help ! 6 day old gosling doesn't drink

[Jimwie]

This is my 1st time hatching geese. I bought 3 Sebastopol eggs on ebay. 1 hatched. I had to help it out in the end. He/she just couldn't get out. I think she was shrink wrapped in there despite the fact the humidity in the incubator was very high. She has been active and noisy this whole time. She seems to be strong. We rarely see her eat. She will eat like crazy if we take granulated feed on a wet finger and feed it to her. I have never seen her drink on her own. I dip her bill into the water and she will drink it down but that's the only time I see her drink. I travel a lot, so I've been gone for 4 of those 6 days of life. My wife has been working with her. She doesn't seem to be growing much. Her tummy seems to be really firm and her eye lids look a little droopy. I just caught her stuck on her back. When I turned her on her feet she was walking fine. At 6 days old should she be like this? Any clues what could be wrong? I'm kind of freaking out here.

 

[GitaBooks]

Goslings learn a lot from their parents and siblings. They are curious and love to investigate and can take some time to learn. A gosling that needed help out of its shell may have an underlying weakness or may have suffered from oxygen issues as well.
Make sure your gosling is plenty warm but also has a place to escape. Make sure his brooder is draft free and has an easy to grip, dry surface on which he can cuddle. Set up his waterer so that it is easy to see. Place some bright pebbles into it and dip your fingers into it to make it ripple and get his attention. You can try similar methods with food by offering bright colored items to get him started. Sprinkle it on the floor to get his attention and tap at it like his mother would do for him.
He may also need a little bit of a rehydration if he hasn't been drinking well. You can let him swim around in a shallow bin of water to get him interested in it and get some exercise. Also, offer water with some vitamin/electrolyte powder in it. By now he should have absorbed his yolksac so getting nutrition into him is important.
Goslings also do best when they have a buddy. If you can find a little guy around his age to introduce him two they may learn from one another about how to properly eat and drink.

I hope this helps some. I'm no expert on gooses, but I certainly wish you the best.

 

[Jimwie]

Thanks much! I have been using the vitamin/electrolyte water from the beginning. I've noticed her going to the water and drinking it a few times today. That's better.I think I'm going to try your idea with the shallow bin of water. Maybe if it's surrounding her she'll try it more. I'm not sure if it had any damage. She piped and had an a air hole in the egg for quite some time before I thought of helping. I couldn't stand the fact that she was making so much noise for hours trying to hatch so I helped her out a bit.