Goose lovers – please help!!

[psue]

Thanks for the update Shellie. Thank goodness she had help driving.

x2

 

[CelticOaksFarm]

Welcome back home Iain, hope you get some rest soon!

 

[Iain Utah]

My husband (Iain) and I made it home safely. We did the round trip of almost 1800 miles in 41 hours, including taking time out to fix an axle that came apart on my burb and going to a trailer place to get electric trailer brakes working before towing birds back. This was the definition of a murphy's law trip and I am a little surprised it was a successful mission. We got approximately 70 birds: 25 adults, 34-36 juveniles (6 weeks - 6 months), and 9 babies (3-5 weeks). I am extremely sad about the ones I had to leave behind, but our rig was filled to the max.

Here they are resting in front of my place while we figured out what to do with them. Juveniles were in the front half and the adults were in the rear.



Most did quite well with the trip, but there are two juveniles I am concerned about that got badly mishandled by the owner's workers in the loading process and Iain cautioned me before we left Carole's place that I need to expect these two to possibly not make it. They can barely get up, but they are eating and drinking well now that we are home. I have the juveniles in my dewlap's turnout yard for the time being. The avian sanctuary guy will be up here later to give them a careful once over and possibly take them with him if they need treatment.

Here are the juveniles in my side yard:


I have the babies in my ducks' coop until I can get a better pen set up for them this evening. The adults are in our currently empty hay shed. Hope to turn them out into pasture by the morning, though. I forgot to grab my camera when unloading them, but will take it when I go out to check on them.

Will post pics of the others and an update on the birds in a little bit.

 

[ChristineR]

Wow. What a lot to take on! You must be exhausted.

How many are still left at her place?

 

[Iain Utah]

My best estimate is 30+ adults, 25+ juveniles and 2 baby africans.

 

[Shannonmeans]

Beautiful pictures. What warriors! Wow! I am in awe!

 

[ChristineR]

My best estimate is 30+ adults, 25+ juveniles and 2 baby africans.

Is that a level that she can manage or do they need to go, too?

 

[Iain Utah]

Christine, those are just the geese. She has at least 200 chickens, 40+ emus, 20 ducks, 12+ llamas, a half dozen ostriches, 3+ dogs... and that is just what I saw when going to the section of her property that had the geese.

 

[mendocinosunris]

Glad you made it back safely!

 

[StevenW.]

Oh wow.. Poor babies! I wish we lived closer! I would have loaded up the trailer and Escalade and bought some of those White Africans for myself!

I feel so sorry for those poor animals.. The breeds of geese she has are so very rare and I can't even imagine them going to be someones dinner! (