Gaggle of Chinese Ostracizing a Roman Tufted - Help!

[Miss Lydia]

Thank you both for the good suggestions and quick response. I really appreciate your help.

It's a dilemma indeed - the Roman has very expressive eyes and acts as if saying - 'I want to be out of here' when placed with the Chinese. And when separated because she gets chased, attacked and cornered - she looks forlornly at the others wanting to join them. She is so adorable I just want to hug her. I guess I'll have to keep a closer eye on all of them until a suitable gander can be arranged. Perhaps she was a new addition - I wish I had better information, but they were given away without much info or instruction. I've been trolling the web in search of good information and chanced upon BYC - a neighbor and fellow newbie suggested I join immediately for guidance.

I've added 2 tbsp ACV in their water buckets - also for the Chinese as good measure. Wondering if it's ok to give them whey to drink. I think I saw it on TV somewhere, that farmers like to give left over whey to their birds - can't remember if it was just to chickens or geese also. A friend told me not to give them spinach - it may upset their tummies. Is there a list of do's and don'ts for reference when it comes to their diet?

Spinach interferes with calcium some how so it is dif off limits not sure about whey although my chickens love yogurt my water fowl won't touch it. might not be a bad idea to maybe mix it into their water along with the ACV

We're glad to have you as a member any one who loves geese is a friend of ours.
So are you going to let her loose with the others? What do you think serv keep them separate from the Chinese still or let them all be together till she gets a gander for the Roman? It's so hard especially since they chase and pick on her, but yet she still wants to be with them, wonder if you made it so neither of the girls the Roman and the Pom couldn't see the others if they might bond better.? need some info serv.

 

[servpolice]

Well I think that the tuft and the pom should stay together until the gander arrives because those females won't need a male that picks on them,so they are very happy to be separated away from those Chinese females which I know are forcing the gander to pester the other them. So stay separated is best and nothing will go wrong and the tuft and the pom will live happily without a male for a while.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Well I think that the tuft and the pom should stay together until the gander arrives because those females won't need a male that picks on them,so they are very happy to be separated away from those Chinese females which I know are forcing the gander to pester the other them. So stay separated is best and nothing will go wrong and the tuft and the pom will live happily without a male for a while.

Well I think that the tuft and the pom should stay together until the gander arrives because those females won't need a male that picks on them,so they are very happy to be separated away from those Chinese females which I know are forcing the gander to pester the other them. So stay separated is best and nothing will go wrong and the tuft and the pom will live happily without a male for a while.

So keep the 2 girls together and maybe fix it so they can't see the Chinese? then they would probably be more inclined to stick together.

 

[SarahTsu]

Alright, noted.

I have real trouble on hand now. Keeping the Roman separated allowed for closer inspection.
This evening she had labored breathing with her mouth open. I saw foreign objects lodged inside the clogged nares.
I carefully tweezed out "foxtail" remnants that were dark colored and coated in slime.

Now I have her sitting in luke warm water in the tub. Sounds likes she is choking on something and is trying to cough it up, but can't.
I searched through the archives and couldn't find anything on dislodging objects from the throat. Do geese get coughs? Could it be
a respiratory issue? She had phlegm like discharge earlier when taking the foxtail out of her nares - at that time I wasn't sure if it
came out from her nasal passage or her throat. She's struggling so much and I am helpless to aid her.

The nearest vet doesn't treat birds. A post on ducks mentioned someone shoving a piece of melon down the throat - another mentioned
olive oil and peas - then the duck vomited out the lodged object. I am afraid to try these, in case she isn't able to throw up and chokes.
I don't know what to do.

 

[SarahTsu]

She's gasping for air and was cold in the tub. So she's next to a heater on some towels in the living room. I've kept her inside a dog kennel so she'll feel safe as if in her coop.

