permaculture

["Marjory Glowka" <forestgarden@gvtc.com>]

Hello,

I keep a flock of geese in my orchard to mow the grass.  I raised them from 
hatchlings with some guienna chicks which the geese have accepted as part of 
thier flock.  It seems to me anything they are riased with, they are OK 
about.

The geese spar with the roosters every now and then, but there is a lot of 
room and it is infrequent. The geese are very territorial, and make a huge 
deal whenever anyone new comes into the orchard.  They are not good at 
protecting livestock from predators, and in my experience, not really that 
good at alerting others of danger, although it seems they should.

Some of the bigger ganders did attack my smallest child (5 years old) and 
were generally quite rough (biting, chasing, loud honking) with my daughter 
and everyone, including me.  I ate those guys and the reminder of the flock 
has been quite social ever since.  And, thier sense of play and interaction, 
is a lot rougher than most people care for.

They are quite intelligent.

I am still learning.

Good luck,

Marjory