So today I went to the forest preserve to take photos and I saw a 4 geese and 2 ducks, the geese are white and one is brown and the ducks are dark brown, called Chinese something or other.. I know virtually nothing about ducks and geese. Anyway a lady was down there giving them bits of graham cracker, i asked if she knew about them she said she noticed them a few days ago, she lives down the street from the preserve, and she has been feeding them. One of the geese is clearly vision impaired and needs to be fed out of your hand. they were really friendly and swimming around at the preserve and walking along the shore looking for chow. But we feel bad for them we know they were dumped there as they are not wild species. We know of a goose farm a few miles away and we think they may have a connection to there. Can these geese and ducks survive winter and what will they eat? should we intervene or would they survive? i think the one who is somewhat blind wouldnt make it without help for sure... i hope this pic uploads right i took a pic of some of them i feel bad for them and hope we can get them homes soon... i want to keep them together as they seem to be friends. what should we feed them, thank you all so much
the ducks look like perhaps black swedish, and the dark goose in the photo is probably an african or brown chinese mix. the knob on the bills of the white ones make me think maybe white chinese, although these are stockier and shorter necked than mine, so maybe chinese cross with embed or something else. they need a good quality waterfowl / poultry feed in order to do well over the winter, they will not do well on their own. chances are, while they will forage, they cannot provide enough to stay healthy and alive. we feed a waterfowl crumble and either scratch or cracked corn. they should be in a domestic setting where they can get proper feed and suitable protection against predators. especially if one has vision issues, they won't survive on their own. best thing would be to find them a proper home. thank you for taking an interest in their well being.
Where are you located? I think you should call the goose farm you spoke of. Maybe they will take them or know of someone who might. I had a partially blind brown Chinese that we lost to a predator about a month ago. They really should be relocated.
Thanks you guys very much! I'm heading out to search for the goose farm now and see what can be done. If the goose farm wont take them my friend who owns a few geese says she might. At the preserve there is a quarry where they swim, do they need a pond when they get rehomed or how does that work/ thanks!
If you would tell us where the preserve is, members who would be willing to take them could PM you or maybe just pick them up. You don't need to give us personal information; actually you shouldn't, to be safe.
The goose farm can't take them. They can't allow strange fowl on their property due to bio-security. I'd put a notice on Craigslist asking if anyone lost geese and ducks or had some stolen. If you get a response that can describe the birds, then tell them where the birds are located. I'd find out who is responsible for the forest preserve and get permission to remove them before I did anything about them. You don't want to somehow get into legal trouble by doing a good deed.
Thanks you guys, all good points, some i didnt even think about the preserve is located in Big Rock, IL If i contact the preserve about it I feel like they might call some kind of animal control and I worry they would be put down?
Quote:might be good to have a plan in place before you call... either your friend or someone from here who could take them. that way when you call, you can get permission and you're ready to go. they're likely to be willing to work with you if it makes it easy for them. if animal control gets involved, having a place for them to go is a big plus... animal control does not want to house and feed these birds. In rescue situations, I've found if I make the report to them (in order to get legal position to have animals removed) but already have a foster situation worked out and ready to go, they will often take advantage of it. Also, they may have people they work with already who do waterfowl rescue. It's a scary thought, becasue some animal control orgs are more about getting the animal removed than getting them a good home, and they may have regulations the have to work within, but most of the animail control folks I've worked with are in it because they want to do right by the animals. anyway, best if you can find a home and work it out with the preserve, but unless you have reason to believe otherwise, animal control is not necessarily a wrong answer. also, the suggestion you post here looking for someone in your area's a good one, maybe a separate post with "ducks/geese need home near Big Rock, IL" in the title? might post something in the duck section too... 'course I'm newish here, maybe someone who's been here longer has some specific advice on how to do this better.
Quote:they do not need a pond, however they do need access to water more or less continuously. water has to be deep enough for them to get their heads under (so they can keep their noses and eyes clear, and maintain their feathers) but doesn't have to be a "pond". best if they have something they can get in and splash around for feather cleaning, so a pond is great, but a kiddy pool works, and even a deep cat box filled with water will serve to keep them healthy. we use a small rubber stock tank, about 16" deep and 2'x4' as well as a kiddy pool. they're small enough I can dump them every other day (ducks and geese muck their water up within minutes) and large enough that even my large geese can get a full dunking when they want one. they even swim in the stock tank, altough they have to pull their feet up to do so because if they put them down, they're standing in it, not swimming. of course, they'd love a pond if given the option.
Man, your just one state below me (Wisconsin)! I would for sure take them if you were closer! The geese are beautiful! I bet someone couldn't take care of them anymore and thought this place would be best At least at this point they all still look in great condition! But they need to come off the perserve before winter for sure, domesticated ducks/geese will never make it a winter on their own! Hope you find someone to take them ASAP! Your doing a great thing! Keep us posted!
