Gosling w/No eyes

[GooseOnLoose]

Hello everyone. I’ve had Chinese geese for a number of years and have hatched a few and my geese have also hatched their own. This time I’ve run into a few issues...too much to type here now, but the nutshell version is that the goose abandoned the nest and the three that were viable and close to hatching I stuck under a setting hen (chicken).

2 hatched just fine and are fluffy and active, the third was a couple days behind and it appears he has no eyes... my first reaction was to remove him, but a friend suggested I leave him with the hen so he gets to know their voices and the area where they are.

I’ll be honest in saying I simply am at a loss on what to do. I won’t cull the gosling but I’m very concerned at what kind of quality of life he would have, because my birds all free range and he would have to be kept in some type of pen.

Im not at all sure he is completely healthy, which adds to other concerns, but only being 24 hours old, it’s awfully soon to try to make any determinations.

I’ve read a lot of different threads and gathered a lot of info over the last 24 hours — but ultimately am looking for ideas, advice and suggestions for this little guy.

Any help would be greatly appreciated and thank you in advance.

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

I can imagine what a shocker this must be for you, and I commend you for wanting to make a carefully-considered decision about how to proceed. The gosling is adorable, BTW.

Can you gently try to open its eyelids to get a peek at what - if anything - is there? If stuck shut, lukewarm water can help loosen the area. It could be microphthalmia (underdeveloped eyes) or, as you suspect, a lack of eyes entirely.

Based on my experience with a visually-impaired Muscovy drake (and I also have geese), if your gosling is otherwise healthy, it should have a fair chance at a good QOL. I don't know what your free range setup is like (are they secured at night?), but it may be possible for your special needs gosling to free range someday, maybe even with the gaggle.

In the short-term, I agree that the little one would probably do best if left with its surrogate hen mom, and allowed to familiarize itself with its surroundings. It'll be important now to monitor it to ensure that it eats and drinks consistently, and can't drown in the waterer or get stuck somewhere in its pen. You may be surprised at how well it does, though.

Hang in there - will be looking forward to updates!

 

[RainbowHen]

I can imagine what a shocker this must be for you, and I commend you for wanting to make a carefully-considered decision about how to proceed. The gosling is adorable, BTW.

Can you gently try to open its eyelids to get a peek at what - if anything - is there? If stuck shut, lukewarm water can help loosen the area. It could be microphthalmia (underdeveloped eyes) or, as you suspect, a lack of eyes entirely.

Based on my experience with a visually-impaired Muscovy drake (and I also have geese), if your gosling is otherwise healthy, it should have a fair chance at a good QOL. I don't know what your free range setup is like (are they secured at night?), but it may be possible for your special needs gosling to free range someday, maybe even with the gaggle.

In the short-term, I agree that the little one would probably do best if left with its surrogate hen mom, and allowed to familiarize itself with its surroundings. It'll be important now to monitor it to ensure that it eats and drinks consistently, and can't drown in the waterer or get stuck somewhere in its pen. You may be surprised at how well it does, though.

Hang in there - will be looking forward to updates!

X2 best of luck! I'll be following along

 

[GooseOnLoose]

I can imagine what a shocker this must be for you, and I commend you for wanting to make a carefully-considered decision about how to proceed. The gosling is adorable, BTW.

Can you gently try to open its eyelids to get a peek at what - if anything - is there? If stuck shut, lukewarm water can help loosen the area. It could be microphthalmia (underdeveloped eyes) or, as you suspect, a lack of eyes entirely.

Based on my experience with a visually-impaired Muscovy drake (and I also have geese), if your gosling is otherwise healthy, it should have a fair chance at a good QOL. I don't know what your free range setup is like (are they secured at night?), but it may be possible for your special needs gosling to free range someday, maybe even with the gaggle.

In the short-term, I agree that the little one would probably do best if left with its surrogate hen mom, and allowed to familiarize itself with its surroundings. It'll be important now to monitor it to ensure that it eats and drinks consistently, and can't drown in the waterer or get stuck somewhere in its pen. You may be surprised at how well it does, though.

Hang in there - will be looking forward to updates!

Thank you so Much for the information...

I had put a tiny dab of terramycin on his eye lids, thinking to give him some comfort and I noticed a bit of movement and perhaps a tiny eyeball under the lid on one side. So I put a tiny dab on the other side as well.

sure enough, that’s what it looks like... the lids on the other side are about half the size they are on this side.

not knowing anything about this condition, is it possible for the goose to see somewhat normally, even out of the one eye?

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

Thank you so Much for the information...

I had put a tiny dab of terramycin on his eye lids, thinking to give him some comfort and I noticed a bit of movement and perhaps a tiny eyeball under the lid on one side. So I put a tiny dab on the other side as well.

sure enough, that’s what it looks like... the lids on the other side are about half the size they are on this side.

not knowing anything about this condition, is it possible for the goose to see somewhat normally, even out of the one eye?

YVW! In my experience with microphthalmia, vision is definitely impaired, but may be sufficient for the affected bird to see at least a little (shadows, light/dark, maybe?). My drake is able to fly (not ideal when you don't see well, lol), breed ducks, eat, forage, go into the coop at dusk, recognize me, and (back when the ducks were fully free range) avoid predators like foxes and hawks that killed others. With a lot of fox pressure here, I've resorted to "limited" free range - a very large fenced area that contains them.

