Need help with goose - broken leg?

[granny goose]

I noticed one of my geese wouldn't get up when I threw corn out. A few minutes later I saw them in the front and I was a goose short, so I looked and found him still laying in the grass out back. His one 'foot' is curled up and he can't walk. He will stand and try to walk but only gets one step before laying back down. When I compare his legs, the left leg, at the mid-joint, looks a bit off. I don't know if it's broken or pulled out of joint. Has anyone had experience with this? I am thinking about trying a splint and bringing him inside. I've had these four geese for a little over 4 months and got them as goslings. Two of them have been fighting off and on for the last two weeks. Nothing serious I thought....pulling wings and a lot of noise. Last time I took a gander to the vet it cost a fortune and they really didn't have a clue.
Thanks

[Summerthyme]

Unfortunately, it sounds like a slipped tendon, and I've never found any way to cure those. About all you can do is keep him separate (to keep the others from hurting him worse, and it needs to be somewhere predator proof, as a crippled goose is prime fox food), in a well bedded pen, and feed him (provide water close by in a shallow pan as well). Give him a bit of time and see what happens.

My only adult rooster is badly crippled- both feet are curled and he doesn't walk far. But he's managed to breed all the hens this summer- I'll be butchering him this fall when I have a couple replacement cockerels coming, as I think it's cruel to let him go through another winter. But sometimes they can figure out how to get around... we had an old (at least 26 years) goose who we called "Grandma". She froze a foot badly one winter and limped around for years, but continued to lay eggs and raise a family every spring.

If he begins to develop sores or breast blisters or won't eat- maybe he's big enough to turn into roast goose?'

Summerthyme

[granny goose]

Thank you for the reply Summerthyme. It certainly sounds like you have a wealth of experience to draw from. I've had a pet goose for 3 years but now I'm on a learning curve with the new additions. My goose is a Brown Chinese and very gentle; the new geese are White Chinese and the ganders are as mean as snakes. I just put an ad on Craig's List a day ago hoping to sell a few of the Whites.... I've never slaughtered a bird. Life is going to change very soon though...
Thanks again!

[granny goose]

I just wanted to report that my gander is doing great! I penned him like you advised me to Summerthyme. After 24 hours he could take two shaky steps before going back down so I let him out of the pen. The other geese seemed to stay agitated with him penned and I wanted to see what they would do. I expected the injured gander to stay in one spot because of his profound limp, but when the gaggle moved,he went with them. When I saw him struggling to keep up with the others I feared it might cause further injury, but he has improved every day, and is racing around with the others. Thanks again for the advise.

[Summerthyme]

Good job! Nature and God can be amazing healers, if we give them a chance! Geese are certainly tougher than chickens in that regard, but most don't make it simply because they turn into predator food long before they have a chance to heal.

Thanks for the update!

Summerthyme