Geese are like Marmite — they are either adored or despised. Many people have a story of how they got chased by or had an unfortunate encounter with one at some point in their life,’ declares Samantha Wood, who falls firmly into the former category, raising geese on her Dorset smallholding. Admittedly, the goose’s popularity as the choice of bird to keep has waned over the decades in favour of other poultry, but there are plenty of folk who still find them an enriching addition to their lives.
Goose husbandry can be traced at least as far back as 3000BC and, through the ages, the birds have remained popular, as they need little, but yield a lot. Dr Chris Ashton, author of Keeping Geese: Breeds and Management, explains: ‘Geese required little apart from the grazing of common land, yet provided many useful products: feather and top-quality down were saved, the quills were used for pens and the flights for fletching arrows and the birds could be used as the Michaelmas or Christmas goose.’
Geese have been kept on Samantha Wood's farm since her great-grandparents’ time.
It isn’t only their meat that is still prized today, either. With a bigger yolk-to-white ratio, the eggs are excellent for dipping bread into, something that Samantha has been partial to from a young age, as geese have been kept on her farm since her great-grandparents’ time. She keeps a selection of breeds: Lucy, ‘a very stately lady of matured years’, is an Embden — the classic white goose of nursery tales — whereas Jo-Jo and Jaylo are Brecon Buff. Orphaned Canadian ganders Shelby and Gerald complete the gaggle, when they’re not trying to escape. ‘Once, they performed a breakout and tried to follow passengers onto a local bus. Thankfully, a local lady intercepted them and returned them before their adventure got out of hand.’
Some may be familiar with the ancient Roman legend in which geese sounded the alarm during an attack from the Gauls on the Capitol, which woke the Romans and enabled them to defend the citadel. Although unlikely to be subjected to a Gallic uprising in Abbotsbury, Samantha is familiar with the efficacy of geese as a warning system: ‘There is no need for a doorbell in my house. When a stranger approaches, the geese honk, setting off a chain reaction with the dogs barking, which triggers the parrot to shout: “What’s going on?” The three females have also been nicknamed the feathered police force of the village — a job they take most seriously. They stand on the roadside waiting for an unsuspecting driver to come by, giving the impression that they are about to cross. Once the person has completely slowed down, they’ll nonchalantly turn around and head back to where they came from.’
A Brecon Buff goose dozing.
Emily Caldecott has witnessed similar behaviour in her geese on her Leicestershire farm. ‘Some of them made a nest on the roadside so they would slow the traffic as they paraded up and down. We’ve had people drive up and tell us the geese were attacking their car.’ Such behaviour is usually for good reason, as Emily explains: ‘It’s only during the laying season that their temperament changes; they all become very protective of their area and the males become very protective of their ladies — so much so that they’ve bitten a passing horse, as well as our dog. It gave the dog quite a shock and she hasn’t gone that close again, but usually you can walk through them and they are generally good-natured; there isn’t the risk of them running up behind you like a cockerel will.’
It seems to be more nature than nurture in Tom Godber-Ford Moore’s Toulouse Dewlaps, he concedes. ‘Brothers and sisters can be quite the opposite ends of the friendly scale, which at least makes it easier when selecting which birds to keep for breeding and which will end up on the menu.’ This is the second year that Tom has kept geese at Pennard Hill Farm in Somerset, a family-run farm and wedding venue with accommodation. ‘We have them primarily for meat to supply our farm-to-table feasts. The breed is often used for showing and less so for meat due to their slow-growing nature. However, as we are adding value by putting them on a plate, we are able to make it work and prefer keeping the heritage breeds going. We love having them around; they are terrific characters.’
'My husband trained the spaniel to retrieve the eggs'
Apart from in the breeding season, behaviour can be managed by the way one interacts with them, Tom advises. ‘The less time you spend with them and the less confidence you have with them, the more aggressive they may be. They are wily creatures and soon sense fear, so will take advantage. If buying from new, it’s crucial that you get on the right foot with them and be confident, in charge and caring for them all at once. They will soon come to see you as a friend and the young become playful if you spend time with them.’ However, caution should still be exercised. Mrs Ashton notes that: ‘Suspicious parents raise aggressive geese; tame parents or hand-reared goslings tend to stay tame. Geese get a bad press because they are intelligent, are tuned into flocks and family groups and, therefore, their humans are important to them. Don’t expect them to cope with young children who have no idea about their own body language and behaviour.’
This doesn’t mean that children can’t be involved in the husbandry and, indeed, Emily’s four girls were very hands-on. ‘I remember the excitement the first year we had geese when we found the first egg. At that time, the children were all under seven and egg hunting was a constant occupation. We’d see the crows circling when the geese were sitting, so my eldest would give us strict instructions to hunt for eggs as soon as she returned from school. The girls sold them at the bottom of the drive as pocket money, so it was an important sport.’ Keen to be involved, even the family dog played a role. ‘My husband trained the spaniel to retrieve the eggs,’ reveals Emily. ‘Her enthusiasm to get every last one went as far as swimming down to the bottom of the pond to retrieve very old eggs — although we didn’t sell those!’
When it comes to input, geese are relatively low maintenance. Tom asserts: ‘Apart from shutting them in overnight (some people believe they are a fox deterrent, but a fox will make short work of even the most aggressive gander), they are not time-consuming at all. Provided they have enough space, food and water, they need very little if they have access to green pasture, which they will prefer over all else.’
For anyone still wavering over whether these waterfowl are wonderful or wicked, Samantha enthuses: ‘Our stately individuals bring colour, charm and oodles of character to the yard and village in only a way that a flock of geese can. No two days are the same around them. If ever the day came when we didn’t have geese, the heart and soul of the place would vanish.’ Such words serve as a fitting final toast to the Marmite birds.
This feature originally appeared in the March 18, 2026, issue of Country Life. Click here for more information on how to subscribe.