What you describe sounds like it may be similar to my drake's condition: unusually small eyes, somewhat "sunken" eyeballs, poor vision. Nonetheless, he's 4 years old now and going strong, and I believe he has a very good quality of life. He's also fathered ducklings and none have had the condition...just bad luck? Maybe. You can find more on him and other special needs ducks here.

 

[GooseOnLoose]

YVW! In my experience with microphthalmia, vision is definitely impaired, but may be sufficient for the affected bird to see at least a little (shadows, light/dark, maybe?). My drake is able to fly (not ideal when you don't see well, lol), breed ducks, eat, forage, go into the coop at dusk, recognize me, and (back when the ducks were fully free range) avoid predators like foxes and hawks that killed others. With a lot of fox pressure here, I've resorted to "limited" free range - a very large fenced area that contains them.

What you describe sounds like it may be similar to my drake's condition: unusually small eyes, somewhat "sunken" eyeballs, poor vision. Nonetheless, he's 4 years old now and going strong, and I believe he has a very good quality of life. He's also fathered ducklings and none have had the condition...just bad luck? Maybe. You can find more on him and other special needs ducks here.

Thank you again... Did you or have you ever needed to provide him with any kind of care to his eyes? I’ve tried to do a little research but perhaps I’m not looking for the correct terms?? Not finding hardly anything.

I’ve been checking on this little guy every time I come outside... this last time he was resting with his siblings and surrogate mom. I’ve been concerned about him being able to find food & water, and was hoping to be able to keep him with his family so that they can help him or her along if necessary. He did nibble some and drank quite a bit when I had him with me earlier...

This has been so unexpected but he seemed to perk up once the little eye opened. I’m watching him a lot more closely, I notice the other eye - or at least the lids - seem to move a little as though they are trying to open and close. I’m guessing that from the hatching process they may have gotten dry or were never open to start with. The quality of life thing is a big deal to me, because I have a responsibility to them.

my birds do free range, but I have the ability to limit that when needed to protect them from hawks & coyotes that are the primary predators here. We’ve had issues with skunks and snakes as well but I find the geese and ducks stick together and either do what we call “freeze frame” (stand like statues) or they get away.

Please know you have my sincere thanks...

 

[Goosebaby]

There’s someone on Instagram with a blind goose, they have a great life, it’s a different life, but they’re happy. They keep her in a small but comfortably sized area with a goose friend, the food and water dishes are kept in a place she remembers.
As long as there aren’t any other underlying issues with organ health the baby will be special needs but has an excellent outlook with the right setup.

 

[GooseOnLoose]

There’s someone on Instagram with a blind goose, they have a great life, it’s a different life, but they’re happy. They keep her in a small but comfortably sized area with a goose friend, the food and water dishes are kept in a place she remembers.
As long as there aren’t any other underlying issues with organ health the baby will be special needs but has an excellent outlook with the right setup.

I’ll have to look into this!
Thank you!!

 

[Goosebaby]

I can’t find the profile I was thinking of yet but I did just find this one, they have a blind goose named Rae-Rae https://instagram.com/harvest_home?igshid=10v0s3urnzg3l

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

Thank you again... Did you or have you ever needed to provide him with any kind of care to his eyes? I’ve tried to do a little research but perhaps I’m not looking for the correct terms?? Not finding hardly anything.

I’ve been checking on this little guy every time I come outside... this last time he was resting with his siblings and surrogate mom. I’ve been concerned about him being able to find food & water, and was hoping to be able to keep him with his family so that they can help him or her along if necessary. He did nibble some and drank quite a bit when I had him with me earlier...

This has been so unexpected but he seemed to perk up once the little eye opened. I’m watching him a lot more closely, I notice the other eye - or at least the lids - seem to move a little as though they are trying to open and close. I’m guessing that from the hatching process they may have gotten dry or were never open to start with. The quality of life thing is a big deal to me, because I have a responsibility to them.

my birds do free range, but I have the ability to limit that when needed to protect them from hawks & coyotes that are the primary predators here. We’ve had issues with skunks and snakes as well but I find the geese and ducks stick together and either do what we call “freeze frame” (stand like statues) or they get away.

Please know you have my sincere thanks...

I'll be holding out hope that the little one's vision turns out to be more than expected. The Terramycin was a good idea - lubrication and insurance against infection, just in case. And help to "unstick" a stuck-together eye! I did apply coconut oil to Elliott's eyes, initially, but I don't think it made a difference...wasn't sure what exactly I was dealing with at the time, but knew the coconut oil wouldn't hurt him. To my knowledge, microphthalmia can't really be treated because it's congenital...but a bird with it can live a reasonably normal life.

It's premature now, but maybe, someday, your gosling can be integrated back into the gaggle - I find they really look out for each other, and for babies.

If you have something like Nutri-Drench, it wouldn't hurt to offer it, too, to get this one off on the best foot, nutritionally- sometimes, disadvantaged babies respond well to these kinds of supplements.