It's painful to watch her struggle to breathe. She's breathing through her mouth and making a snorting/wheezing sound. Once in a while she's violently shaking her head - trying to get something out. I put a bucket of water inside in case she needs to clear her nares. She's not using it. My earlier assumption of something lodged in her throat is wrong. There may be more of those foxtail stickers inside her sinus. I tried to reach the cleft/vent inside her beak - but it seemed too risky - I might injure her. I called a mobile vet - but no one in the area treats birds. What can I do to help her? Every breath she's taking is labored. I am pained, but don't have any way to help her.

 

[SarahTsu]

She's not eating anything and I don't have electrolyte water on hand. Can I give her coconut water?

 

[Miss Lydia]

She's not eating anything and I don't have electrolyte water on hand. Can I give her coconut water?

I'm so sorry no one has been on to reply how is she now? and yes use a needle less syringe and try giving her some coconut water but just inside the bill don't try to shoot anything down her throat

 

[SarahTsu]

Thank you for the confirmation. I will try to keep her hydrated with coconut water since she's stopped eating. She is suffering so much there is no attempt at eating anything solid.

Last night I kept in the bathtub with luke warm water for a few hours. The entire time she kept banging her head against the tub with her feet splayed. She made no attempts to dive.

I took her out to inspect the nares closely which were clear. Her feathers and webs were cold, so I wrapped her up in towels to dry her and placed her inside a big pet carrier.
She is lethargic and not resisting being handled. Looks like she's trying to regurgitate something out of the nasal passage. Gurgling and snorting and banging her head against the carrier walls. I placed a bucket of water inside the carrier for her to drain her sinus - she's not using it.

To aid her I placed a diffuser with lavender EO and a Vicks vaporizer with plain water - then draped the entire carrier with towels. She's calmed down. The breathing is labored and through gaping mouth. She sat and stood and sneezed all night - trying hard to get rid of whatever is stuck inside her sinus.

I've been up all night next to her - giving her water and searching online. What is consistent with her symptoms is disturbing - Nasal Leeches or Aspergillosis:

Field Signs
"Infested birds may be seen vigorously shaking their heads, scratching at their bills with their feet, or sneezing in an effort to dislodge the leeches and to force air through blocked nasal passages. These efforts are usually unsuccessful. Nasal and respiratory tract leech infestations can cause labored breathing and gaping similar to that seen among birds suffering from aspergillosis." ( Aspergillosis is an infection or allergic response due to the Aspergillus fungus.)

Control
Leech infestations in waterfowl are common and can be fatal, especially in cygnets and ducklings. Tissue damage resulting from heavy infestations can facilitate secondary bacterial infections. However, no preventive measures have been developed for combating infestations in wild birds. When they are not feeding on birds, nasal leeches occur as free-living organisms in aquatic environments. Control measures to reduce leech populations might be possible if nasal leeches could be selectively killed. However, leech control must be weighed against the value of leeches as an aquatic bird food item.

Leeches protruding externally from the nares or attached to eyes can be removed with forceps. Leeches in the nasal passages can be removed by submerging the bird’s bill for 5–10 seconds in a 10–20 percent salt solution, and this can be repeated several times if necessary.

http://wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/S/00Ref/bookref36_fieldmanualofwildlifediseases/34/chapter34.htm

Since I removed several pieces of foxtail stickers out of her nares that were partially protruding - she may have some more blocked further in the nasal passage and may have aspergillosis? I will try to prepare a saline solution and squirt it in her nares - better that submerging her bill - since the only way she's breathing is through her mouth. Please let me know if you think this is the right course.

I am afraid of putting anything solid down her throat. Someone suggested giving her cloves of garlic to combat internal infections - she has a slight temperature.

 

[servpolice]

Sounds like she needs antibiotics there is nothing stuck in her throat! It is a sickness usually caused when it is cold,wet and dirty or if they ate something bad and a common one if they aren't used to their surroundings they will eventually get very light and could die
Many geese are strong and don't need nothing and survive the sickness and others need help.
Tell us if she looks some how lighter or feels lighter
If not then she might have something less serious but antibiotics are what by the sounds of it need to be used.

 

[servpolice]

This usually happens to young geese and goslings.