[HesterF]

My first question of many. We have one paddock which is about 1.4 acres, has a few very old Bramley apple trees (they were already old when our neighbours moved in in 1936), an overgrown natural pond (which is quite silted up and I need some expert advice on), a few other mature trees but mostly good quality grass. We're going to plant some new fruit trees so about half will be orchard, the other half open grass. Oh, and an occupied badger sett.

My thoughts were to have some geese permanently in there to take advantage of the pond, with sheep and alpacas rotating through. But in the absence of the other grazers, the geese will not be able to keep the grass down (which is clearly the point of rotating anyway). Would the geese be sensible enough to stick to the same small patch just to catch the fresh shoots coming through or would they randomly wander and give themselves crop problems with the longer grass? And along the same lines, would we be able to use the majority for hay making i.e. let it grow May through August without causing them problems? We could mow a section to keep it down for them but I'm hoping they'll be self selective enough to just choose a patch that's the right size for them to graze? If they don't do that, should we rotate them along with everything else even if it means putting them in the other paddocks with just a big paddling pool (or whatever)?

My other questions relate to the badger sett. Will the badger cause the geese problems? Or goslings? Should we keep some Alpacas in there as guardians permanently? And a really stupid question that's puzzling me quite a lot - how do we arrange the fencing so the badger can get in and out but the geese/lambs of a similar size can't? Clearly he could just dig a big hole under any fence we put in but then they could all follow him out? Or is there a cat flap type arrangement that a big fat badger could shift but lighter animals couldn't? We can see his routes so we might be able to do something like that. Anybody tried it?

Thanks,

Hester

[HesterF]

No geese advice? I've posted the badger stuff elsewhere. So the key question is whether geese are clever enough to just graze the bits that will be OK for them or will they take on grass that is too long even if shorter grass is available?

You all know more than I do so just pitch in what you know!

Thanks,

Hester

[Penninehillbilly]

Its late so I'll read again tomorrow, but first thoughts are badgers would take goslings.

[Penninehillbilly]

Just see your other post so badger Q being discussed, though if it were me I would encourage them to move elswhere, (after losing ducklings and lots of eggs, even goose eggs being found down near a sett) they don't like Jeyes fluid sprinkled round.
My geese have quite a range, certain areas they seem to keep fairly short, but they are often in the longer grass as well, not had a problem with impaction.
If you are rotating the other animals I should think the geese will take advantage of the shorter grass left behind. You could occasionally mow small areas for them?
An old saying - '3 geese eat as much as a cow',
Geese and orchards are traditional, I think it sounds good.
Apart from the badgers 
How close to the external fence is the sett? could you fence a way straight to an 'exit'? Or would a neighbour be a bit annoyed?
Badgers don't like a low electric fence either, but grass would have to be kept short. Rutland fencing website has some info.

[HesterF]

The badgers sett if pretty much bang in the middle and with two routes in and out at opposite sides. It's also right on the bank of the pond so we can't even fence just a little section off around the pond. The only thing I could possibly do would be to try and secure the goose house to keep them in at night but I gather they will lay anywhere and everywhere so I imagine their eggs will never be secure? Glad to know the rest of it sounds good - we still have to sort out the pond i.e. try and work out why it's so seasonal (just mud now) - so who knows whether Mr.Badger might move  on in the mean time with all the intrusion (children peering down his hole on a daily basis may not be encouraging him to hang around)  .

Thanks for the info - I'm sure I'll be back with more geese qs at some point. Now got to worry about the duck pond arrangements.

H

[in the hills]

Sorry, I know nothing about geese.


However, my neighbour said he heard noises one night and went to investigate. Found a badger attacking his goose and the gander dead.   She had been sitting and my neighbour had built a shelter around her to try to keep her safe. She had to be dispatched.


I have had no encounters with badgers    but I am told they are worse than foxes to have around.

[HesterF]

Goodness - I had heard that they'd take on big animals when defending young but no idea they'd actually attack them willingly! Most seem to eat worms, berries and little mammals like mice if they can catch them. Well it might all be a moot point because after a bit of pond dipping in the muddy puddle that remains at the moment, I've found baby newts and I think they might be Great Crested. Given the geese would eat them and they're a protected species, if we're going for geese they'll have to be somewhere else. Now just need to research newts as well - and get somebody who actually knows what they're talking about to come and see them. All exciting stuff but DH is not going to be happy - possible bats in the 'to be converted' outhouse and possible newts in the 'to be renovated' pond.

H

[Brijjy]

I'm not sure that geese would eat the newts. I've got a wee pond, that although covered with mesh, the geese can still get their heads and necks through. There are tadpoles and frogs in the pond and the geese have left them alone. My geese much prefer grass and corn. My dad has problems with badgers taking his hens. They are alot more powerful and tenacious than a fox.

[goosepimple]

Agree with pennines post.  No badgers near anything, they'll clear the lot.  Geese have snippy beaks and will snip off the tops of longer grass no problem so impactation is very unlikely.  We have bats everywhere and just let them get on with it.  We did remove some plasterboard when gutting our house recently and the bat poo was up to the ceiling.  The bats are back now, we counted 21 coming out of the eaves.