Back at it again with more questions

[Goosehill]

My first thought there is fly strike, looks a bit ratty and raw even if the maggots have moved on. Does she have access to water to clean and preen herself in- and knows how to clean herself?
- don’t laugh, I have one who didn’t know how to bathe as a 8 week old and was scared of water deeper than her bill. It took several compulsory baths for her to get the idea, now she will stand in the stream of water from the hose and move to stay in the water. She’s good help when washing the car…

 

[Goosebaby]

My first thought there is fly strike, looks a bit ratty and raw even if the maggots have moved on. Does she have access to water to clean and preen herself in- and knows how to clean herself?
- don’t laugh, I have one who didn’t know how to bathe as a 8 week old and was scared of water deeper than her bill. It took several compulsory baths for her to get the idea, now she will stand in the stream of water from the hose and move to stay in the water. She’s good help when washing the car…

Two of my ganders didn’t know how to maintain their feathers properly and preen enough their first year and they had poor waterproofing as a result. That first frigid day of winter they decided to have a bath right before bedtime, they were soaked to the skin and looked like drowned rats. I had to towel them off and stick them under a heat lamp. They were mad at me for several days over that
Geese are less instinctual and a lot of things they have to learn on their own so that’s not surprising.