How to understand geese aggression
Are geese aggressive ?
There is this idea that geese are mean and super aggressive birds. But that is not true at all ! Geese got a bad reputation from how they are being portrayed in the media, just like sharks, Pitbull, etc. Geese, especially gander, always have a good reason to bite or be aggressive and that is mating season when the hormones are high or they have to protect their nest, babies, mate, from intruders.
That is just a normal thing to do for them just like any other animals or even us humans ! In general, an animal is not aggressive just to be aggressive, there is always a reason behind it. Hungry, sick, protecting their family, threatened. There is always a reason behind their aggressivity.
But they are absolutely no more aggressive than any other animals. A dog for example, might bite a stranger they do not know, that tries to pet them. We, as humans, are always tempted to pet an animal we see. Many birds just don’t like being petted, especially by strangers.
If you know your birds really well, usually if someone asks to pet one of your geese, you can always tell which one of your geese would be less likely to bite. I totally trust my gander Kiwi not to bite anyone and he never has. Geese are very curious birds and sometimes they will come near you just to check you out. Oftentimes, more than not, they just want to observe you.
Written by Nadia Marie — based on my experience raising pet geese.