Baby Sebastopol Geese???

[lorriejd]

I have two 4 day old sebastopol babies that I hatched. Can some tell me what they can eat besides chick feed? Can they eat greens yet? How long untill they can go out on the grass with me following them? I live in Southwest Florida and it is alrealdy 90 out. My kids want to know when can they go into the bathtub with an inch or two of water? I weighed them today and they gained 1.4 ounces in 18 hours! Is that normal? I have so many questions!! Has someone else hatched them before to let me know what to do nexted. I read EVERYTHING on this site regarding hatching the eggs and now I cant find anything on how to take care of the babies.

 

[Windchyme]

Quote:
Make sure you are not feeding them medicated chick feed. Flock raiser by Purina is supposed to be the best if you can't get your hands on waterfowl food. They can eat chopped up greens as soon as they are born. You can take them outside as long as it is warm enough...I wait till the 2nd week and usually they will follow you. That is also old enough for them to get that inch or two of water as long as you make sure they don't get chilled. No real swimming though till they are about a month old. They do gain weight REALLY fast, that is normal. I hope you have them under lights like chicks. Expect raising them to be messy. Chicks fling their food everywhere, waterfowl flings their water everywhere after about the first week.

 

[Shanay235]

Quote:
If your chick feed is medicated, get rid of it. Medicated chick feed can sicken and/or kill waterfowl.

Yes, they can have greens now. Mine are only a day older than yours and I've been giving them spinach, romaine lettuce, frozen veggie mix from two days old. I don't know of any fruits or veggies that are dangerous to goslings so if they'll eat it, let them have it. I try to keep their diets around 50% feed, 50% grass, veggies, etc.

Mine went in the tub for the first time today. They probably could
have had their first bath sooner but I usually wait until the navel is fully healed in case of any germs in the tub.

They can go outside anytime now since it's warm. . Took mine out at 1 1/2 days old.

Don't worry about too much weight gain. It's when they aren't gaining that you have to worry.

The only thing else I could suggest to do it get some bird vitamins (should be able to find at any petstore) that can be added to their drinking water. Unless they are showing physical signs of possible vitamin deficency caused problems, I add about 1/4 of the recommended doseage on the bottle. Waterfowl consume so much more water than other birds, you don't want to overdose them on the vitamins.

Edited to include:
Don't leave them alone in the tub. Unlike older geese, a gosling can get water logged and drown.

 

[lorriejd]

Thank you!! The chick food is not medicate. I read the back of the bag twice. So do you chop the grass and the spinach up ? I really don’t want anything to happen to them , just let everyone else. They are like my little babies. I let them out and they follow me around the house I don’t let them out for more than10 min. than I put them back under the red light I bought it keeps them about 85- 90 degrees. They are getting so big quick. I hold mine a lot and it has never popped on me YET. When I put it down it popps every where all day long and never stops pooping!! Is it possible to Litter train Grease???I know that they are going to get big and smelly , Just wondering??? Has anyone potty trained a Sebastopol Goose before?

 

[Shanay235]

I chop up the grass, spinach, veggies, if it's just going to be placed in the food dish. When outside, they eat the grass on their own terms. When I'm actually holding the veggies or spinach leaf, I let them tug and pull to get their own bite.
Yep, they are definately little poop factories.

 

[Windchyme]

Quote:
Hahahaha you are as bad as I am. I actually went through seperation anxiety when a couple nights ago I decided my second batch of baby geese were old enough and big enough to be in the garage at night. I really had no choice, the laundry room just was too cramped for them anymore.

Chop up the greens to be nice bite sized pieces for them- mine loved shredded cucumber too, the older ones loved apples. They aren't real good yet at tearing them up. I don't think you can potty train geese, I wish, then I'd have a couple house geese. There are diapers that you can get for them but I really don't want to be holding poop against their bottoms, imagine how irritating that can be. So I go out a couple times a day and say hello and talk to my geese and give them treats.

If you are keeping them in a climate controlled house, after the first week I'm betting you won't need the heat light during the day. If it is really hot in your house and the babies are scooched away from the light turn it off. These are better at keeping warm then chicks are. If something is wrong (no food, no water, too hot or cold) the babies will peep sharply and loudly and after once or twice of you fixing the problem they learn that you are the go to guy. I have had mine wait until they see me and then call to me sharply to get my attention cause they know I am the one to get ahold of to fix things.

The longest I have been able to stand keeping them in the house is about 6 weeks. They are incredibly big by then and the poop is big and alot of it. I was cleaning my laundry room every sindgle morning (sweeping and scraping and disposing and new shavings)after I put them outside to be out for the day right before they were moved to the garage.

I start mine outside in a little pyramid shaped 2 x 2 pen (you should be able to get these at feed stores for like $20 each) or free with my close supervision and protection from the grown geese at about a week old to graze, then at about 2 I remove the pen as they have learned that under the porch is safe (I fence off enough so they can get in but the big geese can't) and when danger comes that is where to go, and they venture out from there. Grazing is very good for baby geese as it is their natural diet. Before they are old enough to go outside I have the kids pull grass and weeds and bring them in to the babies.

I have raised porches and I discouraged them hanging out on the porch outside because again poop everywhere. Unfortunately they have to be an outside pet, there just really isn't any other way. They also aren't suited to city areas where they are not allowed as they can honk when grown, fairly loudly, and there really is no hiding them when they get on a rip about something.

 

[banter]

I agree with Shanay,
Unfertilized grass, dark leafy greens and dandelions can be fed (and should be) as soon as the babies are up and walking. DO NOT feed long pieces of grass until they are about a month old, they can choke because long grass can be very tough and stringy. Fresh comfrey is very good as feed. Spinach is great. Un-Chlorinated water should be offered at all times.
Brewers yeast or nutritional yeast can be added to the feed at a rate of a teaspoonful per cup as goslings do well with extra B vitamins. Flock raiser is good. You can grind it in a coffee grinder to a smaller size for goslings, I also add ground sunflower and pumpkin seed at about 2 weeks .

 

[bigbird]

Mine just hatched her own. So far she has not taken them to the pond. Do they I still instinctually know not to take them there? I have left their pen open, and they are venturing out, but not going near the water.
I have always incubated my eggs, and this is a new experience for me. I am totally in all of their coparenting instincts. I have never seen anything like this.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Mine just hatched her own. So far she has not taken them to the pond. Do they I still instinctually know not to take them there? I have left their pen open, and they are venturing out, but not going near the water.
I have always incubated my eggs, and this is a new experience for me. I am totally in all of their coparenting instincts. I have never seen anything like this.

They will take them when they feel the goslings are strong enough to swim, Now I hope you don't have snapping turtles because they love to eat goslings. Parents will not be able to prevent it either. I think I'd keep them off the pond until you know for sure.

 

[jodybelle]

I have a viable good egg that is getting close to hatching. One of my Marans has been sitting on it. I brought it to the incubator tonight. Any tips or suggestions? This is the first for me! Also, I found a chick hatching breach! Very tight fit. I helped get it out and it seems to be fine but exhausted. Peeping but now sleeping. It appeared to have fought pretty hard to get out.

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