Goslings of 2014 Hatch-a-long

[livininbrazil]

All this duck talk. so I will ask an opinion. Most of you guys know that I have rescued rehabbed and released 2 injured (muscovy) drakes this summer. Well, a mom (muscovy) left her 4 ducklings. These ducks live in the same urban area with a few small retention ponds and we see them everyday. She got hit by a car? got spooked and flew away? chased away? she disappeared and left her 4 three week old babies behind. I am not one for "letting nature run it's course". What are the chances of three week old ducklings surviving in nature without their mom? She started with more than 10 and they got eaten. All the babies get eaten in that area because there are so many predators. They have lasted a full week without mom. We keep feeding them and do do the residents of the apartment complex where they are living (yes they are on private property). I am torn between not wanting to make a scene and get arrested for molesting the wildlife and rescuing them. I have fought with my son all week because he wanted us to catch them the first day.
I just dont know what is the right thing to do.. What do you guys think? I will post this on the link thread too.

At three weeks they can survive without their mom. The biggest danger is predators, and it appears that mom doesn´t make much difference there. I don´t see that the mom disappearing will make a great deal of difference to their survival one way or another. so, would you be thinking about rescuing them if they were still with the duck?

 

[livininbrazil]

Me too. It is so sweet to watch ducks and geese raise their babies.

My Pilgrims are a little protective, but not too bad, and they´re now bringing their 5-day-old babies over for food, but the saddleback, well she´s a real scaredy-cat, and is instilling this in her goslings, so I have a greater challenge with this brood. I may keep them penned for longer to give me time to teach them to come to me for food. I will win! But, having said that, she´s a super mom, protects them from absolutely everything!!!!!!!!

 

[livininbrazil]

Haha yes i will i will try tomorrow! But the problem is that it is my buff African gander that has the droopy wing and my brown female is getting it too! I think it is the suprising warm weather we have (which we don't get in September ) But i am going to use Andreas advice but i will get a Avatar of him!

Serv, in my book by Chris Ashton (Ashton Waterfowl), it says that drooping wing is where the muscles just aren´t strong enough yet to hold the wing, (not themsame as angel wing, where the quills twist out) It says sometimes it corrects itself, but it can also be wrapped, just like in angel wing, until the muscles have grown a bit. Some say it can happen due to lack of exercise (running, flapping wings about), but I imagine yours get plenty of that!

 

[livininbrazil]

Wow, I never thought of bringing my egg in the house where I could see it without a incubator. Thanks so much for telling me about your way of doing things. I had the one egg that didnt end up living after mom hatched it early. It stressed me out so much that i am not sure if i will ever attempt raise eggs again. unless they are geese eggs =)

I think it only works if it´s in the last days of incubation. One of mine here had at least a week to go, so if that hatches successfully, I´ll be surprised. Goose eggs are the hardest to hatch successfully. The birds do it so much better, but in an emergency, I´m ready to have a go... you just have to accept the low chances of success. But there are some!

 

[Starfire669]

Late last night I found a goose egg in their pool. Is this something that happens regularly or a fluke?

Also Peaches the goose and Ebony the ducks are both sitting on the nest. I don't want babies, and Ebony is too thin to sit anyway. So what's the best, and kindest, way to break waterfowl of the need to brood? Next spring I can let some of them go broody, but not this close to winter and not when I don't yet have a broody pen set up for mom and babies.

 

[andreacroyle]

Serv, in my book by Chris Ashton (Ashton Waterfowl), it says that drooping wing is where the muscles just aren´t strong enough yet to hold the wing, (not themsame as angel wing, where the quills twist out) It says sometimes it corrects itself, but it can also be wrapped, just like in angel wing, until the muscles have grown a bit. Some say it can happen due to lack of exercise (running, flapping wings about), but I imagine yours get plenty of that!

Oh, I was thinking more so of an injury. But YES if the feathers are coming in, the blood is heavy so the "weaker" wings can droop. if this is the case with your young waterfowl, dont support them. my muscovy drake's wings drooped for a good month while the girls only drooped for a week and a half or so. keep us updated . maybe post a pic.

 

[andreacroyle]

Serv, is this what the wings are doing? Harry's wings looked like this for about a month but he grew into them.

 

[Iain Utah]

Bolshy emerged this morning from under our front porch with 11 babies in tow, as if 10 were not enough. Sheesh.

 

[livininbrazil]

Late last night I found a goose egg in their pool. Is this something that happens regularly or a fluke?

Also Peaches the goose and Ebony the ducks are both sitting on the nest. I don't want babies, and Ebony is too thin to sit anyway. So what's the best, and kindest, way to break waterfowl of the need to brood? Next spring I can let some of them go broody, but not this close to winter and not when I don't yet have a broody pen set up for mom and babies.

Hi Starfire, I´ve missed some of your posts, so sorry if I repeat anything that´s already been said.
Finding an egg in the pool isn´t anything much, they´re just youngsters and usually don´t get it together. Also, some breeds tend to be better brooders than others.
Are they actually broody? Or just laying? It´s very difficult to stop a goose from brooding, but then some have stronger instincts than others. Is one actually glued to a nest site?

Bolshy emerged this morning from under our front porch with 11 babies in tow, as if 10 were not enough. Sheesh.

Oh, so you´re keeping three, then!

I like the spectators...didn´t seem to keep their interest for very long though...Is that one of the ganders hanging back there?

 

[livininbrazil]

Well, I can´t really claim to have probs with preds, but I can see a dead duck in my neighbour´s field, I don´t know yet if it´s one of mine, or his. Probably a wandering dog got it, poor thing. And looks like there´s a tegu at large... they come around this time of year, eating eggs and stuff. Last night one of the nests with just one egg in so far was raided, and another nest lost two eggs. They don´t seem to touch the sitting birds, at least not so far, but they´ll take the eggs from under them. Practically impossible to keep them out. Often, just to place some tall bricks around the nest can help, as they tend to hug the ground. That way, they just pass on by. Normally works. Wretched things. That´s my work sorted for this afternoon, then!