Granville the gosling goes to the pub

A man walks into a pub with a gosling and asks for a pint...

It might sound like a line from a joke but Nigel Greaves is serious about raising Granville the young goose, and that means carrying him sometimes.

The bird was ignored by his parents nesting on a lake at Nigel's farm. So he began caring for him after attempts to return him to the wild failed.

Granville follows him around, appears to enjoy being carried - and is a hit with locals in the pub.

They are regulars at the Kinmel Arms Tavern in Llandyrnog, Denbighshire, where Nigel stops off for a "quick pint" on the way home from walking his pet dogs.

"I'm not one for messing about with nature but if I had not helped him, he would not have made it," said Nigel, 54.

His farm is currently home to about 40 wild birds, including a flock of Canada geese which return to nest each year.

All but one egg hatched successfully on one nest and the parents took their goslings on to the water.

Bar worker Billie-Jo Davies said Granville sits on the bar and eats snacks like lettuce

So Nigel stepped in, putting the solitary egg under a lamp to keep it warm after hearing it beginning to hatch.

A few days after Granville arrived, Nigel made attempts to reunite him with his parents but when that failed, he found himself taking on the parental responsibilities.

"It follows me around all day," he said.

The pair had to work out a routine.

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A makeshift bed in a cupboard drawer is the preferred choice instead of a nest initially made in a laundry basket.

Nigel said Granville was constantly calling out until he found he appeared to be content when being carried.

Walkies... Nigel and pets drop into the local pub after a stroll

So he initially held him in his shirt pocket or just under his jacket - but now the gosling is bigger he travels in a bag Nigel has dubbed a "bag for life".

When Nigel is busy, the bird is given a free run of the smallholding, pairing up with Nigel's blind collie and the animals share water from the dog's bowl.

Nigel said he will let Granville decide his own future as he swims on the lake but returns to his house.

And it remains to be seen whether he will fly away when the other wild geese migrate later this year.

"There will come a time when he will have to go outside," said Nigel.

"House training a goose isn't the easiest thing."

Granville the gosling gets to roam free on Nigel's smallholding