Sunday, May 18, 2008

Candy and Cane

So named, (according to Madison) because they are so sweet.  I have to agree.
A friend called, two weeks ago now, and asked if we could help with two baby ducks she found aimlessly wandering the busy road in front of a party she was attending.  Mama was no where to be seen, and she scooped them up in a craft storage bin, and whisked them away to us.  (Really, how many people do you know that have heat lamps, cages, starter food, waterers and such just lying around?...so we farmers always get those calls.)

My husband just shook his head and muttered...don't know how he missed the part about my being pre-vet in my undergrad....hmmm

The "ducks" as the city girl called them, turned out to be Canada Geese goslings.    Kind of a love/hate relationship with them in these parts.  Far too many of them have become squatters on local parks, ponds, riverways, and yards and have made poopy pests of themselves.  At the same time, they are wild animals, and we have screwed up their habitat and normal hibernation patterns, so what to do?

There was no wildlife rehabilitator available, and these guys were already pretty imprinted on humans, so when my boss volunteered to take them to her mother's farm in Massachusetts, we agreed to keep them for a few weeks.

Look how incredibly fast they grow!  In just two short weeks they have tripled in size.  They are very endearing - nothing like the happy slip slap of gosling feet behind you as they waddle in determined focus, never letting you out of their sight.

It is going to be very hard to let these guys go...
 

7 comments:

Michelle said...

They ARE beautiful creatures; glad they have a home to go to.

Anonymous said...

In my defense, they were yellow with webbed feet and I didn't have other ducks around for a size comparison. At least I knew they weren't chickens!

And OMG, LOOK how big!

KnitPrincess

melanie said...

Did I say tripled? Your little foundlings have quadrupled in size. ( And relative cuteness). All is forgiven for calling them ducks...

Nancy K. said...

OMG! They are SO adorable! I want one!!!

;-)

(she said, knowing it was not going to happen)

Barbara from Nova Scotia said...

Geese are awesome, no matter the breed. I kept geese only one year because they kept chasing the kids and the dog. LOL :)

Kathy said...

They are beautiful! We so enjoyed our waterfowl when we had them...although I did NOT enjoy cleaning up their space n the barn! It gave new meaning to the phrase, "Like s--t through a goose!" LOL!
Now I am content to share our creek with the mallards and cinnamon teal who nest in the long grasses the sheep don't graze. :)

Michelle said...

Hey Melanie, I miss hearing what's going on with my NY twin! Post soon!