This resource was updated as part of the veterinary review process. It was originally published on August 10, 2018.

Consider The Risk Of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI)
Given the widespread risk of HPAI in recent years, it’s important to consider the current risk in your area before welcoming new avian residents. While quarantineThe policy or space in which an individual is separately housed away from others as a preventative measure to protect other residents from potentially contagious health conditions, such as in the case of new residents or residents who may have been exposed to certain diseases. plays an important role in protecting your existing residents from being introduced to certain infectious diseases that a new resident may expose them to, when it comes to HPAI, quarantining onsite is not enough to protect residents from the disease or regional control efforts. Depending on the current situation in your area (or where the new gooseUnless explicitly mentioned, we are referring to domesticated goose breeds, not wild geese, who may have unique needs not covered by this resource. is coming from), it may not be safe to bring them to your sanctuary. To learn more about HPAI, check out our in-depth resource here or our FAQ here.

When a new goose arrives at your sanctuary, there are a number of critical steps that must be taken to ensure the safety and health of the incoming resident, the existing residents, and yourself! In this resource, we’ll discuss important incoming protocols for geeseUnless explicitly mentioned, we are referring to domesticated goose breeds, not wild geese, who may have unique needs not covered by this resource., but as you’ll see, the specifics of your incoming protocols may vary depending on your region, philosophy of care, and unique circumstances. The following information is meant to give folks a basic understanding of the types of incoming protocols that may be necessary when welcoming geese to their sanctuary, but we recommend that folks work with their veterinarian to identify the most appropriate incoming protocols for their residents.

Take Notes!
Remember to keep track of all intake information and records of any new resident. You can find our Resident Record Keeping guide here.

Identify The Specific Needs Of Incoming Individuals

Before welcoming a new resident, it’s important to have at least a basic understanding of their species’ needs so that you can prepare to meet those needs. We provide general recommendations regarding the nutritional, housing, and care requirements of geese, but it’s important to consider if new arrivals have different needs or require any special accommodations based on factors such as their age, breed, health status, known history, or the circumstances of their recent living situation. In some cases, this will be something you can figure out before even meeting the new arrival based on the information you are provided with, but other times you’ll gather this information after their arrival, for example, during their intake evaluation, a veterinary exam, or during your observation of the individual (as described below). 

Each new resident and situation will be different, but we want to highlight a few of the more common situations sanctuaries may encounter and how to proceed:

Welcoming Goslings

GoslingsYoung geese have very different needs from mature geese. It’s important to be aware of these differences before welcoming a goslingA young goose to your sanctuary so that you can provide them with the care they need to thrive. You can read more about caring for goslings here. 

It’s not uncommon for sanctuaries to be contacted about goslings with leg issues (often referred to as “spraddled leg” or “splayed leg”), which could be the result of a slipped tendon or a congenital issue, among other things. The individual must be evaluated by an experienced avian veterinarian to determine the cause of the leg issue and the best course of action. While online sources may suggest the individual should be splinted or hobbled, without knowing exactly what’s going on (typically through diagnostic imaging), you may implement interventions that actually cause more harmThe infliction of mental, emotional, and/or physical pain, suffering, or loss. Harm can occur intentionally or unintentionally and directly or indirectly. Someone can intentionally cause direct harm (e.g., punitively cutting a sheep's skin while shearing them) or unintentionally cause direct harm (e.g., your hand slips while shearing a sheep, causing an accidental wound on their skin). Likewise, someone can intentionally cause indirect harm (e.g., selling socks made from a sanctuary resident's wool and encouraging folks who purchase them to buy more products made from the wool of farmed sheep) or unintentionally cause indirect harm (e.g., selling socks made from a sanctuary resident's wool, which inadvertently perpetuates the idea that it is ok to commodify sheep for their wool). than good. Additionally, improper splinting or hobbling can make the primary issue worse or result in secondary issues, so you must be shown how to do this properly.

Welcoming Elderly Individuals

While some older geese will continue to thrive with the same care you provide to other waterfowl residents, some individuals may require something different, such as changes to their diet or living spaces. You can read more about caring for elderly geese here.

Welcoming Individuals Who Are Injured

It’s not uncommon for sanctuaries to be contacted about geese who are severely injured – possibly from a predator attack or frostbite. These individuals should be evaluated by a veterinarian immediately. It’s important to note that bite wounds, even if they appear small, can be quite dangerous and almost always require antibiotic treatment. 

