the wilds and domestics

Hey everybody i have a question why is it that i can buy canadian geese from a hatchery and not need a permit same with flying mallard ducks but its illegal to own these birds even if they have been raised in captivity all their life actually i have seen this with wild turkeys too i dont understand why its illegal to own them if you find them abandoned as chicks but you can buy the exact same species from a hatchery

This is the same problem I have. I found my mallard drake, Odette, outside of my school with no nest or mother in sight as I think a fox or something grabbed his egg from the nest and dropped it. He was hatched and raised as a domestic duck and thinks he's a human yet he could still possibly be taken from me. What I've read says that they need to be marked as domestic and the most commonly used method is by clipping off one of their hind toes when they hatch, this maybe why you can buy them from a hatchery but not raise them from the wild. I couldn't do that to my poor baby so he looks wild but he acts like a little lap dog.

poultry bro said:

Hey everybody i have a question why is it that i can buy canadian geese from a hatchery and not need a permit same with flying mallard ducks but its illegal to own these birds even if they have been raised in captivity all their life actually i have seen this with wild turkeys too i dont understand why its illegal to own them if you find them abandoned as chicks but you can buy the exact same species from a hatchery

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You have to have a permit to own Canadians. I would think the hatchery would request a copy of the permit from anyone trying to purchase Canadians.

@caesargirl has a permit so maybe she has more insight than I do.

Debs Flock said:

You have to have a permit to own Canadians. I would think the hatchery would request a copy of the permit from anyone trying to purchase Canadians.

@caesargirl has a permit so maybe she has more insight than I do.

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Birds that are typically considered to be wild birds (Canada Geese, Mallards, some Pigeons, etc.) are often raised in hatcheries and sold to those of us who appreciate them. However, the hatchery MUST mark these birds in such a way that identifies them as domestically hatched and not wild captured. Usually this is done by the removal of a toe when the bird is just a hatchling. US Fish and Wildlife recognized this as an acceptable marking to identify the bird as domestic and not wild. In this way, if you were to be inspected, they would be able to tell that the bird was not wild captured.

Any wild captured or rescued bird that falls into these protected categories MUST be permitted by your US Fish and Wildlife regional office. In addition, their care must be documented and you are subject to routine inspections and annual renewal of the permits.

All of this is to protect these birds. For example, Canada Goose Down jackets currently sell in the neighborhood of over 1,000.00 dollars. So, there is a financial incentive to illegally capture these birds and strip them of their down. If you have ever seen a goose that has had its down harvested you are aware of how it injures the bird if not done properly.

I've wondered about this too. What about when those marked domestic birds reproduce? Sure the hatcheries mark their birds, but what of the second generation offspring that are living in people's backyards as pets? Or the third or forth generation that have been given away or hatched and dispersed among areas? I have pet mallards that are domestic but aren't marked in any way because they came from a person who let their domestics reproduce but didn't mark them. One was full grown when I got him so there was no way I was chopping off his toe. If my female mallards reproduce with him and make full mallard babies, am I required to chop their toes off? Because that is not happening. I don't have any documentation or papers because none was given to me when I got these birds because they are domestics.

Thanks @jtn42248 ...not sure why I'm always confused on this subject. lol

Really good points PotatoWaffles and I don't have an answer. I know that I would not chop off any bird parts if it was me but I don't know what the law requires. I have also often wondered what if someone had a bunch of captured wild Canada geese, chopped off their back toe and let it heal, how would the authorities prove they were not domestics? It is very complicated and I am glad I don't have to worry about it.

Ok thanks people i was just interested because our auctioneer at our local poultry auction picked up 2 goose eggs from different lakes and one was female the other male so they mated and hatched a bunch of goslings and they flew south for the winter and just came back home to his place a bout a month ago and since then he traded for 3 more canadians and he has them in a flight pen with a screened top but not his other geese he also hatched out 3 wild turkeys and they freerange on his property and even though wild ones come and interact with his wild ones but they never leave his house i just was visited by a wild tom yesterday and my royal palm female was interested but nothing happened anyway im pretty sure he owns these birds illegally but who cares plus they are mostly wild and have the option to leave but they dont usually leave