Gooslings being killed

[Stephaniemanwaring]

hello, I have a pair of geese the female hatched out 3 babies the babies are atleast a month old if not old (forgot when they hatched) yesterday i went to open the birds and noticed there was only 2 babies i looked everywhere but did not see it. The parents have been walking around all day today with 2 babies, i just noticed there was only one baby with them so, i went out looking and found the second baby dead in in the front yard no wounds or anything, just laying on its back stiff. Wpuld the male be killing the babies if the babies are males also? Should I take the last baby away from the parents just in case? I'm so confused on why these 2 babies died the parents have been amazing

 

[Stipenvlerk]

Welcome to BYC.
‘Congratulations on your new geese.
I’m sorry for your loss.. You said no wounds, so a predator killing it would be less likely.
how are the other two?

 

[Wicked Storm]

The males wouldn't kill them, but they doo get lots of diseases and things wrong internally that you wouldn't even know its there I'm sorry

 

[scroane]

hello, I have a pair of geese the female hatched out 3 babies the babies are atleast a month old if not old (forgot when they hatched) yesterday i went to open the birds and noticed there was only 2 babies i looked everywhere but did not see it. The parents have been walking around all day today with 2 babies, i just noticed there was only one baby with them so, i went out looking and found the second baby dead in in the front yard no wounds or anything, just laying on its back stiff. Wpuld the male be killing the babies if the babies are males also? Should I take the last baby away from the parents just in case? I'm so confused on why these 2 babies died the parents have been amazing

About a month ago, I found two very young goslings had hatched and moved away from their nest and momma. They were hiding in some tall grass within a fenced garden area and all my other geese were at the fence looking toward them. I found it strange that they would leave the nest area, so I picked them up and put them back in the nest area with their momma. A few hours later, another baby hatched. Shortly after that, I found one of the babies dead next to the nest with no apparent wounds. Later another baby hatched and shortly afterward I saw a gander standing over the nest pummeling one of the babies (ended up breaking its leg). I swatted the gander away, grabbed the babies, and placed them in a safe area. I then fenced off the momma and her babies and she has taken great care of them since. So - Ganders may in fact try to kill goslings.

Later in the week another gosling had an egg hatch. She left her nest and hissed at her own baby and would not return to the nest. When the little baby tried to follow her, she acted as if she was going to kill it so I took it from her and have been raising it with the above broken legged gosling. So, it appears to me that, at times, even the mommas will kill try to kill their babies or at least abandon their young.

I should note that these are first time parents geese so maybe they simply haven't figured out how to care for their offspring.

Anyway, just my own experience.

 

[Wicked Storm]

About a month ago, I found two very young goslings had hatched and moved away from their nest and momma. They were hiding in some tall grass within a fenced garden area and all my other geese were at the fence looking toward them. I found it strange that they would leave the nest area, so I picked them up and put them back in the nest area with their momma. A few hours later, another baby hatched. Shortly after that, I found one of the babies dead next to the nest with no apparent wounds. Later another baby hatched and shortly afterward I saw a gander standing over the nest pummeling one of the babies (ended up breaking its leg). I swatted the gander away, grabbed the babies, and placed them in a safe area. I then fenced off the momma and her babies and she has taken great care of them since. So - Ganders may in fact try to kill goslings.

Later in the week another gosling had an egg hatch. She left her nest and hissed at her own baby and would not return to the nest. When the little baby tried to follow her, she acted as if she was going to kill it so I took it from her and have been raising it with the above broken legged gosling. So, it appears to me that, at times, even the mommas will kill try to kill their babies or at least abandon their young.

I should note that these are first time parents geese so maybe they simply haven't figured out how to care for their offspring.

Anyway, just my own experience.

If they were very young and she wasn't with them they also may have died from getting cold as they cannot hold their own heat until a few weeks of age