Adhere To A Quarantine Policy

While the specifics of what each new arrival needs in terms of things like diet or housing may vary, one universal truth is that all new arrivals must be quarantined to prevent possible disease spread between the new resident and others. Quarantine is critical for all new residents of any species, even if they appear healthy and even if you know exactly where the individual came from! Quarantine procedures protect the rest of your residents (and the humans who care for them) from infectious diseases that may not be producing clinical signs in a healthy-looking arrival – an entire flock could easily be infected and possibly even killed by certain infectious diseases. You can read more about quarantine protocols here.

Don’t Forget The Water!
Even in quarantine, waterfowl cannot be deprived of the ability to access water for cleaning and splashing in, so be sure to find safe ways to offer this to quarantined residents! We recommend setting up an open water source that can be emptied and easily cleaned. If a new resident is recovering from injuries, make sure you consult with your veterinarian on how much access to water and what depth is acceptable during the individual’s recovery.

If you’re taking in a group of waterfowl who were living together previously, you can probably quarantine them together since it’s likely that any infectious diseases one has, the others have already been exposed to, and staying together may put the new residents more at ease. However, if an individual seems very ill or is behaving oddly, they should be isolated from the others and evaluated by a veterinarian. When welcoming a group of individuals, be sure to monitor them to ensure that the current social dynamics are safe – just because they came in together, doesn’t necessarily mean they get along well. If anyone appears to be getting picked on, find a way to split the group to reduce tensions while avoiding anyone having to live alone unless absolutely necessary. Pay close attention to interactions between individuals before and after separating members of the flock. Geese form particularly strong bonds, typically in pairs, and being separated from each other can result in extreme distress and lead to depression.

Enrichment Can Help!
Companionship for flock animals such as geese is very important to their health. While quarantine must be given priority for new residents, it’s important to also consider their mental well-being during this time. An enrichment plan can go a long way in reducing stress, boredom, and loneliness for a quarantined individual, and we’ve got multiple resources that can give you ideas about how to do this. We suggest starting with our resources on social enrichment and goose-safe enrichment.

Be Careful With Those Eggs!
If you typically feed eggs back to any of your residents, we recommend waiting to do so with eggs from quarantined residents until you have gotten the all-clear from your veterinarian.

Evaluate The New Goose’s Health

When welcoming a new resident to your sanctuary, you must assess their overall health to ensure you are addressing any issues as soon as possible. This is accomplished through initial observations, an intake evaluation, ongoing observation, and possibly a veterinarian’s assessment of the individual, especially if the new resident shows any signs of concern or is part of a pending cruelty case. Diagnostic testing also plays an important role in evaluating the new arrival’s health and will be discussed later on.

Veterinary Examinations For New Arrivals
If a new arrival is showing signs of concern, you should consult with your veterinarian to determine the best course of action, which may be to have them seen immediately or to schedule an upcoming exam and closely monitor them in the meantime. But what about individuals who are seemingly healthy or who have minor issues that you are properly trained to manage on your own? If possible, it’s beneficial to schedule a time for them to be examined by your veterinarian as well! In addition to potentially catching health concerns you were not aware of, your veterinarian will be able to gather information specific to the individual that may come in handy later on (for example, baseline blood work). Additionally, seeing the new resident and understanding their history will help your veterinarian make specific recommendations regarding their care, which might include a slight alteration to your typical intake procedures.

Initial Observations

Whenever you welcome a new resident to your sanctuary, it is crucial that you spend some time observing the individual upon arrival to determine any immediate needs they may have. If you or your staff picked up the individual and transported them back to the sanctuary, this observation process will actually begin before the new resident sets foot on sanctuary grounds. Through thoughtful observation, you may be able to identify signs of concern that warrant immediate veterinary care or further assessment on your part. This part of the intake process will also help determine if an intake evaluation (described below) should happen immediately or if you can wait for the new resident to settle in a little bit. In instances where you are taking in multiple new residents, your initial observations can help inform the order in which you perform intake evaluations, prioritizing individuals who appear to require more immediate assessment.

In addition to observing new arrivals for signs of concern, this is also a good time to consider your current plans in terms of their care, diet, housing, etc., and whether or not these plans need to be adjusted based on your initial observations.

