How To Deter Geese From Your Property

Keep geese off of your yard

Canada geese can cause lots of problems for your property and your tenants. Unfortunately, keeping these birds away isn’t always easy. Do-it-yourself goose control solutions can require lots of time and effort and aren’t always effective. The best and one of the most humane ways to deter geese is by hiring Go Geese Go. Our herding dogs herd the geese on your yard, making them believe predators are stalking them and motivating them to move elsewhere. The birds are never touched or harmed – they simply decide to find a better location. Contact us today to learn more and schedule a consultation.

Geese can cause big problems

Why is it a good idea to prevent Canada geese from moving in? Noisy geese can be a big nuisance for tenants trying to enjoy some peace and quiet, but these birds are more than just annoying – they can leave messes, damage the property, carry diseases, and more. Goose control is important for maintaining healthy, pleasant properties.

Overgrazing grassy areas

Manicured lawns can become difficult to maintain when geese are around. Geese eat and kill the grass, and overgrazing can result in a yard that looks less than ideal. Reseeding patches of the yard can be expensive and may not be a permanent solution, as geese are likely return and eat the new grass. The best way to keep the yard looking nice is to keep geese away.

Carrying diseases

Geese can carry viruses, bacteria, and parasites, making the birds a sanitary concern. Geese can carry bacteria like salmonella, e-coli, chlamydiosis, listeria, and pasteurella multocida and spread it through feces, biting, and nasal discharge. Geese can carry parasites like cryptosporidium, toxoplasmosis, and giardia and cause infection through water contamination. These birds can also contract and spread the avian flu, a virus that causes severe respiratory disease in Canada geese and other birds. Keeping geese off your property is a great way to help your tenants stay healthy.

Noisy nuisances

A honking goose can be loud and irritating to people nearby. Multiply that noise by the number of geese on the property, and you’ve got the potential for a loud, distracting ruckus. To create a more peaceful environment for your tenants, it’s helpful to get rid of the geese that reside on the yard and prevent them from returning.

Aggressive behavior

Canada geese can be aggressive in the spring and summer, posing a threat to tenants and visitors. The geese breeding season occurs in early spring, and geese can become aggressive if they believe their young are in danger. If your tenants get too close to a nest or are a perceived threat, geese can harass people. This becomes a major liability issue if it occurs on your property, especially if people are injured. Deterring geese from inhabiting your yard can help keep people safe and help you avoid legal troubles.

Property damage

Goose droppings can quickly become a mess, covering sidewalks, pathways, and the yard. This mess is not only disgusting, it also makes it difficult for people to navigate the property. One goose poops up to 2 lbs. per day, so you can imagine how quickly the property becomes gross when you have multiple geese present. This is a great reason to get rid of the goose population living on the land and discourage them from coming back.

Your property is a goose heaven

Have you ever wondered why geese are attracted to your property in the first place? Geese prefer locations with food, a pond, and somewhere safe to nest. Zoning laws require new construction projects to have an area for water runoff, and many companies decide a man-made pond is the best way to meet the requirements while making the property look nice. These ponds create “goose heavens” with water, food, and a safe place to nest away from predators.

Plenty of food

The yard on your property likely offers a variety of food options for geese. These birds like eating grass and will also eat from bird feeders and food that falls onto the road. Removing their food source will be key in keeping the goose population away.

The perfect place to nest

Geese typically return to the same nesting site for up to 12 years once they find a spot they like. Building walls, rooftops, and parking islands all make great places to nest, making urban and suburban properties ideal habitats. Areas with ponds and manicured grass are especially appealing.

No predators

Geese like to set up a nesting spot that has a clear view of potential predators. Lucky for them, your pond and yard are mostly safe places for geese to reside and provide visibility to potential threats.

Why is deterring geese so difficult?

Having an ideal habitat for geese can make it difficult to keep geese off your property. When geese have access to food and water year-round, they may even skip migration and stay where they are. Bird feeders can attract geese, so it can be extra difficult to keep geese away from the property if tenants have bird feeders. If people are intentionally feeding the geese, this can also make it more difficult to keep geese away. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to deter Canada geese from inhabiting your yard.

Get rid of geese and keep them away with Go Geese Go

The most effective goose control solution is to hire a professional to handle the geese for you. Go Geese Go uses highly trained border collies that stalk the geese without touching or hurting them. The geese perceive the dogs to be predators and decide to find somewhere else to live. We can also keep geese out of ponds by using remote-controlled boats, noisemakers, and allowing the dogs to swim in the pond. No matter which method we use, our goal is always to scare geese away without harming them. While we can’t guarantee you will never see a Canada goose again, we do our best to keep your yard as goose-free as possible. Contact us to learn more about our services and schedule a consultation.

Stop feeding geese

Another way to help deter the geese from staying on your property is to stop feeding them. Remove any bird feeders and ask your tenants not to feed the geese. When the geese realize there’s no food for them, they’ll move on and eventually stop returning to the yard.

Cover your pond

If you have a pond, make it less inviting by covering it with a wire grid. The grid should be located 8 inches above the pond and be made of 12-inch squares. While mallard ducks will be able to maneuver around the wire, the grid will prevent geese from landing on the pond or walking into the pond from the yard. When these birds realize they can’t access the pond, they’ll be more likely to look for somewhere else to live.

Use bird repellent

Canada geese repellent is another method you can try to rid the yard of geese. For example, you can use a grape-based goose repellent that you apply to the yard by spraying the grass. When the geese eat the grass, they experience digestive irritation and learn not to eat grass from the treated yard. While these products are humane and non-toxic, grape-based products aren’t always effective, and you must reapply the treatment after every time you cut the grass.
You can also repel geese by using decoys like fake coyotes in the yard or fake swans in the pond, making geese think that predators live on the property. While this may work for a while, results don’t always last. The decoys must also look realistic for geese to take them seriously.

Scare geese with homemade deterrents

You can create your own Canada geese deterrent by filling an empty laundry detergent bottle with rocks and trying a rope to it. Then, shake the bottle while walking towards the geese to scare them away. Be sure to not hit the geese with the shaker. Eventually, the geese will associate fear with the bottle.

Make your yard less inhabitable

To help prevent a goose population from returning to your land, make it difficult for geese to find an ideal nesting location. Identify places where you’ve previously seen geese nest and place an object there to prevent geese from nesting there in the future. This object must be large enough and heavy enough that the goose can’t move it. If you typically keep grass cut short, try letting it grow tall around the pond. This makes it more difficult for geese to walk from the land to the pond and back, making your property less inhabitable.

The best way to make your yard less inhabitable is by making it seem like an unsafe place to live. With twice daily visits from Go Geese Go, the yard will appear to be home to predators. The geese will believe our herding dogs are stalking them, and eventually find somewhere “safer” to live. Our dogs never touch or harm the geese, they simply scare them away. It’s a humane goose control method that’s more effective than sprays and other repellent products, decoys, and do-it-yourself noisemakers and deterrents. We serve office buildings, industrial parks, medical facilities, shopping centers, warehouses, and more. Contact Go Geese Go today to learn more about how we can humanely get rid of the goose population on your property.