Pilgrim Geese: Heroes of our micro-farm + video

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Geese are AMAZING soil restoring and lawn mowing creatures that don’t ask for much in return. They often get overlooked because of their reputation for being “mean and loud”. But did you know that there is at least one breed that breaks that stereotype?

I created a video {my first one ever} for you, to give you a true feel for how our gaggle sounds and acts at different ages and situations throughout the day. But first, let’s talk about what you need to know about these web footed angels.

Geese are problem solvers

I was searching for passive ways to keep our food forest tidy and self-fertile. But I was struggling to figure out which creatures to enlist for the task.

~Keeping goats, sheep or pigs there would require heavy fencing around each tree, which would be unreasonable for this space.

~Keeping chickens in that area would make the local raptors happy, but it would’t help my situation much.

Geese as an elegant solution

SO what’s a farm girl to do? My husband has a mentally and physically demanding job. And honestly he’s not into this farm thing but he supports me in making my dreams come true. So if I can find a way to keep the food forest trimmed without burning us all out- yes please!🙋🏻‍♀️

“In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” Albert Einstein

Every time I visit my friend’s farm, I come home with a head full of “life changing” ideas. Dani {the creator of desolatehomestead.com} and her husband are always coming up with clever ways to do things super efficiently.

Last fall, I had the pleasure of meeting Dani’s beautiful Pilgrim geese. Such a creature had never even showed up on my radar.

Perhaps that’s because my earliest memory of my dear father trying to teach me to love these “beasts” didn’t end so well. Apparently, at some point after this picture was snapped… they “attacked”. 🤣

But my friend’s geese were completely different. They were so sweet and pleasant to be around, and even great with her young children. When I saw how simple they were to care for, and the great job they were doing with the grass I knew this was it!

I immediately jumped in on an order of goslings to be shipped in the spring! {It’s so nice to have a friend to split shipping costs with😊}

What you need to know about geese

Fencing

Internal fencing: While something as minimal as 2′ chicken wire or decorative fencing is said to be enough to contain some geese, others require something more substantial. If I were going to go spend all that time and money, I’d go for at least a 4′ fence- just in case. Some Geese are motivated flyers so research your breed.

External fencing: You’re going to want to protect them from predators with 6′ or higher.

Feed

For the first 12 weeks, we fed our geese a non-medicated chick starter with (affiliate link) this {5 lb tub} nutritional yeast mixed in for niacin. {Here is a great article by Metzer Farms on why niacin is so important, any how to recognize deficiencies.} I mixed in 1/2 cup for every 10 lbs of feed. Side note: I also use this nutritional yeast for my goats, so it is a multi-tasker.

Put rocks in water buckets

This was a very sad lesson for us. Geese can fall into buckets head first and not be able to back out. We now keep large rocks in their water bucket to keep them from being able to fall in. The height is still useful for keeping poop out, but it does require more frequent fill ups.

They grow very fast

I had planed to raise geese in a goose tractor and just move them around the yard until their area was fenced in. But then they grew like Clifford. Plans changed and now they are being raised in our backyard and pooping all over the patio until we can get their area done… hindsight.

They are prey animals

While it’s easy to confuse a goose’s ability to be a good watch-dog with being a good guard-dog, they are not guard dogs. Adult males are pretty good at defending themselves against some smaller creatures, but don’t count on them to take the place of an LGD {livestock guardian dog}. We don’t have an LGD, just tall fences and prayers.

PROS

Geese can make surprisingly great pets

Did you know that it’s possible for geese to imprint on you, and when raised with a little love they can become very loyal and affectionate?

We raised ours from about a week after hatching, and have handled them a little bit every day since. In fact, our nightly ritual involves sitting in the rocking bench, watching the sun go down as my 9-year-old caches and carries each goose to the coop. {They are slowly figuring out how to go into their coop on their own at night with a little encouragement. They might have figured it out sooner but for a long time there was no way for them to get in themselves.}

Now whenever I head out back, the geese come running across the pasture with their wings spread out to greet me. When I sit on the ground to work on something, they nibble on my clothes. If I stay there long enough they think it’s great fun stand behind me and snap my bra over and over. 🤣 Silly geese. I really need to get a video of that for the record. Lol

Zero cost maintenance

I was blown away to learn that once they are about 12 weeks old, they don’t need much more than grass and water to sustain themselves! By this time you don’t need to worry about niacin either.

