Crooked bill in gosling

[Tenrec]

Hello there,

Last Monday, three of my little dewlap toulouse eggs hatched. I'm very happy about this! I did notice, however, that one of the babies had a crooked bill out of the shell.

She is a week old now, and it's pretty apparent how crooked she is. She's very active and sweet, and she eats and drinks just as much as the others (even though she's the runt -- she was born tiny). Both her siblings cuddle with her and love her as they do the other.

How can I make sure she has the best life possible? I have deep food and water dishes for her right now. Is this something that's going to get worse? I'm worried -- She is my baby and I'd hate to think she might get worse or become overly uncomfortable/in pain. Also, these are a rare breed, and I was planning on breeding these guys...However, I don't want to breed her if this condition is hereditary. I know scissor beak in chickens is more often than not hereditary. Is anybody familiar with this in geese? Could it be developmental?

I've attached pictures for reference. As you can see, she's very sweet and darling.


Thank you!

 

[Pyxis]

Poor little girl. If she's eating and drinking now, that's fine, and I would leave her to it. If it gets worse, and it might, then you might have to be tube feeding her. At that point, you would have to make the call about quality of life and whether you will have the time to tube feed her two times each day to keep her going. At that point it's up to you whether to cull her or not. But she may never get to that point and could very well live happily with this condition.

I also wouldn't breed her. It could be hereditary and you don't want to pass it down.

 

[Wickedchicken6]

I don't know much of ducks...but if there is vitamins for ducks/waterfowl...I am wondering if it could be beneficial to suplement in water while she's growing. I've had good luck with arresting crooked beaks/faces in young chickens that may have been lacking the proper nutrients.

I also agree with Pyxis. Since she was born with this, I would be inclined not to breed here for the same reasons.

And I didn't get a chance to add earlier...she's a cutie patootie!

 

[Tenrec]

Wickedchicken, what sort of vitamins were you giving your poultry for crooked beak? I'm very much for supplementing her - she is still a little runty.

And Pyxis, thanks. Hopefully we don't get to the point where I have to tube feed her, but if she tolerates it, twice a day won't be too bad on my schedule. I know some geese tolerate gavaging okay, and I have experiences tube feeding wild birds that were very much NOT okay with me handling them...Their throats are much sturdier than a mammals. Still, thinking of having to do that for my baby is breaking my heart. So I hope she continues to thrive as is.

I'm inclined to agree on not breeding. It's a shame, since breeding dewlaps are precious few to begin with, but I wouldn't want to risk another case of this I know I could have prevented, and it's probably best to keep it out of the already small gene pool. She can still have a boyfriend if I find myself with an extra gander, but her eggs will be going to the chicks (plus my cakes and omelettes).

 

[Wickedchicken6]

I was giving Poulte-Vite. It's a poultry vitamin water soluble premix; the package says is for chickens and turkeys...more specifically baby chicks and poults. I'm from Canada, so if you're from the States...you'll have different stuff. Since you're dealing with a duck/ducks...you need confirmation from someone with knowledge on ducks of what can be given as far as a vitamin premix. Perhaps there is something in a chicken vitamin premix that might be detrimental to ducks.

I should also mention that because I was giving it for an extended amount of time, I mixed it at a partial dose as not to over load their system because it isn't meant to be used for an extended amount of time. When the pullets were older I supplemented with a vitamin premix that was geared towards laying hens. The percentage of vitamins were slightly lower and mixed for what a laying hen would require.

Perhaps @Pyxis or someone who raises ducks could provide more knowledge regarding vitamins.

 

[Pyxis]

For my geese, I just use what I use for all my poultry, which is Poultry Nutri Drench. It's really good stuff. I don't think it'll help correct the crooked beak, however, but there's a chance it might stop it getting worse. It will also give her a boost and get her the extra niacin she needs as a goose, so that's a good thing. Definitely not a bad idea to start putting some in her water.

 

[Wickedchicken6]

I looked up nutria Drench. That looks handier being a liquid. I also notice it's on label as being broader spectrum covering ducks and guineas. That's fantastic! I realize some feed/meds/etc will be ok for some species and not ok for others. I appreciate you sharing your knowledge.

I also agree, my thoughts on suggesting the supplement is to possibly keep her from getting worse. My few OEGBs that got treated consistently with vitamins throughout the winter appear to have faired better than the LF that did not get treated consistently.