Gosling With No Lower Bill

[Chickies-duckies-etc]

The gosling is piped at the small end of the egg so I have been watching to make sure it is ok. Finally enough of the shell is removed to see the bill and there is no lower bill at all. It looks like there is the hinge? The upper bill looks smaller and more narrow than the other goslings, but since it is not out of the shell yet I don't know if there will be other problems also. It looks like it is probably a brown chinese. (mixed flock) The blood vessels have not dried down, so I am waiting for that before any more shell is removed, and to see if it can get on out by itself.

The question: can it survive, eat, drink, etc?

Needless to say, this is upsetting. Two other goslings have hatched and look great. Several more have piped.

 

[bock]

That is so sad.

My guess is you will have to cull it.

 

[Goosehaven]

That is soooo sad! It wouldn't be able to scoop up water to drink or grab food to eat without a lower bill.

 

[wvgal61]

update please

 

[marathonmultiplesmom]

A family I know has a chicken like that and they choose to hand feed her every day and she is now a few years old and thriving but I'd say the odds for survival are against you. I wouldn't even know where to start with caring for it. I opened an egg that died in hatch before and the bill was slightly deformed on one side but I've yet to see any with the bottom half missing. Sorry to hear about that.

 

[Chickies-duckies-etc]

Came in from doing the chores.... No progress on the gosling. Veins still full. Another gosling hatched and is doing great. Those three are such nice big healthy goslings.

 

[Hillside]

I have heard of goslings hatching with a shortened lower bill but not one that was pretty much missing. The shortened bill guys did thrive but your own may be too extreme if it really is entirely gone.

 

[Chickies-duckies-etc]

Since that gosling was the first one to pip and it was stuffed in the small end of the egg, I did proceed to remove some more shell this morning. The yolk had not all absorbed, so it is wrapped tight and back in for some more time (hopefully). Doesn't look good though. At least its head is out so it can breath better. It is the upper bill that is gone instead of the lower one. With the head out of the shell the perspective is better. <grin> Its legs were in the wrong positions, also. Time will tell if it will untwist right and be ok. It just looks and acts weak, but that may be because it is not really ready to hatch. Those judgement calls on what to do is sure hard to make sometimes.

On the good side, there are 7 big, healthy goslings filling the bator this morning. One more has piped and some more should. Hope those slow ones are ok. Some of the eggs were put in later in the same day.

 

[JordanFamily]

Quote:
I think it would probably be bets to cull it... I think it was bad enough when you said the lower beak but without the top there is nothing protecting his airway and sinus cavity which means he will die of starvation or an infection... It would also be easy for somthing to get into his windpipe and sufocate him... If you put a piece of food in it almost certainly wood choke on it and die of sufocation... So sorry... Poor baby...

 

[MrsCountryChick]

I'm no expert on sculpting but seen a vet tv show where they did a few repairs on some birds, duck & even smaller birds that had beak problems some from birth others from an accident....... they used a kind of hardening kind of clay they used to 'build' a beak, top or bottom for the birds. Maybe you could research hardening clay & see if you could find some that you could mold on to form a beak?? or know someone that has experience with molding clay to help.?? Good luck!!! Where there's a will there's a way!