Rescued/Abandoned Canadian Goose

[Feathere6Girls]

I’m raising an abandoned goose. She/he was 2 months on Aug 3rd. She’s recently starting flying around the yard and has gone over the fence twice now. I’m worried that she’ll get injured or killed as we live in town with many loose dogs, vehicles, crazy humans. I’m trying to decide if I should trim her flight feathers since she’s not ready to go out on her own. I appreciate any input!!

 

[Pyxis]

You absolutely cannot trim her wing feathers, that's illegal. You having her at all is illegal. You need to get her to a wildlife rehabber that can introduce her to a wild flock so she can learn the migration routes from them.

Otherwise, she is going to fly away, get lost, not know the migration routes, and starve when winter sets in. If you try to turn her loose when she's older and she hasn't been introduced to a flock she can follow, she will not know the migration routes and won't be able to migrate for the winter.

Keeping her is a federal crime. If you get caught with her, you can face large fines and even jail time. If you get caught with her and she has clipped wings, there's no way you could play it off as her being a wild goose that was visiting your yard or something.

She also wouldn't grow new feathers in until her next molt, which quite possibly wouldn't be until next Fall, rendering it impossible for her to fly until then.

 

[sourland]

Pyxis is correct. Protect her as well as you can, but do not trim her wings.

 

[townchicks]

You cannot keep her. Get her to a proper rehabber ASAP, so she has time to learn to be a wild goose before migration starts. I'm sure you meant well, and you have become attached, but if you really care for this bird, you will need to let go. Her instincts will tell her to migrate, and if you confine her, she'll be miserable, and if you let her go, or she escapes, she'll be ill equipped to manage on her own.

 

[Feathere6Girls]

Oh my, I have no intention of keeping or confining her. I just don’t want her injured or killed in the meantime. With all the people in this group with canadian geese as pets I’m shocked at the response. I truly only have her best interest in mind. Thank you for the input! I’ll contact someone nearby that can help

 

[Pyxis]

With all the people in this group with canadian geese as pets I’m shocked at the response.

I actually don't know anyone here on BYC that has them But those that do have legal ones that have paperwork proving that they came from legal domestic pairs, and they are also usually pinioned so flying away is not a problem. If they have ones that they took out of the wild, they're breaking the law.

It's good that you're going to look for a rehabber to take her; that's what best for her and also will keep you out of legal trouble.

 

[123RedBeard]

No wild critter is legal to keep ... and migratory birds are a federal offense ...

Domesticated Canadian geese need to come from a registered breeder, and you still need to get a permit yourself ...

This might help you understand and help you locate the proper authorities to help both you and the bird.

https://www.fws.gov/birds/faqs.php

 

[Feathere6Girls]

I appreciate the info!! The only reason I posted here was because last week there was a post with pick of the orphaned Canadian goose the person has.

 

[townchicks]

It's totally ok that you posted this, we're here to help. Maybe you'll want to get a domestic goose now.

 

[Feathere6Girls]

I’d love one if I didn’t live downtown