Mad goose

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Mad goose
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tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45723
Location: Essex

Posted: Tue May 10, 05 4:26 pm Post subject:

Gertie

Joined: 08 Jan 2005
Posts: 1638
Location: Yorkshire

Posted: Tue May 10, 05 4:30 pm Post subject:

I mentioned to Lundy a few weeks ago that it must be lovely to be a bee-keeper - he has told me in no uncertain way - NO!!!!

The local honey I buy (which I have to say is bloomin' fabulous) has the e-mail and phone number of the guy who lives about 5 miles away. Am tempted to contact him to see if I can go and find out more!

I digress here, but last weekend we had breakfast out in our garden - cafetiere of coffee, some lovely toast topped with butter and honey (YUM YUM). The birds were singing, the sun was shining, we read our gardening magazines. Bliss.

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45723
Location: Essex

Posted: Tue May 10, 05 4:34 pm Post subject:
One of the properties we viewed was owned by a beekeeper, he was down to 70 hives as he was getting on a bit, he was really keen to chat about it once he realised we were interested. After the viewing he invited us in for a cup of tea and slice of cake, really lovely bloke.

moogie

Joined: 02 Feb 2005
Posts: 525
Location: Near Bridgend

Posted: Tue May 10, 05 5:45 pm Post subject: Re: Mad goose

tahir wrote:

The next field was full of bull calves and they all (about 20 of 'em) just followed us around the whole field.

I don't think I'm cut out to keep livestock

I once spent an entire afternoon sat in a very prickly hedge after encountering a mad bull in a field during a plant survey I was doing. It stood about six feet away from me peering at me for hours until the farmer arrived with some dinner for it and I could make my escape. No survey work got done and I spent the evening removing prickles from places best left imagined

judith

Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Posts: 22790
Location: Montgomeryshire

Posted: Tue May 10, 05 5:50 pm Post subject:
Perhaps it was trying to work out what this strange woman was doing sitting in the hedge.

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Tue May 10, 05 8:13 pm Post subject:
I'm with you, Tahir - cows are damn scary - I can only imagine what I charging goose would be like. Pity, cos I really fancy keeping geese - they make fab Christmas dinner (serve them right, too!) I don't think I'm cut out to keep livestock either - maybe you start with chickens and work your way up?!

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42223
Location: North Devon

Posted: Tue May 10, 05 8:24 pm Post subject:
Gerbils are small and unthreatening. You could start there and move up to the larger and scarier guinea-pig.

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Tue May 10, 05 8:32 pm Post subject:

Most cows are lovely animals, the only problem over friendliness. I'm only worried about my feet or the 'other' end. Bulls obviously are treated with respect.

Has anyone ever been attacked, physically, by a goose? They are meant to be good guard animals due to their noise but has anyone been savaged by a goose? Would anyone admit it?

I've been attacked by a mouse and spider, not at the same time though. Spider had a reason but the mouse was just an ungrateful critter.

Lloyd

Joined: 24 Jan 2005
Posts: 2699

Posted: Tue May 10, 05 9:04 pm Post subject:
[quote="sean"] Might as well, they're dead cheap. quote] Hehe....bird on freezer shelf dead cheep....aaah hahahahaha Last edited by Lloyd on Tue May 10, 05 9:45 pm; edited 1 time in total

nettie

Joined: 02 Dec 2004
Posts: 5888
Location: Suffolk

Posted: Tue May 10, 05 9:38 pm Post subject:

As something of an expert "gooseherder", due to having looked after a mixed flock of nine (is that the right word??) for the last three years for my elderly friend, in my experience I can honestly say that the best way to deal with a flapping hissing running goose is to flap run and hiss right back at them, they #### themselves and leg it into the goose house quicker than you can blink.

Putting your arms out wide and hissing is a good way to round up any stragglers too.

Sounds daft but if you are the biggest noisiest goose in the flock they tend to listen to you.

Never a dull moment at my friend's place!

dougal

Joined: 15 Jan 2005
Posts: 7184
Location: South Kent

Posted: Tue May 10, 05 9:51 pm Post subject:

Treacodactyl wrote:

Has anyone ever been attacked, physically, by a goose? They are meant to be good guard animals due to their noise but has anyone been savaged by a goose? Would anyone admit it?.

OK, limited population sample.
The goose I knew was seriously timid. The gander on the other hand could be a real swine (?) during the egg season - late spring/early summer. He would bite. Ankles and bottoms mainly. Painful but non-damaging.
I could deter him by advancing (the counter charge), waving the arms (impression of a BIG goose) and if all else failed, parrying (deflecting) his lunging bite with a garden cane (good thing to carry!). That and not turning one's back on him... Dignity is a handicap! Abandon it early...

They would recognise our car arriving (out of sight) and honk and generally welcome their people's return (day or night), but otherwise they were really very quiet overnight. Not really guard animals. And they had to be shut away from urban foxes at night.
I enjoyed their company, and the eggs, but wouldn't claim they were much of a security enhancement...

nettie

Joined: 02 Dec 2004
Posts: 5888
Location: Suffolk

Posted: Tue May 10, 05 10:16 pm Post subject:
Aha, Dougal! What a pair we are. The biggest old flappers in the country

dougal

Joined: 15 Jan 2005
Posts: 7184
Location: South Kent

Posted: Tue May 10, 05 11:48 pm Post subject:
But we haven't got Tahir doing it yet...

Lloyd

Joined: 24 Jan 2005
Posts: 2699

Posted: Tue May 10, 05 11:52 pm Post subject:
Tahir never flaps...Shaken but not stirred, is Mr T.

Andy B

Joined: 12 Jan 2005
Posts: 3920
Location: Brum

Posted: Wed May 11, 05 7:43 am Post subject:

sean wrote:

Gerbils are small and unthreatening. You could start there and move up to the larger and scarier guinea-pig.

You have obviously never been bitten by a guinea pig. OUCH!

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