Canada goose (gosling – approx. 2 months old)
Issue: This gosling’s mother nested beside Highway 40 in Pointe-Claire. Once the gosling hatched, the mother got scared off by traffic and abandoned her young. Someone found him (or her), on the service road, and brought him to Le Nichoir.
Treatment: The gosling was immediately rehydrated, fed and weighed.
Result: With the help of a couple from Hudson, Le Nichoir reintroduced the gosling to a pair of Canada geese and their two goslings (who were about the same age). The adult pair accepted the new gosling. The new family grazed then swam away together.
Did you know? Feeding all birds with bread can be dangerous for them. Bread becomes extremely sticky when wet and it can cause crop (food storage pouch in neck) impaction, which can result in death. Bread is very filling and it stops birds from eating more nutritional and natural foods which provide them with the essential minerals and nutrients they need to grow and be healthy. Instead of bread, consider feeding ducks and geese wild bird seed, dry cat kibble, greens (lettuce, broccoli, etc) and corn.
First published in the Hudson/Saint-Lazare Gazette and are reprinted here with permission.