Species · Poultry

Goose

Anser anser domesticus

Domesticated from the greylag goose in Europe and the swan goose in Asia — grazing livestock, guard animal and decades-long companion in one.

The goose is the most misjudged animal in the poultry yard. It is not an oversized duck: it is a grazing herbivore that lives on lawn, bonds to people and to its mate for decades, and guards the property with a commitment no alarm system matches. The famous temper is real but seasonal — a spring gander defending a nest means it — and the noise is a feature the neighbours get no vote on. For acreage with grass to spare, a pair of geese is one of the great long-haul keepings; for a suburban yard, it is a misunderstanding waiting to happen.

At a glance

Lifespan: 15–25 years, sometimes more
Adult weight: 4–9 kg by breed
Eggs: 20–50 a year in a spring season — not an egg bird
Minimum housing: Night shelter, grazing ground and water to bathe in
Company: Pairs or small gaggles; they bond for life
Noise level: The honk is the point — geese announce everything, loudly
Diet: Grass first; waterfowl pellets balance, not replace, the paddock
Predator-proofing: Size deters nothing at night — foxes take adult geese; shut them in
With children: Fine outside breeding season; in spring the gander disagrees

Breeds · 4 listed

Embden the white giant, Toulouse the grey heavyweight, the Chinese the slender knob-billed sentry, the Pilgrim the rare farm goose whose sexes hatch in different colours.

Embden
Toulouse
Chinese
Pilgrim

Right for you if

There is real grass — a grazed paddock or big yard, not a courtyard.
A twenty-year animal with opinions suits the household's horizon.
You want a sentry as much as a pet; nothing arrives unannounced again.
The nearest neighbour is far enough away to think the honking is charming.

Wrong for you if

Spring visits from small children are non-negotiable and unsupervised.
The block is suburban and the fence line is shared.
You want eggs on a chicken's schedule.
Nobody wants to be escorted around their own yard by a bird with a grievance.

Welfare and sourcing — read this part

Geese are grazers: the veterinary manual feeds geese and swans as herbivores, on the same largely plant-based diet as grazing ducks.¹ Real grass is the point of keeping one — pellets balance the diet, they do not replace the paddock.
Goslings grown too fast on rich, unrestricted feed are the classic case of angel wing and slipped tendon — the growth deformities of large waterfowl.¹ Slow is sound: a proper starter, then grass.
Ducks and geese need several times the coop and run space of a chicken.² "It is just a big chook" is how geese end up in housing that fits neither their bodies nor their tempers.
Meet an adult gander in spring before you commit. The guarding that makes geese legendary is not a malfunction, and it does not take the season off because visitors are expected.

Sources

Nijboer J, Fens A. Nutrition in Waterfowl. MSD Veterinary Manual, professional edition. MSD Veterinary Manual 2025. Accessed 2026-09-07. International MSD Veterinary Manual Feeding chicken pellets to waterfowl is not advised: they generally contain less protein and fewer vitamin and mineral supplements than waterfowl require. Diets of only bread, lettuce and corn lead to protein and multiple vitamin deficiencies, which often show as poor plumage, swollen joints and pododermatitis. Excessively rapid growth in large waterfowl must be avoided to prevent bone and joint deformities such as angel wing and perosis (slipped tendon). Swans and geese are fed the same largely herbivorous diet as grazing ducks.
Sato Y. Management of Backyard Poultry. MSD Veterinary Manual, professional edition. MSD Veterinary Manual 2024. Accessed 2026-09-07. International MSD Veterinary Manual Laying hens need roughly 0.15–0.2 m² each inside the coop and 0.75–1 m² of outside run; ducks and geese need about triple that. Predator fencing should extend at least 30 cm into the ground with the top of the enclosure covered. Layer diets fed to non-laying, growing birds can cause irreversible kidney damage from the high calcium content. Where game-bird starter is unavailable, turkey starter at 25–28% crude protein is the recommended substitute. Overfeeding meat-type birds can result in musculoskeletal disorders, and keeping commercial broiler breeds in a backyard setting is strongly discouraged.

Every source here was checked, not recalled. Where this page makes a health statement and no source appears against it, that is not an oversight we have hidden — it means the claim is not yet sourced, and the build reports how many are in that state.

Availability, registration and keeping requirements differ from place to place. Check the rules where you live before you commit to any animal — we describe animals, not law.