Identification
Every resident at your sanctuary is a unique individual, and sanctuary personnel should be encouraged to learn each individual’s name and to recognize them without needing to rely on leg bands or other types of temporary identification. When taking in a group of geese, it’s important to think about how to best facilitate the process of your team learning who is who. Every individual will have their own unique characteristics, so it may be helpful to take lots of pictures and write out thorough descriptions for staff and volunteers to refer to while learning everyone’s names. However, if the new arrivals look very similar, additional identification may be needed to make it easier for folks to quickly distinguish them from one another and to ensure information about each individual is added to the correct record.

To help make it easier for caregivers to learn who’s who, you might consider fitting residents with leg bands (ensuring they fit properly and are neither too tight nor too loose). While staff or volunteers are learning names, they can at least refer to the leg band to communicate any observations or concerns (for example, if a caregiverSomeone who provides daily care, specifically for animal residents at an animal sanctuary, shelter, or rescue. notices that a resident whose name they do not yet know is limping, they can look at the color and/or number on their band and then refer to a posted list or resident database to figure out the name of the individual). Compared to other farmed bird species, geese are notorious for losing their leg bands, so you’ll need to keep an eye out and replace bands as needed if they are still necessary for identification. You’ll also need to check them regularly to ensure they are not becoming too tight. It’s best to avoid putting bands on growing individuals, but if you must, be sure to monitor them closely and replace them before they get too tight.

Different styles of metal and plastic leg bands can be found through online suppliers, and your local feed store will likely also carry at least one type. When using plastic leg bands, we find that it is best to use broad, flat bands or zip tie style bands rather than thin corkscrew bands, as these have sharp ends that can cause injury if the band slips over the foot or above the hock1: the tarsal joint or region in the hind limb of a digitigrade quadruped (such as the horse) corresponding to the human ankle but elevated and bending backward 2: a joint of a fowl's leg that corresponds to the hock of a quadruped. Thin metal styles can bend and break, resulting in sharp edges, so if you opt for metal bands, a thicker metal band may be safer long-term.

Prioritize An Intake Evaluation

It’s important to perform an intake evaluation on all new residents. Ideally, we recommend that new arrivals either be seen by a veterinarian or have an intake evaluation performed within 24 hours of arrival, though some individuals may need even more immediate assessment. An intake evaluation includes conducting a full health check to evaluate their overall health and to learn more about the individual, as well as to gather important information for their permanent record. Be sure to follow quarantine procedures while conducting the intake evaluation. To learn more about the intake evaluation process, including how to prioritize assessing and addressing a new resident’s needs, check out our resource here! If, for whatever reason, you are unable to perform a full health evaluation shortly after their arrival, you will need to closely observe new residents for signs of concern and take steps to address those concerns appropriately.

An intake evaluation is conducted in much the same way as a routine health checkThe Open Sanctuary Project uses the term "health check" to describe health evaluations performed by caregivers who are not licensed veterinarians. While regular health checks are an important part of animal care, they are not meant to be a replacement for a physical exam performed by a licensed veterinarian. – you should systematically check the individual’s entire body, looking for any signs of concern and providing any necessary treatments. While there are a variety of issues you may find during a new goose resident’s intake evaluation, there are some health challenges that can be especially common in new waterfowl. These include:

