Dry, rough feet on 6 month old goose, possibly Embden or Roman.

[NevadaEmma]

I have four geese that have grown up together that I purchased online from Metzer farms. They all seem to be happy and thriving. But one of them has very dry, rough skin on her feet. They are also kind of a bluish color. She walks around just fine, but has stopped "flying" down the property when the follow me in the morning to check on the chickens. I checked her feet and I do not think she has bumblefoot. The other geese have smoother feet and are a healthy shade of pink.

Any ideas? We do not have any waterfowl vets in the area even though we are in a rural community in northern Nevada, Any vet I have talked with said to bring her into their clinic. That probably will not happen, she does not like to be held or confined and I do not want to cause her stress.

Thanks

 

[Goosebaby]

Could you post a picture of her feet?

What breed is she?

What feed are they on?

Dry skin can be caused by vitamin deficiencies, vitamin deficiencies can be caused by various issues from poor diet, illness, to parasites, all of which could cause anemia, which might explain the bluish skin.

Dry skin can also be caused by mites and they damage the skin and feed on the blood.

 

[NevadaEmma]

Could you post a picture of her feet?

What breed is she?

What feed are they on?

Dry skin can be caused by vitamin deficiencies, vitamin deficiencies can be caused by various issues from poor diet, illness, to parasites, all of which could cause anemia, which might explain the bluish skin.

Dry skin can also be caused by mites and they damage the skin and feed on the blood.

Hello, I have attached two photos of Lillies feet and one photo of one of the other geese. I do not know what breed they are, but have narrowed it down to Embden, male Pilgrim, or one of Metzer Roman Classic.

They were the "left overs" for the day, mixed breeds and genders. Only two had leg bandss to identify if they were male or female. The Sebastopol is supposed to be the male and one of the others (not Lilly) is supposed to be a female. I think the female is an Embden. The other two are a bit smaller and have some grey or black feathers . None have orange feet though. They all have blue eyes. The female has the most orange beak, the others pink and orange.

Thanks, Cara

 

[Goosebaby]

Hello, I have attached two photos of Lillies feet and one photo of one of the other geese. I do not know what breed they are, but have narrowed it down to Embden, male Pilgrim, or one of Metzer Roman Classic.

They were the "left overs" for the day, mixed breeds and genders. Only two had leg bandss to identify if they were male or female. The Sebastopol is supposed to be the male and one of the others (not Lilly) is supposed to be a female. I think the female is an Embden. The other two are a bit smaller and have some grey or black feathers . None have orange feet though. They all have blue eyes. The female has the most orange beak, the others pink and orange.

Thanks, Cara

If a vet is at all possible I really recommend taking her in ASAP.
She’s severely anemic and the dry skin is either a result of that or there’s an underlying condition causing both.

 

[Goosebaby]

In the meantime get her on a multivitamin, something like poultry nutri-drench or rooster booster poultry cell and syringe it into her mouth.
Here’s a guide on how to do that https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...dications-to-all-poultry-and-waterfowl.73335/

It’s easiest to restrain a goose by either backing her into a corner or squatting over her back, not sitting on her, but just using your body to hold her in place as you syringe liquid down her throat.
It gets easier the more you do it, and keeping in mind that the cost of not doing it may be her life also helps.

You can also add vitamin mixes like these to their water, but when a goose is really ill sometimes they don’t drink as much as they need, especially if it tastes strange.
https://www.jefferspet.com/products/ridley-vitamins-and-electrolytes-8-oz
https://www.jefferspet.com/products/vitamin-electrolytes-plus

 

[NevadaEmma]

In the meantime get her on a multivitamin, something like poultry nutri-drench or rooster booster poultry cell and syringe it into her mouth.
Here’s a guide on how to do that https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...dications-to-all-poultry-and-waterfowl.73335/

It’s easiest to restrain a goose by either backing her into a corner or squatting over her back, not sitting on her, but just using your body to hold her in place as you syringe liquid down her throat.
It gets easier the more you do it, and keeping in mind that the cost of not doing it may be her life also helps.

You can also add vitamin mixes like these to their water, but when a goose is really ill sometimes they don’t drink as much as they need, especially if it tastes strange.
https://www.jefferspet.com/products/ridley-vitamins-and-electrolytes-8-oz
https://www.jefferspet.com/products/vitamin-electrolytes-plus

Thank you for your help. I purchased some nutri-drench for poultry and put it in their night drinking container. I managed to get some down the throat of the goose I am concerned about in a small plastic teaspoon. It seemed to have left a bad taste in her mouth. She immediately went outside and started eating grass. I had just put them all away for the evening but let her stay out a bit longer while I was prepping dinner.
After she went back in their house, she ate more food. I waited until I was sure she drank the water, which she did, quite a bit.
This morning she seemed a bit peppier, but then she has always been a happy goose. I will see what happens.
My last vet hope in the area does not "know much" about geese, so I figured I would keep trying to find a way to help the goose. The vitamins will benefit the other geese as well.

