Backyard geese are nearly as majestic as swans, but are a whole lot less expensive to buy and to raise. Not only are they aesthetically pleasing, but they also serve many useful purposes. Here are 12 wonderful reasons to keep geese in your backyard.
1. Goose meat is delectable
Most breeds of domestic geese originally were developed primarily as meat birds. The meat of a properly cooked goose is rich and juicy despite its undeserved reputation of being greasy. Geese most commonly raised for meat are the heavier breeds like Embden and Toulouse.
2. Goose fat is delicious
Goose fat accumulates on the bird’s abdomen, at the base of the neck, and under the breast skin. The abdominal and neck fat firms after a goose is plucked and chilled. It may easily be peeled away and melted down, or rendered, as a shortening substitute for baking. The fat under the skin melts off during roasting and may be spooned out and saved for pan frying.
3. Geese lay nice big eggs
One goose egg is equal to two or three chicken eggs, and may be cooked in any of the same ways (see How the Eggs of Chickens, Turkeys, Ducks and Geese Compare). When blown out and dried, goose eggshells are perfect for creating decorative jewelry boxes and other craft projects. Most goose breeds lay only in early spring, and the most eggs you can expect per year is about 50. The best layer among geese is the white Chinese.
4. Geese are excellent guardians
Aside from meat and eggs, one of the most common reasons to keep geese is that they make excellent “watchdogs.” In fact, many people are more afraid of geese than of dogs. Geese are actually just as effective as dogs, if not more so, since they are often quicker to sound an alarm at the approach of potential danger. Most commonly used as guardians are African and Chinese.
5. Geese are protective parents
Geese usually mate in pairs and form strong bonds that can last their entire lives. A big advantage of strong pair-bonding is that the gander fiercely defends his mate and their offspring. So one of the perks of raising geese is that you don’t need a brooder to raise future generations — the goose and gander will do it for you.
6. Geese need conservation
The Livestock Conservancy lists several breeds of geese on their conservation watch list. The loss of these useful heritage breeds would deplete the overall genetic pool, resulting in the disappearance of such valuable traits as disease resistance, the brooding instinct, superior flavor, and the ability to live naturally. One of the many reasons to keep a conservation flock of geese is to help ensure their survival.
7. Geese are easy keepers
Another of the reasons many people have geese is that they are extremely easy keepers. You don’t need to spend a lot of money on rations for geese, because they can forage for much of their own food where a chemical-free lawn, garden, or pasture is available for them to graze. They are relatively disease free, are extremely hardy, and need only basic shelter for housing.
8. Geese are adaptable
Geese readily adapt to just about any habitat and climate. Their diverse diet of grasses and seeds, aquatic plants, and insects helps them get along well in most environments. And they enjoy being out and about no matter what the ambient weather conditions might be.
9. Geese are good weeders
Because they are active foragers and can satisfy much of their own nutritional needs from growing plants, geese are often used as weeders. They are great at controlling grass and weeds in orchards, vineyards, and empty lots. Kept on a pond or allowed to forage along drainage ditches, they discourage vegetation overgrowth.
10. Geese produce down
If you raise geese for meat, don’t forget to keep the down. It is light, soft, and has high fill power. Fill power, or loft, is a measure of how puffy the down is. The more loft it has, the lighter it is and the more warm air it can trap, therefore the warmer it is. Goose down makes excellent insulation for warm bedding and articles of winter clothing.
11. Geese are endlessly entertaining
Geese are persistently curious about anything and everything, and they always have vocal opinions about whatever you might be doing in the yard. Like chickens, each goose has its own unique personality, making geese fun to have. And their swan-like appearance gives them an aesthetic air of elegance at an affordable price.
12. Geese are long-lived
The average lifespan of a domestic goose is somewhere between 15 and 20 years. However, treated well and protected from predators, domestic geese have been known to survive as long as 40 years. So when you keep geese in your backyard, you can count on spending many years enjoying their company.
And that’s today’s news from the Cackle Coop.
Gail Damerow has written several books about keeping poultry, many of them available from the Cackle Bookstore.
