6 Tips for Getting Rid of Geese Humanely
Unlike some other birds, Canadian geese are not migratory birds. They prefer to spend the entire year in the same place. At the same time, their numbers are growing. Over the course of the last 50 years, there has been a great increase in their population. A lot of this can be attributed to landscaping. As more and more lakeside laws, golf courses, and ponds have been constructed, the habitat for geese has increased, leaving more people looking for ways to get rid of the birds. People often resort to goose repellent pellets but there are more humane ways to make the birds go away. Here are a few:
- Stop feeding them! One of the best things people can do to keep animals from making someone’s personal property their home is to not give them good reasons to hang around. Many people like wildlife and want to interact, offering geese or squirrels human food is one way to do that. The kicker is that the food we eat is not great for other animals. If geese are in your yard, do not feed them. Some people have the idea that if you feed them, they will go away. Nothing could be further from the truth.
- Get rid of any other sources of food. Geese can find more food on your property than what you give them. Before you turn to Goose repellent pellets, get rid of the things that attract them to your home in the first place. Be careful about the way you get rid of your trash. Before it is going to be picked up, keep it in a place where the geese cannot reach it. There are some kinds of grass that geese like to eat so you may want to replace yours, too.
- Let your grass grow. If you are not interested in changing the kind of grass you have, you can make a difference in how the geese respond to your grass. They do not like to eat longer grass so if your yard is full of grass at least six inches tall, there is less of a chance it will attract the birds. If your land is home to a pond, you should make sure your grass around the pond is higher. They also like to be in more open spaces so that is another reason high grass is good to keep them away.
- Frighten the geese away. A more humane way than goose repellent pellets to keep geese away from your property is to scare geese away. Getting a dog, border collies are great for this, is one way to keep geese from making your home theirs is to get a dog that will frighten them away with its barking. You can get dogs that have been trained to scare geese but not harm them. That is the best when it comes to getting a dog.
- Another great goose deterrent is a good decoy. Good goose deterrent decoys do not provide a permanent solution to the problem of geese hanging around your property but they can offer temporary relief. Plastic geese or alligators can keep the geese away. In time, the real geese will get used to the fake animals but this can give you some time to work on a permanent solution.
- Keep a noisy home. Geese are not a big fan of loud noises. Just as effective as goose repellent pellets are sonic repellents. Now, this is not meant to be a permanent solution any more than the animal decoys but can get rid of them for a while. Use timers to make the sounds to scare the geese at various times of the day. Eventually, they can get used to the sounds but you may be able to extend that if you send your dog out at the same time.
Candian geese are magnificent birds and one of the species whose habitat has expanded rather than declined in today’s world. Most people would like to keep them away from their property but do not want to hurt or kill the birds. These tips offer safe and humane ways to make birds find another place their home and offer good ways to get rid of geese.