Should I help a wild baby goose?

[Landon1117]

Hi everyone,
I currently have a bunch of wild geese who live in my yard (I have 2 ponds on my property) and they all hatched their young just about 2 weeks ago. However, tonight when I looked into my yard, I saw one of the gooselings laying by itself under a tree in my backyard. It was sick this morning, and it seems to have been abandoned by its parents. I currently have 1-3 weeks old chicks in a brooder in my house, but I am concerned that if the goose is sick, it could infect the chicks. I could also put it in my uninhabited chicken coop, but I'm pretty sure that's illegal. The problem I'm having is that I know it will be eaten by some sort of wild animal if it stays where it is now, or die to some sort of sickness. Should I just let nature take its course?

 

[Tenrec]

Whether you find it morally sound to help it or not help it is going to be up to you. You can argue this is nature taking its course, and it could be, or you could argue that since the goose is in your yard, it is being affected by human development.

Working in rehab, we always helped birds, because human interference is EVERYWHERE and you really just cannot tell. At the very least, we could give a bird a humane death. However, a bird that dies in a rehab facility will not go back to the food web so...Really, it's your property and up to you.

If you do decide to help, it is only legal and ethical to enlist the help of a wildlife rehabber. Can you find one in your area? They get a lot of goslings this time of year, and they might even have one this gosling's age that needs company.

If you decide to help it, the first thing you should do is collect the bird, put it in a dark, warm box or carrier, AWAY from your other birds. You are right, biosecurity is an issue. Then you should contact a wildlife rehabber. Depending on where you live, you have 48 hours to get in contact with the right people.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I would leave it alone. Nature will take it's course and some predator will get a meal for itself or its own young. They need to eat too.

 

[Carrosaur]

I would leave it. It's illegal and if it is sick there is no need to take it in. Natural selection is sad but real and we should allow it to happen