I arrived home on yesterday from work about 5:30 PM. Before I can get the key out of the ignition, my mind is always focused on unlocking the chicken yard and checking on everyone. During this time of the year with everything hatching and being born on the farm, I always waste no time in making my rounds. When I unlocked the gate, I immediately noticed what looked like a small yellow "ball" on the ground. As I walked closer, I noticed that it was a newly hatched gosling. I immediately picked it up and I noticed that a few flies were on it. It was still wet from the hatching and it looked like some of it's new feathers had been picked off. The skin on it's back was bright red and appeared to be irritated. I immediately ran inside, plugged up the heat lamp, got the thermometer, a large plastic storage container, old towels and placed the baby inside of the container. I then prepared some warm water to clean off the gosling. It was full of dirt. It even had dirt in it's eyes under it's eyelids. I cleaned it off and placed it under the heat lamp. It was shivering because it was cold. I gently rubbed it and made "chirping" sounds to let it know that I was there and it would be ok. I went back outside and checked under the goose that was setting on the nest of eggs that was closest to where the gosling was found. The mama goose was still setting on her eggs. I distracted her so that she would raise up so that I could see if other goslings were under her. And lo and behold another baby had just hatched. It was soooo dirty. I picked it up and also brought it inside. It didn't look like it would make it. I cleaned it up and placed it inside of a knit cap and placed it in the plastic storage container along with the other one under the heat lamp. The yoke on the 2nd gosling had not fully absorbed yet. The yolk was rather large. I kept it moist with a warm, wet paper towel around it so that it could fully absorb. After getting both of them settled, they were ok. I checked on them every 5 minutes before it was time for me to go to bed. Then I got up every hour during the night to check on them to make sure that they were ok. I woke up this morning and they were doing fine. They are trying to lift their heads and are making chirping sounds. They were warm and sound asleep under the heat lamp when I left for work. I think they will make it.
Now.......... my question is..........the place where I found the 1st gosling was about 10 feet away from the mama's nest. I know that the gosling couldn't have walked 10 feet away. Could the mama or her 2 body guards (2 other adult geese) tried to carry the baby away to another location? The missing feathers and red and irritated skin leads me to believe something moved it but I can't figure out what. I have never heard of a goose trying to move it's babies. Is that possible? Has anyone had this problem before? And why would they move the baby? It was in a safe location. None of the other animals will mess with the geese. They pretty much run the chicken yard. I have 3 other geese setting on eggs and the eggs are due to hatch any day. This has never happened in the years prior, so I'm not understanding what could have happened on yesterday.
I'm confused. Any ideas?
Now.......... my question is..........the place where I found the 1st gosling was about 10 feet away from the mama's nest. I know that the gosling couldn't have walked 10 feet away. Could the mama or her 2 body guards (2 other adult geese) tried to carry the baby away to another location? The missing feathers and red and irritated skin leads me to believe something moved it but I can't figure out what. I have never heard of a goose trying to move it's babies. Is that possible? Has anyone had this problem before? And why would they move the baby? It was in a safe location. None of the other animals will mess with the geese. They pretty much run the chicken yard. I have 3 other geese setting on eggs and the eggs are due to hatch any day. This has never happened in the years prior, so I'm not understanding what could have happened on yesterday.
I'm confused. Any ideas?
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