When dealing with pests and insects, swatting and killing them seems a more effective and long-term solution. However, when it comes to larger birds like geese, the last thing you want to do is kill them or hurt them inhumanely.
Geese are hands down one of the most stunning-looking wildfowls you will come across. However, they are not the loveliest birds to have around with you. Besides the dirtying and the bird droppings, geese also make screeching noises that will surely piss off your neighbors and put you on a bad list in the neighborhood.
Also read: How to Get Rid of Groundhogs? | 11 Effective Remedies
In this post, we want to share the best ways to get rid of geese in the most humane ways without hurting them.
Table of Contents
List of Ways to Get Rid of Geese
Geese droppings are infectious, especially for pets and children who unknowingly put their hands in their mouths, cross-contaminating their health with the infectious components. So, if you have a lot of geese running around in your yard and want to keep them out, the following are the best ways.
1. Try Geese Repelling Lighthouse
Like most fowl birds, Geese don’t enjoy direct exposure to bright lights. They are uncomfortable, and not to mention, they leave them in a perplexed state. So, if you can’t get your hands on these repelling lights, installing bright strobe lights do the same thing.
When you have a brightly illuminated area, keeping the geese out of the perimeter of your yard and your home becomes a lot easier. Most of these lights are motion censored, so it lights up the moment it senses movement, making the area inhabitable for the bird.
2. Get a Predatory Decoy
Geese are peaceful and often like to keep to themselves, especially when they aren’t in multiples. However, they are scared easily, especially when it comes to larger predators like dogs and coyotes. While having a coyote isn’t possible, you can install a fake decoy that will keep the geese out of your home.
When keeping such decoys, ensure you leave them in areas that make them visible so the bird will see them and not take a chance of stepping inside the perimeter of the yard or your home.
3. Grow Taller Grass
Any backyard grass taller than 6 inches is a no-go for the geese, especially the Canadian geese. This is because taller grass puts them at risk of getting hunted by other predators. So, geese often associate tall grass with a risky zone; hence such areas are highly inhabitable for these birds.
So, if you want the geese to loathe staying in your yard or around the house, you can consider growing your grass tall. However, remember that taller grass also comes with many other complications, so weigh your pros and cons.
4. Install a Sprinkler
Nobody likes getting sprayed on themselves unnecessarily, and so do the geese. So, to prevent them from unnecessarily moving around in your backyard and dirtying the area, install motion-detected sprinklers in the ground.
These are highly effective and safe for the geese but also very potent in getting rid of them and preventing them from returning. Most of these sprinklers are even handy in watering your plants, so you get multiple benefits in one.
5. Sharp & High-Frequency Noise
Noise is a bird’s worst enemy. The distress calls from most bird noise devices are enough to frustrate the bird and make it flee from the area. Many of these devices emit ultrasonic sounds, which keep the geese out of the house and prevent them from returning.
However, the only downside to using such devices is that they must remain switched throughout the day. You can’t time when geese are going to trespass on your property. So, having an automated distress call device is your safest bet.
6. Get Rid of Food Sources
If you have geese coming around and infiltrating your home, chances are that they are in search of food, and your house or your backyard provides them with that. Food sources aren’t just human food sources; they can be an overgrown garden, insects and worms around the backyard, or even an open trash can that you have lying around the house.
Geese even eat grass, so even the staple grass in your yard can serve as a good food source. The best way to make the grass an unfavorable treat for them is by spraying it with methyl anthranilate. This changes the taste and makes it awful.
7. Secure the Pond
Geese love ponds and lakes, as their basic nature pertains them to. So, if you don’t want these birds to find a permanent home for themselves, we’d highly recommend fencing or gridding the ponds and lakes around your home with a mesh wire. You can even fence the area to prevent them from gaining access to the pond.
You must do this as a primitive step because once the geese find a pond to live in, they will not want to go away or go out of it, making it nearly impossible for you to get a hold of them.
8. Try Methyl Anthranilate
Since we are discussing humane ways to get rid of geese from your house or backyard, we wanted to offer a safer repellent choice. Methyl anthranilate is a safer repellent that comes in a sprayable form that you can easily spray around the yard or garden and call it a day.
The chemical is extracted from grapes, so it is comparably safer for birds, children, and pets if they come in contact with the same. However, the strong grape smell in this repellent is what keeps the geese away.
9. Don’t Leave Water Sources
Geese are inclined towards the water and find water bodies they can relax in. This includes ponds, pools, lakes, etc. So, if you have an open pool in your home, cover it or fence it. This is extremely important if you live in an area with easy access to geese flocking into the homes without warning.
Also, if you don’t use the pool currently, your best bet would be to close it off permanently and drain the water, so there are no chances of the geese gaining access to it. This is the best way to get rid of geese from your home.
10. Preventing Nesting
If the flock of geese in your backyard stays persistent and doesn’t deter from their place even after you try all the methods, they are nesting. This is where the complications start. Once the geese start nesting, it will become nearly impossible for you to get rid of them and out of your house.
So, ideally, you want to stay vigilant. Look out for their behavior or patterns in their behavior. If you find them going into hidden spots, look for any presence of nests around. If you find any, get rid of them immediately before things turn for the worse.
11. Get Yourself a Dog
Why worry about making a decoy predator when you can have a real one for yourself? Geese are afraid of larger dog breeds like German Shepherds. If you have an uncontrollable geese infestation issue in your area, your best bet would be to get a larger breed of dog for yourself and train them to chase away those birds the moment they step in.
Avoid getting cattle dog breeds because they will do the complete opposite with the geese and encourage them to come in and stay in the backyard. Training a dog to chase away the geese can be a little challenging, but it should come on easily with the correct knowledge.
Still, wondering how to get rid of geese? Well, we hope not. All of these tips mentioned are effective and show notable results in no time at all. Just ensure you try out a few at a time to see which shows the best results. Also, all of them are humane, so you won’t have to worry about hurting the bird.
Also read: How to Get Rid of Hawks? | Top 10 Humane Ways
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What Will Keep Geese Away?
The available liquid geese repellent in the market are hands down the best way to keep the geese out of the area. They are readily available in supermarkets.
What Smell Do Geese Hate?
Geese don’t have a solid aversion to smell. However, they do hate the smell and taste of methyl anthranilate.
Will Cayenne Pepper Deter Geese?
Yes, cayenne pepper is a good geese deterrent. You can sprinkle some around the perimeter of your house and garden, and the geese will avoid those spots at all costs.
