I've been interested in getting some weeder geese since I've discovered fruit actually does quite well in the climate here.
I was wondering if anyone currently uses geese to weed fruit and clip the grass in their fruit gardens? What breed are the best for weeding and what kind of housing do they need? Will they eat certain types of fruit? Do they need a pond? Do they get along with chickens and ducks as it would be easier to house them all in the same area of the croft.
We have tayberries, raspberries, loganberries, blackberries, black currants, white currants, red currants, gooseberries, cranberries and bush cherries (nanking) and plan to start a big strawberry patch next year, will all these be safe if I let the geese in there? How about with amelanchier or roses? Do they destroy plants like this?
Need a solution as weeding and clipping the grass with hedging shears is very tedious and hard on the back! Would be great to get some geese in there doing the job. If anyone has any info or experience it would be greatly appreciated.
Geese for weeding fruit
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caithnesscrofter
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theabsinthefairy
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We have free roaming geese that live quite happily alongside our chickens and ducks, in fact they are all housed together at night.
They are not too bad at cutting the grass, unfortunately once they get a taste for something, nothing is safe. They have ignored our raspberries and currant bushes all year, but when I pruned the roses and the canes, they nibbled the pruned ends ragged. And also developed a fondness for the strawberry runners, which I covered with netting, and a deterent string fence, which they then promptly trampled!
They have ignored the goosberries and the blackberries - the spikes put them off.
We have Toulouse and Guinea - which I believe is an Asian goose (with a black knob on his bill). Neither of which are particularly aggressive, and in face you can wander around with the Guinea under your arm all day.
They do really love sprout plants, so I have planted sacraficial sprouts alongside the the fruit canes, and they concentrate on those instead now.
They are not too bad at cutting the grass, unfortunately once they get a taste for something, nothing is safe. They have ignored our raspberries and currant bushes all year, but when I pruned the roses and the canes, they nibbled the pruned ends ragged. And also developed a fondness for the strawberry runners, which I covered with netting, and a deterent string fence, which they then promptly trampled!
They have ignored the goosberries and the blackberries - the spikes put them off.
We have Toulouse and Guinea - which I believe is an Asian goose (with a black knob on his bill). Neither of which are particularly aggressive, and in face you can wander around with the Guinea under your arm all day.
They do really love sprout plants, so I have planted sacraficial sprouts alongside the the fruit canes, and they concentrate on those instead now.
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mauzi
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geese as weeders
Hello, I am new here. We keep pilgrim geese and do utilize them for weeding. Our food area is fenced off due to kangaroos and wallaby's but I do let the geese in that area on regular occasions - no problems yet with any of the things you have mentioned. At one time I did keep them in the orchard area but I did find while the trees were young that they liked the bark. How tough are fruit trees though, they just sprung back and kept growing.
I like the pigrim geese as they are good natured and are self sexing i.e., girls are grey and boys are white, which makes it easier if you are also using them as a food source.
They do love the water and we take them down to the dam regularly. A pond would be appreciated for them, but if you can't a deep water bucket/trough will do the job - so long as they can submerge their heads and necks and flick the water on themselves for a wash they will be happy.
Good luck!
I like the pigrim geese as they are good natured and are self sexing i.e., girls are grey and boys are white, which makes it easier if you are also using them as a food source.
They do love the water and we take them down to the dam regularly. A pond would be appreciated for them, but if you can't a deep water bucket/trough will do the job - so long as they can submerge their heads and necks and flick the water on themselves for a wash they will be happy.
Good luck!