Angel Wings

Everyone who meets Wilbur will ask, "whats up with his wing?"

Wilbur has a incurable anatomical condition called Angle Wing. It also is called Slipped Wing, Crooked Wing, and Drooped Wing.

Two theories are floating around as to the cause of Angle wing.
First thought is diet, and a diet high in protein.
All the feed stores carry a game bird starter and grower, which is recommended for ducks and geese. The game bird starter is higher in protein compared to chick starter used for chickens. I personally make it a practise to use chick starter. I am not rising birds to rush to market, so to me, slower growth = stronger birds.

The second theory is genetic. I tend to lean toward this theory and believe it could even be a combination of the two.

Thankfully Wilbur has not figured out that he is a goose. he does not follow all the other geese down to the river, and is very happy to hang out around the house. If he choose a life on the river he most likely would not survive the winter.
When a goose or duck is afflicted with Angle Wing,the last joint of the wing is twisted with the wing feathers pointing almost straight out, instead of lying snug against the body. With these feathers protruding out, they most certainly would collect ice until the bird could no longer swim or move, and would freeze to death, or be caught by a predator.

So we are very happy that every night Wilbur marches to the chicken house, climbs up the steps and spends the night safely out of the weather.