How to Feed Geese Safely

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: February 16, 2023 References Approved

Feeding geese is a great pastime. Whether you’re at a local millpond or a rural public park, geese are one of the most common and identifiable birds. Feeding geese, though, requires some consideration. You can’t feed geese just anything, and your technique must be carefully considered. While feeding geese is generally ill-advised (doing so increases their reliance on humans for survival), with a bit of planning you can feed geese in a way which keeps both you and them safe.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Feeding Geese Carefully

1
Supervise children. Geese attack anything -- or anyone -- that makes them nervous or invades their personal space. They are also aggressive around creatures who show fear, including small children. Do not let babies, toddlers, or young children near geese. They are liable to get too curious and wander to within pecking range of a skittish goose. In the best case scenario, such an encounter may result in a painful nip; more serious damage is a very real possibility.
- Children ages 10 and up are the demographic most likely to understand the habits and behavior of geese, and the reasoning behind the many protocols that the act of feeding geese requires. These children should be invited to feed geese with adult supervision when they show interest in doing so.
- Children in secondary school may be allowed to feed geese on their own. Take them out to feed geese a few times with parental supervision. After they understand the process and have shown respect for the animals, they can be permitted to feed geese on their own.
- While children of a young age should be welcome to watch, do not give them free reign when around geese.
2
Ensure the geese are calm. Geese should be wandering peacefully across the meadow or field. Look for geese who are relaxed and meandering casually about. If they are alert and active, they might be interested in a snack. Feed geese who approach with a friendly warble and show some interest in your presence.
- If the geese are very skittish or alarmed, or are standoffish and do not immediately wander up to you, you might be in a known predator area. In this case, try to move closer to the flock in order to feed geese safely.
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3
Look for signs of aggression. An angry goose will extend its neck and head toward a potential threat. It will open its mouth and hiss threateningly. It may also honk, squawk, flap its wings to look bigger, or run at you. Do not approach a goose that indicates anger or is tending its eggs or young.
4
Do not feed geese food by hand. Do not draw geese to you and have them eat directly from your palm, you’re likely to get bitten. If there are several geese in the vicinity and all are clamoring to eat from your hand, they may start to push and attack one another in order to get to the food in your hand, putting you in the center of the conflict. Avoid this by watching them dine from afar.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Feeding Geese the Right Type of Food

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Feed geese leafy greens. The goose’s natural diet is heavy in tender grasses plants. In winter months, especially, the vegetation geese need for a healthy diet is rare. Giving them lettuce, alfalfa sprouts, and chard will keep them happy and healthy. Geese may find other vegetables like carrots, green beans, and celery amenable as well.
- Veggies like broccoli and potatoes make geese happy too, but may need to be steamed and fed in a warm (not hot) state before the geese can digest them.^{[1]
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2
Feed geese other acceptable foods. Whole oats, lentils, brown rice, small seeds, and split peas are some of the foods geese enjoy. Additionally, unprocessed popcorn (free of additives, salt, and butter) and small seeds like sunflower seeds make good snacks for geese.^{[2]
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Research source} You can also feed geese foods that occur naturally in their environment such as small fish, mollusks, and crustaceans. Assorted vegetable/fruit scraps are also welcome.
- Geese do not like alfalfa and cannot eat raw potato peelings.
3
Do not feed geese processed foods. If we, as humans, shouldn’t eat it, geese definitely shouldn’t eat it. Things like white bread, candy, junk food, fast food, chips, and anything with high levels of salt, sugar, and fat should not be fed to geese.^{[3]
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- Young geese (less than 6 weeks old) who are given high-protein or carb-heavy foods regularly may develop angel wing, a condition which causes their wings to develop in an unnatural way and inhibits their ability to fly.
4
Do not feed geese dairy products. Avoid feeding geese milk, yogurt, or baked goods containing milk. Geese are lactose intolerant. Consumption of dairy may lead to diarrhea and dehydration, which could in turn lead to death.^{[4]
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Feed geese bite-sized portions.^{[5]
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Research source} Do not give food to geese in portions too large for them to swallow. Their throats are much smaller than ours and they have no teeth with which to chew their food, so it is important that you provide food in bits no bigger than one to two square inches.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Ensuring Geese Are Safe When Being Fed

1
Throw food near the geese. Items that will float can be thrown into the water. The brief submersion will help break the foods down and make them more digestible.^{[6]
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Research source} Most food, though, should be tossed a meter or so in front of the geese on land.
- Do not distribute more food than the geese will eat. If you see their consumption slowing, stop feeding.
2
Provide an adequate amount of food for all, when feeding a flock. Place several small accumulations of cracked corn, oats, or green veggies in the area of the flock. Space each pile about 10-15 feet apart. Ensure there is enough feed, and enough space between each pile of feed, to allow all the geese to eat some in peace.^{[7]
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Research source} Concentrating food in one location might cause a feed frenzy as all the birds scramble to get their portion.
3
Don’t feed geese often. Wild geese may become dependent on humans feeding them if they continue to receive food from you or others on a daily basis. Check the area in which you’re feeding for notices prohibiting feeding.
4
Do not feed geese in high-traffic areas.^{[8]
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Research source} When geese gather near roads, rail tracks, or parking lots, the chances of a goose being struck increases. Plus, if geese become accustomed to being fed in these areas, they will learn to congregate there, waiting for food. This will bother people who do not have anything for the geese. Always feed geese at least fifty meters from any roads, trains, and cars.
5
Don’t leave food lying about.^{[9]
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Research source} When you toss food out to geese, if they wander away without picking it up, you need to gather it before leaving the area. Otherwise, the food may attract rats and leads to the accumulation of poisonous blue-green algae in the water. Moldy food might be eaten by geese later and infect them with a deadly lung fungus.^{[10]
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Community Q&A

Question

I have been feeding dried bread to the ducks and geese at my local park for some time. Is this okay?

Community Answer

No, you should not feed dried bread to ducks and geese. I would avoid doing this in the future.
Question

Can geese eat whole corn?

Community Answer

Yes. Geese love corn, and especially whole corn.
Question

Can ducks eat chopped vegetables?

Community Answer

Yes, they can eat corn, lettuce, peas, etc.