The small young geese are easy to handle, you can just pick them up and they don't fight much other than the occasional nip to the fingers.
The adults and nearly grown juvenile birds are a different story, they're a little harder to handle. They're easy enough to catch in the small pen, but once you get them picked up they fight you pretty hard sometimes.
The way they showed us to pick them up was to corner them, then slide your fingers along their back and slip them under both wings right at the base. Then you can sort of pick them up like they've got a handle, they can't flap or push with their legs either. Once you get them picked up this way all you have to do is watch out for their beak cause they'll bite a plug of of you.
When you had them off to the banders you fold their head back and put it under their wing. Then the bander holds the bird between their knees to keep the wings down and them from pulling out their head.
The head bander said he'd banded thousands and never had an injury or fatality so I'd say they've got a sound system figured out.
Destry
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I was as virtuously given as a gentleman need to be; virtuous enough; swore little; diced not above seven times a week; went to a bawdy-house once in a quarter--of an hour; paid money that I borrowed, three of four times; lived well and in good compass: and now I live out of all order, out of all compass. Falstaff - Henry IV
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