Overview

Many growers across the country benefit from the unusual trait of geese eating grass and certain plants with relish without paying attention to the blueberry or strawberry plants you are growing. Geese will eat grass and weeds next to plants that you couldn’t hoe or cultivate without damaging the plant roots.

Proper use of geese for weeding can almost eliminate the need to hoe and pull up grass and weeds. This can go a long way in replacing expensive labor.

Advantage

It is far from controlling weeds organically without the use of herbicides.
Replaces the costly manual labor of digging and weeding.
It can be used to control problem grasses and some weeds.
I will not eat your plants.
The geese will clean irrigation ditches and fence lines.

Disadvantages

Requires fencing them off in the area and moving them to a new area as needed
It requires training them on what plants to eat while they are small and growing.
they are very messy
they are vegetarians. They will not eat insects. That can be a struggle in the blueberry patch, particularly for caterpillars that will eat the leaves of your plants…
Geese tendency to compact the soil and cover it

How to use geese for weeding

Weeding geese (weeding geese) should be placed in fields early in the year, when grass and weeds are just beginning to grow. Under average circumstances, two to four geese per acre are sufficient in row plantings. Favorite geese for weeding are Chinese white geese. The nylon woven wire electric fence is quite successful and moves without difficulty. The fence should be three to four feet high.
Weeder geese tend to eat ripe berries. They can also damage some of the newly emerging blueberry canes, so the timing of their use should be adjusted accordingly.

Uses of Geese for Weeding

Strawberry growers have used weeding geese for several years. Weeder geese can also be used in blueberry fields. Flower growers use geese on chrysanthemums, roses, peonies, lilies, dahlias, gladioli and others. Geese have also been used by growers of mint and asparagus, onions, potatoes, tobacco, sugar beets, grapes, raspberries, and other small fruits.

field management

Young chicks up to 8 weeks of age, if put out in the field, should be provided with a shelter. They should also be locked in a shelter in case of rain and overnight. The youngsters can be put on the lawn in a few days. Some grain feeding is required. The amount of grain required will generally be around 0.05 to 0.2 pounds per day per bird. The correct amount will be determined by experience. You don’t want to overfeed the geese, as you need to keep them in good appetites to graze on the weeds and grasses. You want to make sure they stay strong and healthy.

Water bowls should be placed at the ends of the row to encourage birds to graze throughout the field. In areas where additional grazing is needed, you can place the water containers near those places. You must also provide some means of structure for shading.

It is advisable to bring the geese indoors at night to protect them from foxes, wild dogs or other predators.

Some insecticides are toxic to geese, so don’t use them while geese are in the field and don’t put them back in the field for several days after spraying them with an insecticide. Fortunately, blueberries have few pests and diseases to contend with. The main problem may be the caterpillars. On blueberries, caterpillars can be a problem, but they can be controlled. Use 1 tablespoon of Basic H in an Ortho type sprayer. Or use 1 scoop in a 16-ounce pump spray bottle. Spray caterpillars and watch them die in seconds. It’s also good for blueberry bushes.