Why Are Geese Pooping In My Yard (And How To Stop It)

Watching the seasonal migration of birds is a natural spectacle that many homeowners are privileged enough to witness. It’s a thrill to see the same exotic birds touch down in your yard once or twice a year for some rest. While the experience is thrilling, it can quickly become messy and annoying. This is particularly true when you have flocks of geese leaving poop in your yard every time they visit.

Geese have fast metabolisms and poop very frequently. If you have a yard with lots of grass and no predators, then geese will poop in your yard. To prevent these birds from defecating on your lawn, you should add decoys, put up a fence, add shrubs or tall grasses, and let your dog outside often. You can also add motion-sensor sprinklers or shiny moving objects to scare geese away.

It’s quite common to enjoy geese but hate the poop they leave behind. This green mess can quickly add up, and it can even harm your lawn if you don’t address the problem quickly. If you have found yourself with a goose droppings problem, then you need to know all the ways you can stop geese from getting too comfortable on your lawn moving forward. 

Six Reasons Why Geese Poop In Your Yard

1. Geese Poop A Lot

The reason goose poop is such a problem is because geese poop a lot. Unlike other birds, these herbivores leave a trail of dark greenish brown droppings just about anywhere they land. This is particularly true if they spend more than a day eating and resting at your place.

2. Your Yard Has A Water Source 

Geese love the water, especially large, gentle water sources like ponds, lakes, and lazy rivers. If you have a house on a lake, on or near one of these types of water sources, then you have a higher likelihood of attracting geese. Even water features and larger bird baths can attract these birds.

3. Geese Love Large Grassy Areas

If you have a big grassy yard, then there’s a good chance it will attract geese. These birds love large open spaces where they can graze and relax after long days of flying. Wet and grassy spots, like most yards in early spring, tend to be the perfect places for geese to hang out and eat.

Since these birds are herbivores, a large lawn filled with edible grass is a place where they will eat, rest, and poop until they are ready to continue their journey.

4. Your Yard Is A Safe Resting Place

If you have a yard with no predators and limited foot traffic, then geese will feel at ease, They will also stay a while. These birds have plenty of predators, including foxes, wolves, coyotes, and dogs. 

If you have a yard to keep these predators out, then you may unknowingly be inviting geese to land in your yard and poop.

5. Geese Have A Fast Digestive System

Another reason geese tend to poop a lot in yards is because they have a very fast digestive system. It is so fast that they can go to the bathroom right after eating. Therefore, if they are constantly eating grass in your yard, then there’s a good chance your yard will be filled with the remnants of this feasting.

6. Your Area Falls Within Their Migration Route

Lastly, even if your yard isn’t an ideal location for these birds, you might just be unlucky enough to be an obligatory stop on their migration route. Some birds, geese included, stick to a fairly strict migration route that they repeat year after year.

If your home is on that route, then there is no stopping these birds from landing in your yard and doing their business.

Eight Ways To Prevent Geese From Pooping In Your Yard

1. Let Your Dog Out More Often

If you have a dog, then let it outside as soon as you see geese land in your yard. There may be no better natural way to scare these birds away than a dog. This might scare geese away for good, but when they are around, you should make a habit of spending more time outside with your dog.

One thing to remember is dogs tend to sniff at, eat, and roll over in goose poop. So, if these birds have already made a mess of your yard before you scare them off, ensure you clean it up before you let your dog loose. Otherwise, it will be filthy and can track this mess into the home.

2. Use Predator Decoys

One easy way to keep geese from landing in your yard and then using it as a restroom is to buy and install predator decoys. These lifelike statues will help scare geese and many other birds and pests away. This is a great option for someone who doesn’t have a dog but wants to achieve the same scare tactic a dog provides.

Remember to move the decoy frequently, especially when the geese are flying through. This will help keep them away. If the decoy never moves, the birds will start getting brave and landing in the yard.

3. Set Up A Fence

If you live on a body of water and notice geese usually swim onto your property, you should consider installing a temporary fence. A fence will make your lawn much less desirable, as the birds will have to fly each time they want to exit or enter the water.

The odds are they will stop coming to your yard, and start pooping in your neighbor's yard instead. Once the birds leave for the season, you can coil up the fence and store it until they return.

4. Remove Food Sources

Since geese usually stick around because of food, you should do all you can to remove as many food sources as possible. Sure, you can't pull up all your grass, but there are some steps you can take.

For one, you should never feed the birds. This also means you should remove all food from your bird feeders until they leave. Empty your artificial ponds and bird feeders as well, and get rid of any other easy-to-remove water source.

5. Add More Shrubs And Other Tall Plants

If you are sick of geese pooping in your yard, use this frustration as an excuse to do some landscaping. Since geese love open grassy areas, consider adding some height and texture to your open space. 

Tall grasses, bushes, and shrubs (especially prickly ones) are great at keeping geese away. The less open space you have, the harder it is for these birds to land and graze in your yard.

6. Install Shiny Moving Objects To Scare Geese 

Geese and other birds are frightened by movement and also the shimmer of light. If you want a fast and cheap fix to help reduce the number of geese pooping in your yard, add some shiny moving objects.

You can use old CDs or some cheap garden decorations. The key is something that shines and moves. It might not work 100% of the time, but it can help scare them enough that they don’t stick around for long.

7. Use Motion-Activated Sprinklers

If you find that geese are a problem for several months in the year, you might want to invest some money in fixing the problem. Motion-activated sprinklers are an effective solution to keep just about any unwanted animal out of your yard.

They will turn on and spray geese as soon as they land, encouraging them to fly away before they have a chance to poop. Best of all, your lawn gets watered at the same time.

8. Place More Furniture And Obstacles In Your Yard

In addition to adding landscaping, you can also add furniture, build a fire pit, and other obstacles in your yard. The more objects you have on the grass, the less attractive your yard becomes. Furthermore, the more you and other people are outside enjoying the lawn, the more spooked these birds will become.

Summing Up How To Stop Geese From Pooping In Your Yard

Geese can be fun to look at as they migrate north and south each year. This is, of course, until they start leaving tons of poop all over your yard. To prevent these birds from pooping in your yard, remove food sources like bird feeders, and consider putting up a fence. You can add obstacles on the lawn like furniture or add additional landscaping in the form of shrubs. You can even add predator decoys or install motion-activated sprinklers for a more permanent solution.

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