In winter months in some areas, people offer a little wheat and corn to make up for slow grass growth. But I’m thinking that here in our warm climate, there are plenty of greens in the winter. From what I understand they are pretty much zero cost once they are grown as long as there is grass for them to eat. We’ll see how that goes.

Excellent mowers & fertilizers

Geese possess impeccable lawn mowing skills. Four to five geese can keep an entire acre tidy while depositing fertilizer as they work. Two geese will keep a quarter-acre nicely trimmed.

Predator alarms

Geese will detect aerial predators long before a chicken will, and they will sound an alarm. This gives chickens a much better chance at surviving aerial strikes, as they sound their own alarms and run for cover.

Can imprint on chickens

Hawks were picking off our chickens every other day, so we now keep them in a 50′ x 50′ space that is covered by (affiliate link) this net. I plan to incorporate a goose into the flock someday, so we can let them back in the rest of the pasture.

I’m pretty sure we will need to raise the gosling with the chicks from day one. If you try this just be aware that once geese imprint on chickens they will supposedly no longer mate with their own species. Also, if there are other geese in the group they may not imprint on the chickens, so just one gosling per flock if you want them to protect the chickens as their own charge.

Long lifespan

Geese are known to live 10-40+ years! Be prepared for a long term commitment if you’re not raising them for food.

Easier to keep than goats

As you may know, I LOVE our goats, and they certainly have an important roll here on our farm. But they’re generally not nice to trees and fences. Geese can be hard on young trees, but they are nice to simple fences. 😉

Schmaltz

Goose fat is said to produce an amazing schmaltz that is lower in PUFAs than chicken schmaltz. Learn more about schmaltz here.

Their poop doesn’t stink

No really! It doesn’t stink unless you let it pile up in one place. Then it smells like compost. Basically what goes in comes back out only slightly changed. A kiddie pool fool of water and goose poop that hasn’t been cleaned out in time is a whole other story…🤢

CONS

They poop a lot

And I mean a LOT. While this is actually a pro for our food forest, it’s best to keep them fenced away from your patio….

Aggression

Some breeds are more aggressive than others. Even the gentler breeds like Pilgrims might be more aggressive during mating season. I can’t speak from experience on that just yet. Make sure you’re signed up for my newsletter if you’d like updates.

Aggression could be a pro if you have predator problems.

Damage to young trees

The first couple feet of bark on young trees will need protection from your geese. But since geese respect simple fences, this is very easy.

Some breeds are LOUD

Even our Pilgrim geese can jolt me out of a deep thought with a rare honk. However compared to some breeds, they’re quiet librarians.

Threatened/Attributes of Pilgrim geese

According to The Livestock Conservancy, Pilgrim geese are now considered “Threatened” which is one step up from the worst case which is “Critical.” Doing an online search shows several sources claiming that Pilgrim geese are on the critical list. If that was true at one time, then it appears that things are improving for this incredibly valuable breed.

In addition to being sweet and quiet, Pilgrim geese are:

• wonderful parents
• great foragers
• one of the two American geese that are autosexing {meaning it’s obvious if they are male or female from day 1}
• heat tolerant
• fast growing.

Another personable and quiet breed

Cotton Patch geese are on The Livestock Conservancy’s “critical” list, and are very similar to Pilgrim geese. In addition to being sweet and quiet they are:

• wonderful parents
• great foragers
• the other American breed of geese that is autosexing {explained above}
• heat tolerant
• considered by many to be one of the best tasting breed of geese
• some strains of Cotton Patch geese retain their ability to fly, so clipping feathers may be necessary.

Where to buy

I purchased my Pilgrim geese from Metzer Farms and have been very happy with their growth and overall health.

The Livestock Conservancy has an online directory of breeders. You can get an idea for how rare the cotton patch geese are by looking them up there. In my opinion, this would be the way to go if you want to become a breeder yourself. This way you can get males from different lines to avoid inbreeding.

Here’s a fun video so you can get a feel for what Pilgrim geese are like 💚