My four week old Toulouse gosling is acting very odd and I think he may be sick. He is about 1 lb (roughly) and is about half the size of his hatch-mates. He is lethargic and quiet and takes a back seat in the flock. He is hanging out with my 3 week old goslings, but have outgrown him too. Next he'll have to stay with the 2 week olds! He's been outside with his buddies, so I'm not sure how much he has been eating/drinking. I've brought him inside though. He has been acting lethargic for maybe 2 days, but he has always been the very quiet gosling who would walk away from the rest and do his own thing. The other birds are all happy and running around. I had two goslings die last week that had been shipped to me, but put it down to shipping trauma. They had seizures and died within a couple of days of arriving. The other goslings from the shipment are healthy. Theres no sign of trauma and he was not a shipped gosling. I hatched him myself, and all of his litter-mates have been healthy. I can't think of anything that could have caused it, but I will try niacin and Vit. E and see if it's a vit. deficiency. He and his friends have been out on the lawn daily and were inside in dog crates for their first two weeks. I've moved them out to a chicken tractor and have been shutting them up outside. It has been cold, but they were all weaned from the lamp already and none of the others seemed to mind. I will take him to the vet this weekend if he is still like this tomorrow.
This is him next to his brother. These are high quality Toulouse and I understand that they take longer to grow then most birds, but he should be growing up with his brother right? They have different parents but were from the same hatch. Other birds from these parents have been healthy and are big babies. The first picture is of a bird from the same parents. The big birds are in a temp. dog kenel when I am at school and let out in the yard when I get home. He was hanging out with them until early this week.
This is him next to his brother. These are high quality Toulouse and I understand that they take longer to grow then most birds, but he should be growing up with his brother right? They have different parents but were from the same hatch. Other birds from these parents have been healthy and are big babies. The first picture is of a bird from the same parents. The big birds are in a temp. dog kenel when I am at school and let out in the yard when I get home. He was hanging out with them until early this week.