Help! My broody goose is not eating

[LakeGooseBerry]

Well I'm glad to hear that someone else has a house that isn't as clean as it might be! I'm a stay-at-home and mine is always a mess. I try but as some as I clean one thing it undoes itself!!

It sounds like you have created your own little paradise. I too love my place ...it's like pulling hens teeth to get me to leave. Everything I love is right here.

It is really lovely to have other like-minded people with womb to share my Goosey fretting. I tried to add a picture to this post but we shall see if it successfully arrives

 

[Miss Lydia]

Well I'm glad to hear that someone else has a house that isn't as clean as it might be! I'm a stay-at-home and mine is always a mess. I try but as some as I clean one thing it undoes itself!!

It sounds like you have created your own little paradise. I too love my place ...it's like pulling hens teeth to get me to leave. Everything I love is right here.

It is really lovely to have other like-minded people with womb to share my Goosey fretting. I tried to add a picture to this post but we shall see if it successfully arrives

What a sweet pic, I've never had a goose in my sink, only my tub, but I have had a few ducks and chickens.

 

[Skyfire]

I replied but couldn't find the response, so I'm posting here too, just in case. Sorry if this is a repeat.

I have had a similar experience, and I know what you mean about missing your goose. We struggled to be patient with her timeline, but I think it was worth it.

Lady Goo Goo laid her first egg on Valentine's day. A couple weeks later she went broody. Eventually she would lay a total of 11 eggs, but without a gander and no hope for goslings, we slyly collected all the eggs sometimes we would replace with ceramic eggs, sometimes not. I let her do her thing for a while and I missed her so much. After a couple months she had lost a lot of weight, was super territorial and grumpy with us. However, she always let my husband and I visit her in the nest. She even seemed relieved for the company and distraction. One day I realized she was filthy and I hadn't seen her bathe. So I cleaned the pool while she watched from the nest. We talked with one another the whole time. Then I put the ducks out of the coop and closed us in. Now it was just her and I, having some alone time. I sat on her empty nest and put her in my lap and started petting and cuddling like I had before the brooding. Soon she got up, but I stayed put, sitting on her nest as a surrogate. She took a full bath, preened properly, and ate a full meal. Then she came back to the nest and took over. We did this for a couple weeks, and sometimes I could coax her out of the coop, but she would become panicked if she moved too far away from the nest. Then one day, she spent most of the day out of the coop while I worked in the garden. I tried a couple times to bring her in the house but she panicked. After a couple weeks of this new dynamic, she asked to go in the house one evening for couch and bedtime cuddles. She's done this a few times now, but still not consistently. However, I'm now able to cuddle her and hold her lots outside. And I feel it's just a matter of time before she's back to being a "normal indoor goose". It has been harder to help her reestablish her relationship with my 13yr old and other regular visitors. She has nipped a couple times, something she didn't do before. But we have consistently helped people learn how to interact with her in this new phase. She's definitly more social than a month ago.

Little by little, I've dismantled the nesting area. I've used all of her nesting straw as bedding in the garden and she doesn't even build a nest anymore (much to my chagrin - now I'll have to tear apart the straw bales myself for the garden).

Last night she went back to the spot her nest used to be and wouldn't come in the house, despite my pleading and cajoling. Being a momma goose when you're a baby must be very confusing and scary. Being a goose's mother is such a sweet and charmed life.

I am so glad you made sure this got posted. As the days roll forward, I'm growing more confident Jupiter is female. She's got all the signs so far: shorter thicker neck, low hanging undercarriage, gender related mannerisms. I have a strong feeling your reply is going to come in handy next year, something I will refer to regularly. Being a goose momma is incredibly rewarding. Being a brand new goose momma is both rewarding and nerve wracking! I always want to ensure I'm doing right by her. Now, I have an idea of what to expect and how to handle it.

 

[LakeGooseBerry]

I am glad that my reply was helpful. For as long as I have participated in this forum all I do is ask, ask, ASK.....and everyone just keeps answering my questions! It's nice to be able to offer something back.

 

[Skyfire]

Well I'm glad to hear that someone else has a house that isn't as clean as it might be! I'm a stay-at-home and mine is always a mess. I try but as some as I clean one thing it undoes itself!!

It sounds like you have created your own little paradise. I too love my place ...it's like pulling hens teeth to get me to leave. Everything I love is right here.

It is really lovely to have other like-minded people with womb to share my Goosey fretting. I tried to add a picture to this post but we shall see if it successfully arrives

Pic of the day!

Count me among the worry warts and those who've had to lower their cleaning standards. It's like having your first kid. The diaper bag has minimum 2 sterile bottles, top of the line formula, 6 diapers, 2 diaper covers, 1 package diaper wipes, bibs, burp cloths, first aid kit, etc. By the second kid, you stuff a diaper in your purse, rinse out last night's bottle, pour in some fruit juice and call it good.

I used to be a neat freak. Jupiter has helped me move past that.