Moving imprinted greylag good outdoors

[Fauld]

I rescued and adopted a wild greylag goose from my pond who had been left by his parents at just 1 or 2 days old.

I brought him (Jefferey) into the house and have successfully raised him to this stage, at about 5 weeks.

I keep him in a downstairs bathroom but he is outgrowing this and I believe needs to be outside more. I take him outside a lot and he helps out with the gardening and everything I do but some days I do not work at home and he is left alone for large periods of the day.

I have made an outdoor coop for him but he does not settle in there and just tries to look for ways out.

Can anybody advise how I could help this transition as we can't really keep him as an indoor goose?

We are considering getting him some indian runner ducks to be friends with, is this a good idea?

He is almost definately imprinted and just seems to want to be with me but I cannot be with him all the time.

I do own a large fishing pond, where we found him and he walks round with me atleast twice every day and sometimes has a swim, going underwater too! I hope that as he grows up I would be able to let him out the coop to roam the pond and come back for feeding and sleeping in his coop and would greatly appreciate any advice to achieve this.

Many thanks in advance,

James and Jefferey

 

[sourland]

As a kid I had a human imprinted Embden gander. When he was several years old I purchased some goslings. Within 24 hours he had adopted them and discovered that he was a goose and not a human. The ducks might help his transition.,

 

[The goose girl]

My imprinted goose is terrified of my friend's two runner ducks. They don't speak the same language, and the drake is a bit randy - to put it mildly. She accepts the chickens, unless they get too close, but she doesn't consider them friends or decent company.

Sourland's idea sounds much better. But, your goose is still a gosling. He won't have any parental instincts until he's months older. Is there any way you can get him a gosling his own age? There's a chance they'll bond.

 

[Fauld]

Thanks for your replies Sourland and Goose Girl, that does sound like a good idea to give him some goslings when he is older.

I assume there is a good possibility he would bond with the wild geese that will return to the pond in spring?

I think it would be difficult for us to find a goose of similar age but may be worth a try thanks. It was strange circumstance how he appeared as there were no other goslings on the pond, I would expect 6ish, and he parents were nowhere to be seen. It was fathers day and my father had recently passed away and he created the pond I refer to!

I have read that a single goose is a lonely goose as they are flock animals, would your experience agree with this? And is there any other suggestions for his company?

Thanks again, James and Jefferey

 

[The goose girl]

I assume there is a good possibility he would bond with the wild geese that will return to the pond in spring?

He may even fly away with them. Or, fly away this fall if he sees/hears a gaggle flying through.

As goslings imprint within the first 12-24 hours after hatching, he's probably imprinted on his parents. He has gladly accepted you as substitute parents, but when he matures, he may react as his instincts tell him to.

Quote: Absolutely agree. Goose instinct is "safety in numbers", and no goose likes to be on its own at any time. My late goose, Keld, preferred human company, but she had also bonded with wheelbarrows. She'd greet any wheelbarrow as a long lost family member and rest and graze by its side. I think it was because my two wheelbarrows were always present in the yard and I often used them. They became members of the family. Keld wasn't imprinted on humans, so she was probably more likely to bond with different objects.

As for other non-goose company - I'm sorry, I don't know. Unless you happen to have a stay-at-home gardener in your neighborhood who'd love to entertain a goose while you're at work. What one goose will bond with, another goose may consider a deadly threat.

 

[Fauld]

Thanks again Goose Girl, Keld's bond to wheelbarrows sounds like a lot of fun!

We are swaying towards the idea of helping Jefferey return to the wild as he dislikes being caged so much. He seems more comfortable in the downstairs bathroom where he has been raised than in the outdoor coop I have made for him even though this is more spacious and offers fresh grass and weeds to eat. All he does is look for a way out the whole time and doesn't settle.

We went for a boat ride yesterday with Jefferey swimming along, which was most entartaining for all involved!

I will try allowing him more freedom to roam, it is just he gets scared when I'm out of sight for too long. I fear he might not be able to look after himself alone as he has not grown up outdoors and might not know what to do at night.

He will be able to fly soon so the choice will be his.

 

[The goose girl]

We are swaying towards the idea of helping Jefferey return to the wild as he dislikes being caged so much. He seems more comfortable in the downstairs bathroom where he has been raised than in the outdoor coop I have made for him even though this is more spacious and offers fresh grass and weeds to eat. All he does is look for a way out the whole time and doesn't settle.

It may help if you spend some time with him in the coop so he learns it is a safe and happy place. Just sit for a couple of hours, talk, read, whatever - it'll help him feel safer there.

My goose has just moved to a new yard, and in just two days she has grown comfortable there. We moved the goose house on Saturday and spent the evening with her in the new yard until she was ready to "go to bed". She clearly felt something was wrong, but she settled down in the house after about 15 minutes. Sunday we spent the entire day with her in the yard, "moving camp" every two or three hours. Monday we went back to visit her old yard and some friends' places during the day and came back to the new yard in the afternoon. By evening she was already roaming around on her own (i.e. out of sight).

She always seems to remember where she's been in happy company. She loves a nearby parking lot, because we often talk to different people there. And even when it's deserted, she'll stay there forever and make content noises.

Quote: Geese have great instincts, so if he finds a gaggle to join, he'll figure it out in no time. I'll keep my fingers crossed.