - maybe when they're a bit older. But ducks are a good idea.
DeleteOh and I think my wife has the neatest hand writting ever!
Our geese are no trouble at all. Apparently they are Chinese Geese. We have seven. They were supposed to be for the pot, but my other half is besotted with them!
ReplyDelete7 animals to keep soundsquite expensive! Although I guess they just eat the grass. don;t know much about geese so I'll look up chinese geese
Deletei have, hands down, the meanest gander that ever lived. he's a murdered and an abuser. but i love him so much. who knew that they could live so long, tho. i think that gander is 12 or 15 and still going strong.
ReplyDeleteA murderer! doesn't sound like my ideal bird I must admit! I bet he's be a tough old bird by now!
DeleteAre Greylag supposed to be less aggressive?
ReplyDeleteNot heard of those ones - I've been put off doing any research about them by my wife!
DeleteI'm with Claire on this one!
ReplyDeleteOI!
DeleteWe had geese! They ate strawberries plants and all. They sucked the tulip bulbs out of the ground as fast as they emerged and didn't eat weeds unless nothing else existed. They chased the dogs and the farmer's wife and left lovely messes on the sidewalks from house to garage. They brought a lovely price when sold!
ReplyDeleteThey ate the bulbs as well! I've heard they can be messy but I didn't relise they eat everything like that, I thought they stuck to grass.
DeleteHilarious! I am scared of geese. They bite. You could try guinea fowl (then you will wish you had geese) they are a bit crazy but funny to watch.
ReplyDeleteHilarious! I am scared of geese. They bite. You could try guinea fowl (then you will wish you had geese) they are a bit crazy but funny to watch.
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