Goose help please- dystocia??

[Colorfulchickens]

Help please (if possible). Having a presumed dystocia issue in my 6 month old Chinese. She’s on mazuri maintenance and free range in the day. Not on layer, cause given season and age, eggs hadn’t crossed my mind yet. Does have access to the chickens oyster shell, but I’ve never seen her eat any. Typical bird presentation, totally normal last night when I put her up for the evening. This am went to let her out of her run and immediately noted she was off. Subdued, laying, fluffed. Not vocal. Slow to walk when encouraged. But within like 5 minutes of getting her up she laid a shell-less egg. I was shocked. She seemed better for an hour or so, but then back to fluffed, lethargic. Drinking, but is anorexic (usually a big pig). I found a second shell-less egg in the run. She had to have laid it overnight, cause I do a thorough clean daily and it was not there yesterday. So now I’m worried with two eggs in less than 24 hours, which shouldn’t happen, what if there is more?? She seems painful. Gave meloxicam 1 mg/kg po and epsom salt soak (kinda- she floated on top). Have ca gluconate 23%. Gave 50 mg/kg po, but should I give more IM? Sqf? Gavage feed (I don’t have a gavage needle near long enough to actually get to her crop??). Any thoughts? Thanks!!

 

[Goosebaby]

Birds in their first year have cycles that are often off. She may have small eggs, overly large eggs, possibly double yokers, shell less is one of the possibilities.
As she gets older her cycles will normalize.
If she doesn’t want to eat oyster shell you can try egg shells, sometimes it’s easier to get them to take those than oystershell, probably because they instinctively recognize them as a source of calcium.
You can also let her soak in warm water more, that can help if she’s egg bound.

Reproductive issues in birds are serious though, if she doesn’t show improvement after a day and getting calcium into her she might need to be seen by a vet, reproductive problems often aren’t something that can be fixed at home.

@Eggcessive This is a goose and not a chicken, I don’t know if you have expierience with geese but you know so much about hens, is there anything else you can suggest when it comes to laying issues?

 

[Goosebaby]

Also what’s her weight? Does it feel like she’s lost weight or muscle? Has she just gone off her feed today since the egg issue started or has she been not eating for longer?

If it’s just been today don’t try to tube feed her, she’ll be alright. It’s after three days that it becomes a serious health issue, unless she’s already underweight, you’ll need a gastronomy tube in that case. If it’s giving medication you don’t need one, but you have to be careful to get it down the correct side.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...dications-to-all-poultry-and-waterfowl.73335/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/tube-feeding-ducks-updated-5-7-2020.1211994/

 

[Colorfulchickens]

Also what’s her weight? Does it feel like she’s lost weight or muscle? Has she just gone off her feed today since the egg issue started or has she been not eating for longer?

If it’s just been today don’t try to tube feed her, she’ll be alright. It’s after three days that it becomes a serious health issue, unless she’s already underweight, you’ll need a gastronomy tube in that case. If it’s giving medication you don’t need one, but you have to be careful to get it down the correct side.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...dications-to-all-poultry-and-waterfowl.73335/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/tube-feeding-ducks-updated-5-7-2020.1211994/

Hi,
Thank you for your reply. She’s 14.2 pounds (weighed tonight). And she just went off food today. Good body condition, maybe even a little chunky? Def not thin. Typically a voracious eater, including yesterday.
Thanks!

 

[Eggcessive]

I would give a human calcium tablet with vitamin D for the next few days orally or in food. That can help muscle contraction to pass the egg. Then switch to a layer feed to see if that makes a difference. Hopefully, it is just a calcium deficiency. When there is a shell-less egg, it may get stuck and there can be another egg coming behind it. Past exposure to infectious bronchitis virus can affect the oviduct and cause abnormal egg shells.

 

[Goosebaby]

Hi,
Thank you for your reply. She’s 14.2 pounds (weighed tonight). And she just went off food today. Good body condition, maybe even a little chunky? Def not thin. Typically a voracious eater, including yesterday.
Thanks!

That’s sounds about right, it sounds like she’s just having egg related issues.

 

[Miss Lydia]

If you can get to TSC this is really good for egg binding or egg related issues. 1 ml daily until she is normal again.