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Brian discovered the nest while out for a walk. A female Canadian goose was sitting on eggs - eight eggs, eight future goslings. But the next time the man did not meet the brood of chicks. The goose was guarding the only baby, but apparently she was not going to take care of him or feed him. It was a tiny newborn gecko, still covered in slime and thin, sticky down. The bird got stuck under the pipe, almost buried itself in the ground - that's how it tried to warm itself.
Out of the whole brood, the baby was left alone. He was noticeably premature, and apparently instincts told the mother to abandon the chick. But Brian wasn't going to let him die. True, when he tried to get closer, the goose began to attack - stretched its neck and hissed. Then the man took a broom and with the handle drove away the angry bird, and with the other hand quickly picked up the baby from the ground.
The man took the bird home: it was so weak that it could not even hold its neck. He made a warm bed for the bird from a box and litter, fed it, let it swim in the kitchen sink, where there was two inches of water. After a couple of days, the chick got stronger, began to hold its neck and confidently pick with its paws. Here Brian guessed that it was a girl. He named her Waddles, Crooked Legs — because of the chick's funny gait and weak legs.
When Crookedfoot was ready to switch to dry food, the man taught her to peck: he lowered his finger into a bowl of grain and poked it with his finger, pretending to be a beak. The baby goose followed Brian and slowly began to eat solid food. The bird became very attached to the man - did not leave him and repeated everything he did.
"She thinks I'm her mom," Brian laughs. "I think it's called imprinting."
When the bird grew a little and the yellow down on its wings began to darken, Brian began to take it for walks. They would go out on the path in the garden with the Pomeranian, and the goose would run and push along with the dog. A little more and she got her head to his withers - and so far the bird was the size of a small cat. By the way, Kryvonizhka also got along perfectly with cats - and still gets along, even though she is already an adult goose.
On the walk, Crooked Legs ran close behind Brian's mother. No matter how fast he walked, she would spread her tiny weak wings and run headlong after him, croaking anxiously as if afraid he would leave her. But he was not going to leave her. When the baby fluff changed to real feathers, it was time for Kryvonizhka to learn to fly. And Brian did not let his pet down again.
“I have never raised a goose before. But I did whatever it took to teach her to be a goose.”
The same garden path, along which they walked since early childhood, was designated as a runway. Brian ran ahead, stooping slightly and swinging his arms wide. A goose was running behind him, ridiculously spreading its adult wings and trying to repeat the lesson of its older friend. Winter passed, snow fell, spring came - and the goose flew away!
Brian says he tries not to limit his pet's independence. If she wants to become a wild goose, find a mate and fly away, then so be it. Meanwhile, the bird lives with him on the farm, goes for walks with domestic ducks, makes friends with cats and continues to adore Brian.
