Are geese taking over your yard? Do they eat up all the grass and leave behind a mess? Do they wake you up in the morning with their honking? Don’t despair! We can help. Keeping geese out of your yard is easy if you take a few simple steps.
Nobody likes feeling invaded by unwanted visitors, but with my tips on keeping geese away, you can rest assured knowing that your yard is yours again.
Geese
Geese are waterfowl that have been known to be relentless when it comes to invading yards and properties. They’re social birds, so they often flock in groups of up to 30 or more. Geese can cause a lot of damage to both your lawn and garden due to their sharp bills, which they use for feeding on grasses, weeds, and other vegetation. In addition to the destruction they cause, geese also create loud noises with their honking, as well as plenty of mess with their droppings. If you want to keep them away from your home turf, there are several solutions you can try out.
What Attracts Geese?
Geese are often attracted to lawns that are well-maintained with plenty of green grass for them to feed on. This means if you’ve got a beautiful backyard and want to keep it looking its best and you don’t want it ruined by geese. To figure out whether or not you have an issue with geese in your yard, look around for telltale signs such as droppings, feathers, or tracks. If they’re present, it’s time to start taking steps toward getting rid of them!
Decoys
The use of natural predators is key when trying to get rid of geese from your yard. You can use decoys like this coyote.
Flambeau Coyote Decoy
Coyote Decoy
- Predator decoy
- Deterrent for rodents, geese, and smaller bird species,
- Place in or near barns, gardens, orchards, ponds, etc
- Fully assembled 30″ L x 9″ W x 25″ H
Another great decoy is the use of an alligator head, especially if you have a swimming pool.
GARTENGERATE Pond Floating Alligator Head Decoy
Alligator Decoy
- Super Realistic Crocodile Head
- Lifelike appearance and eyes deters raccoons, ducks, geese, birds
- Made of Natural Resin
When using a decoy make sure you move them around every so often or the geese will catch on.
Preventing Geese From Entering Your Yard
Physical Barriers
Geese graze constantly, and grazers walk around nibbling their food supply. They don’t fly from area to area; therefore, putting up a fence is a great option. In doing so, it will cut access from their food supply to their resting area, making someone else’s yard more desirable. You can use fencing made from mesh or electric fences are both effective ways to keep geese away and may also provide added security for other animals in the area.
If using a mesh fence it should have openings no larger than 1 inch wide and should be at least 4 feet tall. This type of fence will block sightlines between the geese and grassy areas where they could feed and nest.
Another type of fence that works is a wooden privacy fence, which provides more coverage.
Geese congregate around food and water sources, so If you have ponds or water features on your property, it’s important to use something like a netting enclosure so that geese cannot access them.
Motion-Activated Sprinklers
Finally, if necessary, consider adding motion-activated sprinklers or sound devices designed specifically to ward off geese.
Chemical Repellents
These useful solutions are designed to discourage birds from entering your yard. Active ingredients typically include methyl anthranilate, cinnamon oil, putrescent egg solids, garlic extract, thiram, and capsaicin—all of which repel certain species of animals and insects.
Chemical repellents come in two forms:
Granules
- They tend to last longer because they need less frequent.
- Must be distributed evenly across an area for maximum effect.
Liquid Spray
- must also be applied consistently over a wide
- breakdown more quickly due to rain and sunlight exposure
Liquid Chemical Repellent
No matter what product you use, regular monitoring is key! You may need to reapply after rainfall. With some determination and diligence coupled with these helpful tips, you’ll soon find yourself goose-free–and likely feeling relieved about having your own backyard paradise again!
Visual Deterrents
Visual deterrents are a great way to keep geese out of your yard. The idea is to make the area look as unappealing and unwelcoming as possible. Start by removing any water sources, such as birdbaths or kiddie pools, from the area. Geese feed off standing water, so removing it will send them packing in no time.
DECOROCA Kinetic Wind Spinners
Wind Spinners
- 72 inch kinetic wind spinner
- weather-resistant materials
- easy installation and stability in the ground
- Packaged include wind catchers with step-by-step assembly instruction.
- 60 day, easy return policy and 100% satisfaction.
