Have a snakes problem in your yard, and aren’t too fond of them? You may have heard that geese despite their looks are quite aggressive natural pest control. In many countries around the world, geese are bred for the purpose of protecting crops,

So do they actually eat snakes?

Well, that’s mostly true. Geese do love to eat snakes and many other reptiles, including frogs and lizards. But it’s likely that they will hunt and make prey only of smaller snakes.

Geese may be quite wary of larger snakes which they most likely know can be dangerous.

Do Geese Keep Snakes Away?

Yes, geese do keep snakes away, they will likely avoid any confrontation with a goose since they will likely recognize it as a threat and a natural predator, and will retreat to a safer place. It is also likely that the snake will not want to be at the risk of being eaten in a conflict with a goose.

Geese are quite used to the presence of snakes, and often times will chirp or make some sounds when coming across one, so that most likely will serve as an indication to the snake that they are there. Geese are also very good at spotting snakes on land as they are constantly aware of their surroundings.

As stated before geese are often regarded as nature’s pest control, and this is especially true for snakes.

What is The Best Deterrent For Snakes?

The fact that geese will gladly hunt and eat snakes doesn’t mean that if you have a snake problem in your yard, the best solution is to toss few geese and hope that they will solve it.

The best way to get rid of snakes are:

-Use repellents: There are repellents that are designed to repel snakes and other reptile pests, they should be sprayed all around the property and they may take a few weeks to start working.

-Lemongrass: Lemongrass is a great repellent for snakes, especially for this species of land snakes (python). You can plant it and let it grow, or you can purchase it from stores that sell plants and herbs.

-An active snake fence: Land snake will not climb a fence that has plants growing on its outer side, so you just install an active snake fence. The best type of fence are electric fences but you can also use any other type of fencing that has an active electric wire running through it.

-Climbing gates: Used to keep animals out of the garden or to slow down large predators. They are also great for keeping snakes out of the yard.

Geese As Pest Control

Geese, just like ducks and chickens, being great pest control, eat a large variety of insects daily, in the hundreds actually, here are some of them:

-June Bugs: June Bugs are nutritious as they contain a source of protein, fat, and energy and some of them contain essential amino acids. In addition to this, they are cost-effective as they require less feed than poultry.

-Caterpillars: Caterpillars are the larva of moths and butterflies that are food sources for many insects. Geese have developed the ability to digest these larvae in order to reduce their impact on the environment. They are a good protein source for geese, both in terms of quality and quantity.

-Flies: As well as the larvae of flies, flies have a high protein content like the larvae of flies, they can be eaten by geese with no ill effect.

-Crickets: Crickets have a similar amino acid profile to other types of insects, so using crickets as an ingredient in a poultry feed is a very good addition. Crickets are also used as a protein source in poultry diets due to their high protein content.

-Beetles: Beetles are very nutritious, contain a high amino acid content, and are very common in wild bird food. Birds will readily eat them, however, they are not a good addition to poultry diets, mainly because most birds don’t have the ability to digest beetles.

-Grasshoppers: Grasshoppers have a high protein content and can be used for poultry production as feed.

Conclusion

Geese will definitely eat smaller snakes, lizards, and other reptiles. They are generally easy to catch and are great sources of protein.

It’s uncommon to see them hunt down larger snakes since they consider them to be a threat.