Goose losing feathers on head

[ajkarger33]

Hi! I’ve done a bit of digging on the site, but haven’t come across a good fit for my specific issue.

I have a gander and 2 geese that are all just under 2 years old. We have a very large pond (with aeration) that they hang out on/near during daylight hours and I place them in a large pen in our garage at night (pen has a thick bed of pine shavings and access to fresh water).

They have always all been healthy, but within the past month, I noticed that one of my geese is losing feathers on the top of her head. I saw a few suggestions that the other geese might be pecking at her, and that could be because of a protein deficiency, so a few weeks ago, I added Flock Raiser pellets to the mix I put in the pen each night (scratch grains & a small amount of grit). They have access to grass all day. I’ve never seen the other 2 peck at her, but I guess that doesn’t mean it isn’t happening.

It seems as though it’s getting worse in the last couple of weeks.

I was hoping with the attached picture and the information about their daily diet/lifestyle, someone might be able to confirm that is what is going on or have an alternative idea. I worry as a relatively new owner of waterfowl that I might be missing something important and certainly want to do what I can to take the best care of them!

Thanks in advance for any help!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Are they mating? looks like where the gander would hold on to her feathers while breeding? Other than that look for parasites dig deep into her feather for anything crawling. But usually with water to bath in water fowl rarely have external parasites.

Def keep up with the FR scratch alone isn't a balanced diet. Looks like they still have grass which is good too since they will graze mostly if they have it. You could also add some poultry vitamins in their drinking bucket. But honestly that looks like breeding to me.

 

[HeyHeyWW]

But honestly that looks like breeding to me.

I agree, it does look like they are breeding.

 

[ajkarger33]

Are they mating? looks like where the gander would hold on to her feathers while breeding? Other than that look for parasites dig deep into her feather for anything crawling. But usually with water to bath in water fowl rarely have external parasites.

Def keep up with the FR scratch alone isn't a balanced diet. Looks like they still have grass which is good too since they will graze mostly if they have it. You could also add some poultry vitamins in their drinking bucket. But honestly that looks like breeding to me.

Thank you so much, Miss Lydia! I’ll double-check that there aren’t any parasites on her head as well. I appreciate your help so much!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Keep us updated and watch for breeding too. That may answer your question.

 

[Saaniya]

Hi! I’ve done a bit of digging on the site, but haven’t come across a good fit for my specific issue.

I have a gander and 2 geese that are all just under 2 years old. We have a very large pond (with aeration) that they hang out on/near during daylight hours and I place them in a large pen in our garage at night (pen has a thick bed of pine shavings and access to fresh water).

They have always all been healthy, but within the past month, I noticed that one of my geese is losing feathers on the top of her head. I saw a few suggestions that the other geese might be pecking at her, and that could be because of a protein deficiency, so a few weeks ago, I added Flock Raiser pellets to the mix I put in the pen each night (scratch grains & a small amount of grit). They have access to grass all day. I’ve never seen the other 2 peck at her, but I guess that doesn’t mean it isn’t happening.

It seems as though it’s getting worse in the last couple of weeks.

I was hoping with the attached picture and the information about their daily diet/lifestyle, someone might be able to confirm that is what is going on or have an alternative idea. I worry as a relatively new owner of waterfowl that I might be missing something important and certainly want to do what I can to take the best care of them!

Thanks in advance for any help!

Omg rough love lol
It's a mating peck peck as I zoom the pic or cannibalism

To me it's a breeding thing

 

[KatieAnnFrench]

My female goose has the same thing- it is from breeding. When they have access to water (like a pond or pool), the gander mounts the goose and pulls her head feathers to hold on. It looks painful for the goose, so I was thinking of making her a little hat to protect her head, but now I'm just going to drain our pond until mating season is over to prevent it from getting any worse.

 

[Miss Lydia]

They’ll still breed.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Actually it will be easier on the female to have the pool for breeding.