Thanks again, Cara

 

[addctd2plnts]

I'm NOT a goose expert at all, but the photos look like Scaly Leg Mites. I'm hoping somebody else will chime in and confirm I'm right or wrong. My feelings won't be hurt. In another thread on BYC it was suggested to use Eprinex, which is similar to Ivermectin. Merck Vet manual says you can use Moxidectin pour on too. In another thread on BYC for geese and Eprinex pour on, they use 1 ml to the skin on the back of the neck, then do it again several weeks later. Using it twice a year, kills internal and external parasites. Here's a source that delivers quickly: https://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?pgguid=30E07563-7B6A-11D5-A192-00B0D0204AE5

Also read through a huge thread on Scaly Leg Mites. NuStock is something Valley Vet also has and it contains sulfur which will kill the mites too. Personally, I would use the pour on, and use the topical NuStock for more rapid resolution and occasional preventative care. https://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?pgguid=94f68ee6-18fe-449a-9c23-62f127e82ff3

**REMEMBER_ You MUST treat ALL birds, not just the worst infected, because they will pass it back and forth!

Then their coop or nesting area has to really be power sprayed and sprayed with pesticide to kill the mites. Some people say to use Sevin dust in the cracks of the coop, then fresh bedding and change the bedding once a week, for a month.

 

[NevadaEmma]

I'm NOT a goose expert at all, but the photos look like Scaly Leg Mites. I'm hoping somebody else will chime in and confirm I'm right or wrong. My feelings won't be hurt. In another thread on BYC it was suggested to use Eprinex, which is similar to Ivermectin. Merck Vet manual says you can use Moxidectin pour on too. In another thread on BYC for geese and Eprinex pour on, they use 1 ml to the skin on the back of the neck, then do it again several weeks later. Using it twice a year, kills internal and external parasites. Here's a source that delivers quickly: https://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?pgguid=30E07563-7B6A-11D5-A192-00B0D0204AE5

Also read through a huge thread on Scaly Leg Mites. NuStock is something Valley Vet also has and it contains sulfur which will kill the mites too. Personally, I would use the pour on, and use the topical NuStock for more rapid resolution and occasional preventative care. https://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?pgguid=94f68ee6-18fe-449a-9c23-62f127e82ff3

**REMEMBER_ You MUST treat ALL birds, not just the worst infected, because they will pass it back and forth!

Then their coop or nesting area has to really be power sprayed and sprayed with pesticide to kill the mites. Some people say to use Sevin dust in the cracks of the coop, then fresh bedding and change the bedding once a week, for a month.

Thank you for your reply. I thought about mites, but none of the other birds have this problem and they share exactly the same food and housing.

I do plan to change their bedding (hemp with diatomaceous earth spread lightly in corners and on top of the floor boards before I put down the hemp. It is getting cold now and I will move their coop to their "winter grounds" (nearer to the frost free faucet).
I keep away from Sevin once I realized what it does to my garden and the general ecosystems that work together.


I am keeping a closer look at the other geese to see if they develop any problems.

Thanks for the input, always appreciate different ideas. C

 

[addctd2plnts]

Thank you for your reply. I thought about mites, but none of the other birds have this problem and they share exactly the same food and housing.

I do plan to change their bedding (hemp with diatomaceous earth spread lightly in corners and on top of the floor boards before I put down the hemp. It is getting cold now and I will move their coop to their "winter grounds" (nearer to the frost free faucet).
I keep away from Sevin once I realized what it does to my garden and the general ecosystems that work together.


I am keeping a closer look at the other geese to see if they develop any problems.

Thanks for the input, always appreciate different ideas. C

I foster puppies for rescues. Many times only one puppy will get mange mites. It has to do with their immune systems. We still treat all the puppies because it's natural for the mites to be on all of them. Ivermectin is VERY safe and amazing drug. I can testify to the immense suffering mites burrowing into your skin cause. We adopted from an overseas orphanage that had a scabies outbreak. I got a few bites in the crook of my elbow from holding our baby girl. I was looking everywhere for a knife to dig them out! They itched more than 100 mosquito bites! It was absolute torture till we got home and were treated I can't imagine how our baby survived with bites all over her tiny 6 lb body or how an animal survives with a case like this.

 

[NevadaEmma]

Could you post a picture of her feet?

What breed is she?

What feed are they on?

Dry skin can be caused by vitamin deficiencies, vitamin deficiencies can be caused by various issues from poor diet, illness, to parasites, all of which could cause anemia, which might explain the bluish skin.

Dry skin can also be caused by mites and they damage the skin and feed on the blood.

Hello, thank you for your help! Lilly is doing much better. She still has a voracious appetite which does not worry me as much as her feet did. Interestingly enough when it became very cold here for the first time this winter, her feet started looking pink. Now they are almost the same shade as the others. She has begun to fly more with the other two large geese. Still a happy, loving bird.

I am almost done with the small bottle of Rooster Booster I bought. I imagine it would not hurt to continue on a regular basis with this treatment for all the geese.

Thanks again, Cara