Calling all waterfowl experts .

[Blue Hill Farm]

To please take a look at Sully’s wings (bottom left) she is a 3 month old brown Chinese, happy and healthy otherwise

Have you ever seen anything like this? And what can I do to fix it?

I think I may have inadvertently caused this weird positioning of the wing tips when I taped Sully’s wings back when she was 6-7 weeks, ironically to “fix” angel wing. I was positive I had taped her wings correctly, but I don't know what else could have caused this....
If I tuck the big feathers sticking out back underneath, her wings look perfectly normal. But as soon as she spreads them to stretch out, the feathers are right back sticking out. I'm ashamed to admit I thought it was normal for the big feathers to stick out - at first. That is until I clued in to the fact my other goslings wings looked very different after their primary wing feathers came in.

UGH, I feel just awful for making such a terrible novice mistake.

I don’t know what to do and feel like time is running out…or maybe it already has.

The only good thing is it doesn't seem to bother her one bit. That doesn't make me feel any better though...

I hope someone can shed some light on this matter for me. Thank you.

 

[Kim65]

I don't know any answer for you, just to say that sometimes angel wing fixes don't work. That said, you did something right, even if the end result isn't perfect correctness of the wing

. Having some flight feathers sticking up like that is MUCH better than having them turned outward! Don't be hard on yourself, if it was angel wing, what she has now is a huge improvement

 

[Blue Hill Farm]

Thank you for your kind reply Kim65.

Somehow, it made me feel a ton better. Sully is my first goose (maybe gander

) and beloved by our entire family. Appearance’s aside, I just want what is best for her. We love her to bits.

 

[chickensioux]

It looks like angel wing that just didn't correct. I doubt you "caused" it. I agree that it probably is better than it would have been. I have seen several adult ducks with angel wing and I don't think it bothers them one bit. I'm glad she is well loved, she is beautiful.

That said, you could try again since she is so young. If she will tolerate it, tape them for a week and see what happens......

 

[CMV]

What you have is a variant of angel wing. The cure didn't take completely, so the bones are still slightly twisted. You did nothing wrong. You probably wrapped the wings fine. Sometimes the bone twists in the wrists are so severe that they cannot be fixed 100%. The goose seems to be only mildly afflicted and unperturbed by the condition, so just think of it as an identifying feature that makes her stand out in a crowd.

 

[Blue Hill Farm]

Thank you both.

What you are saying makes total sense. I'm not sure if I'll try putting her through the taping again...to say she was unfond of the procedure is an understatement. Though after the job was done, she was fine. Minus the reproach in her eye. lol Geese are such characters. Good thing I know the way to her heart is through treats!

I rather doubt she'd leave the tape on now either. And wouldn't the bones be fused at 12 weeks?

Anyway, I feel better just knowing what it is, and my mind can rest.

Thanks again, and yes, she is lovely isn't she.

 

[goosedragon]

Quote:
Don't get you hopes to high but the problem MIGHT correct itself at the next molt when it loses and regrows those flight feathers.
I have seen something like this where a goose injured itself by getting the flight feathers caught and it tore itself loose. It got a little better on each molt, It doesn't look like the wing joints are messed up like they are with angel wing. Each feather has a shaft and a 'socket' that aims the shaft for the feather.

 

[ThiefPouter06]

Ok I know angel wing is from too much protien but how do you know when they are getting too much? Its seem to be fairly common. Should you even feed any kind of poultry ration? Would pulling the wing feathers at the onset help from the twisting?

 

[CMV]

Quote:
It's not necessarily just too much protein, but a combination of too much protein, too much sugar and not enough manganese (I think. Sorry it's early.

) But here's the funny part of the situation- you can have 10 goslings eating the same feed and only 1 ends up with angel wing. So how come only 1 got it and the rest are fine? Why are Africans more prone to it than Toulouses? There is a hypothesis that angel wing is in fact a genetic condition with a dietary trigger. If you believe that then angel wing could be eliminated in geese by selective breeding- culling out any birds with signs of it. If you remove birds with the defective genes it theoretically shouldn't matter what you feed your birds. They will not have the condition.

In the end, without further research nobody truly knows what causes angel wing.

 

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You know, I wonder if Autism in children is sort of the same thing.... yes, this is a little different subject, but like previously stated, maybe a genetic predisposition and then dietary needs in combination. I believe nature can teach us alot, and this autism epidemic makes me crazy! Just a thought... jennifer