Here we go again - I'm hatching more goslings!! - Page 233

Thanks for the tips, Celtic.  Buff baby seems to be improving since last night.  He has more energy, is walking with a lot more stability, and drinking a good amount of water on his own out of the bowl.  I may even remove the vet wrap hobbles by tonight if he continues to walk well.  I watched him squirt poop out without trouble about an hour ago.  He's got a little poop on his butt, but his vent is clear.  Figured I'd wait until the next hourly check before washing him up.  Note to self:  For all future gosling hatches, NO food in brooder for at least 24-36 hours post hatch.

In other goose news... I finally allowed the adults into fenced area with my africans this morning.  All seemed well at first, then I turned my back to go into haybarn to get hay for my horses and all heck broke loose. I ran out to see my adults in a full blown fight!  They were facing each other, both clamped down on the other's neck with wings flapping away.  I hopped into fenced area between babies and adults and somehow got adults (while non-stop fighting) out of the fenced area and locked babies safely inside their area.   The fight lasted for about 2-3 minutes (which seemed like an hour).  Even when they let go of their iron grips on the necks, the gander kept biting at goose wherever he could make contact.  In the end, the goose ran off a little ways and gander won the fight.  Afterward, he wouldn't let the goose near the fence line and the babies.   I am rather spooked about it and am worried about allowing the adults near the babies again (although it does not appear that any babies were touched in the melee).  WTH??!?!?!?!

Thanks, Oregon.  I have the call out to get the field visit scheduled. That does seem like the better way to go!  By the way, I would very much appreciate your insight into why my adult pair got into a bad fight this morning.  I have not seen this behavior in them before??

I have no idea what gender they are!! However, I thought that since they were in scouting for nest mode when they discovered/adopted the babies, that they would not go into egg laying mode as they have been in guarding babies mode for the last month? 

Regardless of gender, what do I do now? 

Thanks, Goosed.  Little buff baby appears to be steadily improving.  I washed his little butt again just now, and it was not nearly as bad or caked on as last night. It kind of freaked me out how there was a rather decent sized hardened ball of poop sticking out his butt last night.  I also see fresh poop from him in the brooder pen.  Overall, I'm feeling pretty optimistic that he will be ok.

As for the goose fight... I'm cool with the adults having to do what they must to figure things out, but I am not willing to put the babies at risk.  What is the best way to integrate them together?