Geese are undesirable to have in the yard. They are noisy and will leave foul-smelling droppings. And while they don’t fly high like other birds, these waterfowls can invade your yard if you don’t watch out. The good news is that knowing how to deter geese from your property doesn’t have to be difficult. In this post, I will discuss the simple steps you can take to make your property goose-free.
What attracts geese to your property?
Geese are invasive animals, which means they won’t hesitate to enter private properties even if there are people around. Such goose invasion will become worse if your property has the following attractants:
- Freshly cut grass. Geese love chewing grass, so if your yard has freshly mowed or cut grass, these waterfowl will come running. The grass is a nice meal for them, which is why geese are often found on golf courses where there’s an abundance of fresh grass.
- Worms. Aside from grass, geese love fresh worms. This is the reason why geese will peck on your yard, especially if there’s a large population of mealworms.
- Water. Need we say more? Geese love wading on the water, so if your yard has a pool or a puddle, it will attract the geese from the nearby lake or farm.
- Oats. Do you toss your leftover oats on the mulch? If so, geese would love to snack on them. If you don’t want this to happen, you should stop using oats as fertilizer.
How to deter geese from your property?
Are you struggling with geese that trespass on your property? Here are some of the steps you can take:
✔️Remove food sources
Geese go to your yard because they can find food. You should remove these direct and indirect food sources so that the waterfowl won’t get wind of their next meal.
These food sources can be the leftovers you dump on the mulch, a pile of freshly mowed grass, and your berry patch.
✔️Use audio and visual deterrents
Audio and visual deterrents are a great way to send invasive geese away. Loud noises like air horns, recorded sounds of predators, ultrasonic devices, and large wind chimes will help a lot. These are the solutions used on golf courses where physical barriers aren’t possible to install.
Aside from sound scarers, you can also put up visual decoys of predators to scare away the geese. You should move these decoys from time to time so that the geese won’t get desensitized to their presence.
I suggest using different visual scares then cycling them a few weeks at a time. This way, the geese in your area won’t know that you’re just tricking them.
✔️Apply liquid goose repellents
If the audio and visual repellents aren’t working, you can try liquid repellents instead. Look for EPA-approved liquids that use food-grade ingredients. When applied to grass, the liquid will cause mild irritations that will drive away the waterfowl.
Whatever repellent you use, make sure that it won’t kill the geese. As much as these waterfowl are annoying, it’s inhumane to poison them.
✔️Fence up!
Do you want a permanent solution for the geese problem? You should construct a fence that’s at least 30 inches high. While geese can fly, they can’t cover too much height.
Make sure that your fence doesn’t have large openings where the geese can squeeze its body. Also, you should keep the gates closed, or the waterfowl will strut their way in.
✔️Let the dogs out
Do you have a herding dog? If so, you can use the pooch to chase the geese away. The likes of Border Collies can be trained to nip on waterfowl to herd them out of your yard. The good thing is that these dogs won’t kill the geese as long as you train them well.
✔️Be careful when using fertilizer
One uncommon attractant for geese is warm ground after the application of fertilizer. If you’re treating your yard with this, you should consider putting up a fence first. This way, the geese won’t seek the cozy soil.
✔️Consider growing your grasses long
Remember that geese are attracted to freshly mowed grass. With this, you can let the grasses grow tall at the barrier of your property. This will block the entry of the waterfowl, but you should still put up other preventive measures in case you’re dealing with an aggressive bunch.
✔️Install a motion-activated sprinkler
If the geese problem is getting out of hand, you can install a motion-activated sprinkler. The sprinkler will set off once it detects a movement in the installation area.
For this device to work, you have to ensure that there wouldn’t be any false detections. Consider the foot traffic the area receives to prevent shooting water on people that pass by.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What do geese hate the most?
A: Geese hate sudden and loud sounds. They also dislike flashing lights and other disturbances that could indicate harm. However, many geese tend to get desensitized to it to the point that they no longer mind the sound or lights around. There’s no absolute formula here, so you have to experiment to find the best solution.
Q: Do wind chimes scare geese?
A: Wind chimes are effective in driving away geese. The sudden sound may work, but the geese may soon realize that it’s harmless. It’s important to pair the sound scare with other methods to keep the pesky waterfowl away.
Q: How should you deal with an aggressive geese?
A: Geese are notorious for chasing and attacking humans when they feel threatened. If a goose darts at you toward the face, you should run at the 90-degree angle from the waterfowl’s flight direction. This will buy you time to cover ground as geese can’t easily change flight directions.
Q: How do you stop geese from attacking?
A: Geese won’t usually attack if unprovoked. You should maintain a neutral behavior and avoid moving abruptly. Also, don’t try to chase a goose or cower at them. Such behavior will trigger an aggressive response, which will end up in an attack.
Q: How bad can a goose hurt you?
A: Geese can leave with nasty bruises and wounds. If the goose flew directly into your face at high speed, it could break your nose. This is why you should be careful when trying to drive away geese from your property.
Final words
Knowing how to deter geese from your property only takes a few steps. I always encourage humane and environment-friendly methods for mess-free bird-proofing. With the steps above, you can surely keep waterfowl away from your property as well as other pesky birds.