If you have an outdoor pond, try adding some floating “predator” decoys to scare away the birds. You can also add an artificial owl on a post near the edge of your property for good measure. Finally, don’t forget about wind-driven spinners and flags that flutter in the breeze; these, too, can help ward off geese.
Audible Deterrents
One of the best ways to keep geese away from your yard is by using audible deterrents. These range in nature and can be as simple as a radio or specific bird distress calls emitted through speakers or banging pots and pans. Playing music, especially loud sounds such as rock or classical, will also act as an effective way to scare off geese.
If you don’t want to blare out tunes all day, consider investing in a sonic-repellent device that produces a noise frequency birds don’t like and humans can’t hear.
Dog As A Repellent
You may have success with herding dogs; if you don’t own one yourself, consider hiring someone who does. A well-trained dog will be able to herd the geese off your property quickly and safely. It might take some time for these methods to work, but eventually, the geese should get the hint that they’re not welcome.
If you have a dog, it can be an effective tool to keep geese away from your yard (even if they’re not herding dogs). Dogs can scare off or even chase geese that come too close.
Train Your Dog
- Get your pup used to barking at nearby animals and birds; this will help them stay alert for potential intruders like geese.
- Train your pooch to respond quickly when they hear noises outside – teaching them commands such as “leave it” and “come here” is key in making sure they don’t wander away from home.
Trapping And Removal
Having established that dogs can be effective in deterring geese, it’s important to understand that trapping and removal is also an option. Trapping geese requires patience, but for those willing to put the effort into it, there are a few methods available:
Live Traps
A less expensive option than decoys, barriers, or chemical repellents is live traps. With this method, just like raccoons, rabbits, and possums, geese are trapped and relocated. While geese should be unharmed, they could easily become entangled or injured if not monitored closely.
When considering these methods, take into account your budget. As always, when dealing with wild animals, safety should come first – so make sure to practice caution no matter which method you choose.
Professional Services
If you’ve tried all the options available to you but still can’t seem to keep geese out of your yard, it may be time to consider a professional service. Professional goose control companies offer services such as habitat modification, repellents and chemical deterrents, hazing techniques, capture and removal programs, and more.
When choosing a company for these services, make sure they have knowledge about geese’ habits and behavior in order to effectively manage them on your property. Depending on the size of your land or the severity of the problem, multiple visits from professionals might be necessary before seeing any significant results.
Natural Predators
If you’re looking for an all-natural way to keep geese out of your yard, natural predators can be a great option. Coyotes and foxes are the most common predators in North America, but birds like hawks and owls will also hunt smaller waterfowl. If they become comfortable with their surroundings, they may even stay around!
To attract these kinds of animals to your property, provide shelter with native plants that give them food sources as well as places to hide from other potential threats. You could also build birdhouses or nesting boxes specifically for owls and hawks. Though it’s not guaranteed that any of these methods will work completely, having such creatures on your land should help discourage the presence of wild geese.
The key is making sure there’s enough food throughout the year so that these predators don’t have to leave when resources get scarce—otherwise, you’ll just be pushing the problem elsewhere instead of solving it. Setting up strategic feeders or planting certain crops that appeal to different species will go a long way towards keeping them happy and hopefully make your yard less attractive to geese.
Legal Considerations
Before you do anything drastic, like put up fences or trap geese, check with your local county to determine what is legal in your area and what isn’t. Here’s a quick checklist:
- Inquire if there is an existing law prohibiting or regulating wildlife management in your area
- Determine whether you need permission from local authorities before implementing pest-control measures
- Identify what species protection laws apply to the birds on your property
- Ask about specific regulations for using repellents or changing habitat conditions as pest control methods
It’s important to remember that many species of wild animals are protected by state and federal legislation – even when they become problematic pests on private land. Taking steps such as relocating, removing nests, and more could all have serious consequences if done without proper authorization. So make sure you understand the rules before you try anything! Knowing what’s permissible will help ensure that whatever actions you take to stay within the bounds of legality.
Conclusion
It’s important to remember that keeping geese out of your yard requires a combination of different methods. No single approach will work on its own, and it may take some trial and error before you find the right solution for you.
Overall, controlling geese can be a challenging task, but with proper planning and consideration, there are solutions available so that you can protect your property from any unwanted visitors.