goslingmum
In the Brooder
- Dec 17, 2015
- 16
- 0
- 24
Hey, I currently have two goslings that I am hand rearing. I have never done this before because we usually leave the geese to raise their own but with the latest batch (born late in the season (just over two weeks ago) there was one with what apeared to be an injured leg. I love geese but they have a tendancy to step on their young and I didn't feel it would end well with a little one who has difficulty moving. He (or she, not sure on gendering) has since been living in the lap of luxury and I have decided that instead of an injured leg he was probably just bron with a deformaty. He eats lettuce and I let him graze outside for most of the day when it's warm out and I give him chick starter which I know is not ideal from other threads but it's all I have and I couldnt find anyone near by who has water fowel starter, ordering it in also involves buying it in a tone and he is only a little guy. A week after I took him in I also took in his sibling (the rest of the batch died, one drowned and one disapeared) I found him seperate from the geese crying and then he got stuck in a pond (we have never had an issue with this pond before but I have sense put in rocks to ensure young ones can get out) when I put him near the geese again they ignored him and when I put him with his brother he calmed down and snuggled up with him. They now live together in a cage that used to be a rabbit hutch. Eat grass during the day in the sun and lettuce and chick starter at nighy. I take them for at least one swim a day in a kiddie pool I have though sometimes I let them do so more then once. When they are wet I let them sit in the sun if there is no wind or inside in their enclosure if there is wind until they are dry. I dont have a heat lamp so I have just been using the air conditioner coupled with a hot water bottle at night to keep them warm and I moniter them to make sure they arent huddling together for warmth or avoiding the hot water bottle due to over heating (they always sleep snuggled around the hot water bottle and cry till I re heat it when it loses it's heat around 3am. They have water which I keep clean, I give them lots of cuddles and I think I'm doing okay but the one thay spent a week with the geese despite being the same size as my original bubby when I first took him in is now nearly twice hia size. Bubby loves the chick starter and eats the lettuce but he doesnt seem to eat nearly as much grass as the other bubby though he does eat it. I am worried that I've done something wrong in his first week or that something is wrong with him that I'm missing. I really love both of them and dont want anything bad to happen. Any suggestions on what to do?