• Respiratory Illness – Depending on the circumstances of their intake, it can be very common for a new arrival to come to the sanctuary with a respiratory illness. Watch closely, both during the intake evaluation and during the quarantine period, for any signs of respiratory illness such as discharge from the nareseither of the pair of openings of the nose or nasal cavity, swelling of sinuses, swelling around the eye, discharge from the eyes, sneezing, open-mouth breathing, audible breathing (wet, raspy, squeaky, etc.), and labored breathing, which may include tail bobbing. Individuals with respiratory illness may look dull and tired with puffed feathers, their head may be tucked, and they may have a poor appetite. If one of your residents is showing signs of respiratory illness, work closely with your veterinarian to determine the cause and to ensure appropriate treatment.
• Mobility Issues – You should assess the goose’s mobility by watching them walk and looking for any abnormalities in their gaitA specific way of moving and the rhythmic patterns of hooves and legs. Gaits are natural (walking, trotting, galloping) or acquired meaning humans have had a hand in changing their gaits for "sport". or shifting of weight when standing. When checking their legs, pay extra attention to their feet and joints (especially their hocks), feeling for any heat, swelling, or crepitus (popping or crunching). Bumblefoot and arthritis are quite common in bigger individuals, so be sure to work with your veterinarian to evaluate any heat or swelling of feet or legs and any mobility issues to determine the best course of action. 
• External Parasites – Lice and mite infestations are less common in waterfowl than in chickens and turkeysUnless explicitly mentioned, we are referring to domesticated turkey breeds, not wild turkeys, who may have unique needs not covered by this resource., but geese can be affected. Because sanctuaries often take in individuals who may have had their needs neglected, it’s quite possible for new waterfowl residents to arrive with external parasites, and they could easily spread these parasites to other residents if they are not addressed before discontinuing quarantine. If you see external parasites or other signs that a new arrival may be harboring external parasites, please consult with your veterinarian. They can assist in parasite identification, if necessary, and can also make recommendations regarding treatment. Be sure to follow your veterinarian’s instructions regarding insecticide application to prevent an accidental overdose.
• Internal Parasites – It can be quite common for new arrivals to harbor internal parasites when they arrive. Like external parasites, these could easily be spread to other residents if not addressed during quarantine. In addition to submitting a fecal sample (discussed more below), be on the lookout for any concerning signs of internal parasites, such as bloody feces.
• Wet Feather – Pay close attention to the new arrival’s feather condition. In healthy waterfowl, the individual’s feathers should repel water and protect their skin from becoming wet, but a variety of factors can cause a breakdown in the feathers’ waterproofing mechanism, resulting in a condition commonly referred to as wet feather. If an individual’s feathers appear wet, dirty, and disheveled, be sure to have them evaluated by your veterinarian to determine the underlying cause. Because the individual’s feathers are no longer waterproof, you will typically need to restrict their access to bathing and swimming until the issue is resolved. You can read more about wet feather here.

Ongoing Observation

Some health conditions may take time to manifest outward signs. Therefore, in addition to evaluating their health upon arrival and during their intake evaluation, it’s important to continue to closely monitor new residents for signs of disease. While all residents should be closely observed each day, extra attention should be paid to new residents during their quarantine period to ensure any potential issues are caught and addressed as soon as possible and before quarantine is discontinued.

Incoming Testing

If you have not already done so, work with your veterinarian to determine appropriate incoming testing protocols for new waterfowl you welcome to your sanctuary. While individuals showing signs of concern may require additional diagnostics, there may be certain tests your veterinarian recommends for all incoming geese. At a minimum, all new residents should have a fecal sample submitted to check for internal parasites. If parasites are detected, your veterinarian will be able to recommend treatments based on the fecal results. To verify that treatment was effective against internal parasites, be sure to submit another fecal sample 10-14 days after treatment. Because of the growing issue of drug resistance (including resistance to antiparasitic drugs), it’s important to work closely with your veterinarian to determine when treatment is necessary.

Your veterinarian may recommend including other tests in your incoming procedures based on the specifics of your region. Be aware that certain disease confirmations may require an official report to your local government. When establishing incoming testing procedures, you may want to have a conversation with your veterinarian about what a positive result would mean for the individual and the sanctuary.

Incoming Vaccines

Based on our conversations with the sanctuary community, it seems regular prophylactic vaccination of waterfowl residents is uncommon. Instead, vaccination is more often used in response to a disease outbreak or to protect individuals in areas where the risk of a certain disease is high. We always recommend working with your veterinarian to determine which, if any, vaccinations are recommended for your residents. If your goose residents have received vaccinations in the past, be sure to ask your veterinarian if new arrivals should be vaccinated as well and to create incoming vaccine protocols for new arrivals. 

When discussing potential vaccines with your veterinarian, make sure you understand both the benefits and risks of any vaccines before using them at your sanctuary – some vaccinations can cause residents to test positive for certain diseases, which could have devastating consequences depending on the situation and disease in question.

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Establishing and following appropriate intake protocols can make a world of difference when it comes to ensuring the health and safety of your residents. If you haven’t already, be sure to consult with your veterinarian regarding the incoming protocols your sanctuary should adopt.

Ready To Introduce The New Goose To Others?
Once the new goose has completed quarantine and gotten the all-clear from your veterinarian, you can begin introducing them to other geese. You can read more about conducting goose introductions here!