When we moved here there wasn't a goose in sight. We
couldn't, of course, allow that to continue, so we hopped down to the feed
store to remedy the situation, pronto! There were several Swan Goose
goslings waiting there for us, begging to be cuddled, peeping their little
hearts out.
Being tender-hearted and soft-headed, we heeded their cries
and brought them home with us. We hand-reared them all and pampered
them beyond belief.
Unfortunately, when they grew up, we found out that there
was only one goose amongst the ganders. The ganders fought constantly
over the poor goose, and wore her to a frazzle. To protect Frazzella,
we made some deals with various neighbors to adopt most of the ganders as
guard geese.
Frazzella and her favourite gander were adopted by a little
old couple who sorely missed having geese about the place and begged to
adopt them. That left us with Huey.
When Huey was quite young and still covered with down, he
injured his foot rather badly and had to be taken to the Critter Haven
Gosling Infirmary. The Gosling Infirmary (don't laugh!) was a
heavy-duty cardboard box that was outfitted with clean wood shavings, food,
and water. Until his foot healed, I kept Huey and the Infirmary with
me every second of every day. At night I nestled the Infirmary under
the covers and slept with one hand inside in order to keep Huey warm and
comforted.
Not surprisingly, he grew up to be a true character. He likes to be cuddled and kissed, and,
above all, NOTICED. His wife, Hildegard, is as much of a ham as Huey is.
Their daughter, Little Pammie, was definitely a chip off the old block, but
was, to our horror, killed by a bobcat.
We still miss her, as we will forever miss Huey and Hildy
once they've been adopted by someone who appreciates the company of truly
wonderful companions and watch geese. No one sneaks past a goose!
Click a photo to see a larger view.
Mouse-over a photo to see its
caption.
Huey and Hildegard have found a loving
family!
Sonia and Koose have found a home together, which is
WONDERFUL as they've never been apart from one another...
Several types of Ducks also lived here. Pekins, Mallards, and Indian Runner Ducks all coexist peacefully. A lot of the
ducks were rejects who were hatched with problems or developed problems
before the feed store could sell them. I raised them by hand with lots
of Tender Loving Care.
The Indian Runner Ducks, however, were a major splurge.
We bought them from a hatchery because we LOVE Indian Runner Ducks.
They're very odd ducks, indeed, and a lot of fun. Some of them posed
for the photo below quite willingly, the camera hogs!
All of them have been adopted by a kind Duck Lover and
they've moved to their new home.
