Ok, Backyard Friends... advice/direction is needed...
Petunia, my Embden Goose is having issues walking. I have spent hours and hours cruising BYC reading about this, that and the other and have learned SO MUCH from everyone! What a great site! Anyway, she doesn't seem to be having balance issues. She's not wobbly in her neck or head. No change in food habits, other than I've had snow on the ground for 3 days so not grass/weed nibbling and I would imagine it is dormant and not very nutritious anyway. I have 4 ducks as well that round out my wonderful little flock. They get flock raiser, free choice, and I don't see any reduction in volume being consumed. They also get a daily tray of some combo (or all of) kale, tomatoes, apples and whole grain oats. Every 3rd day or so they get a few tablespoons of plain yogurt on there as well. Also, just about every day, they get a thawed bag of peas. I've walked the property they free range on (not huge, just a very large backyard) and there is nothing suspicious.
She did it once yesterday afternoon, that I saw. Once today. She's fine walking along with everyone, but then I call "Here, Babies" and they all come running. Tunia took about 4 running steps and went all wobbly in the "knee/ankle" area and plopped down. Honked. Got up. Wobble step, wobble step run run run run... she's fine. Same thing today. I see no walking issues in anyone else other than they just really would rather not but when they choose to, they are fine. Everyone looks healthy. Sound healthy... Lord, do they sound healthy.
Here's what's different. SNOW ON THE GROUND. Not much. Not even an inch. But we've stayed below 32 so it's frozen. In the morning and right before bed, none of them like to walk in it and will walk a few steps, lay down and pull their feet up and then repeat. At least until late morning into mid afternoon when the temp has come up from the teens and the sun has taken the "icy" off the snow and it's squishy again. Something else... Yesterday, I had forgotten to empty their water bowls so I didn't have to crack ice in the a.m. so I set a plastic bowl out with water in it until I could get their 2 regular bowls cleaned out and filled as they hit the water as soon as I let them out in the a.m. Right as I was filling the regular bowls, everyone made a beeline for the new water and Tunia stepped into the other bowl. Then out into the snow. IDK... could she have got a little frostbite? I picked her last night when I saw her fall and looked at her feet and they look normal and healthy. I DID notice that the area in front of their water bowls was frozen this morning as I saw her slip as she was coming over for morning chow. I thought, HEY! They are ALWAYS at the water bowl all day long, maybe their little feets are getting too much cold. So I moved their bowls over 3 feet so they were just on dirt/grass/little snow. And all day she seemed fine. Then, just now, I went out for afternoon pea treat and they were all picking along the back fence. "Here, Babies!" and everyone beats feet and Petunia does the plop down trick after about 5 steps. Got up the same way as described above. Walked the rest of the way fine.
WTH?!!!
Any suggestions?
(P.S... I always feel bad that I write such a "book" when I post but I try to avoid everyone scratching their heads and thinking, "Gee, I wish she'd given us a little more info" and the resulting question and answer game. )
I also might add (I know, I know... there's more I just thought of
), I have been outside a hundred times today spying on them. Oh, I have no doubt they know I'm there, but they aren't interested as I am nowhere near their gate to indicate I might be coming in with treats so it's business as usual among them. I have seen NO WOBBLE WHATSOEVER when Petunia is just meandering around nor any trouble getting up and down off the ground. Only when she takes of to run...
Ok, I'm done.
Petunia, my Embden Goose is having issues walking. I have spent hours and hours cruising BYC reading about this, that and the other and have learned SO MUCH from everyone! What a great site! Anyway, she doesn't seem to be having balance issues. She's not wobbly in her neck or head. No change in food habits, other than I've had snow on the ground for 3 days so not grass/weed nibbling and I would imagine it is dormant and not very nutritious anyway. I have 4 ducks as well that round out my wonderful little flock. They get flock raiser, free choice, and I don't see any reduction in volume being consumed. They also get a daily tray of some combo (or all of) kale, tomatoes, apples and whole grain oats. Every 3rd day or so they get a few tablespoons of plain yogurt on there as well. Also, just about every day, they get a thawed bag of peas. I've walked the property they free range on (not huge, just a very large backyard) and there is nothing suspicious.
She did it once yesterday afternoon, that I saw. Once today. She's fine walking along with everyone, but then I call "Here, Babies" and they all come running. Tunia took about 4 running steps and went all wobbly in the "knee/ankle" area and plopped down. Honked. Got up. Wobble step, wobble step run run run run... she's fine. Same thing today. I see no walking issues in anyone else other than they just really would rather not but when they choose to, they are fine. Everyone looks healthy. Sound healthy... Lord, do they sound healthy.
Here's what's different. SNOW ON THE GROUND. Not much. Not even an inch. But we've stayed below 32 so it's frozen. In the morning and right before bed, none of them like to walk in it and will walk a few steps, lay down and pull their feet up and then repeat. At least until late morning into mid afternoon when the temp has come up from the teens and the sun has taken the "icy" off the snow and it's squishy again. Something else... Yesterday, I had forgotten to empty their water bowls so I didn't have to crack ice in the a.m. so I set a plastic bowl out with water in it until I could get their 2 regular bowls cleaned out and filled as they hit the water as soon as I let them out in the a.m. Right as I was filling the regular bowls, everyone made a beeline for the new water and Tunia stepped into the other bowl. Then out into the snow. IDK... could she have got a little frostbite? I picked her last night when I saw her fall and looked at her feet and they look normal and healthy. I DID notice that the area in front of their water bowls was frozen this morning as I saw her slip as she was coming over for morning chow. I thought, HEY! They are ALWAYS at the water bowl all day long, maybe their little feets are getting too much cold. So I moved their bowls over 3 feet so they were just on dirt/grass/little snow. And all day she seemed fine. Then, just now, I went out for afternoon pea treat and they were all picking along the back fence. "Here, Babies!" and everyone beats feet and Petunia does the plop down trick after about 5 steps. Got up the same way as described above. Walked the rest of the way fine.
WTH?!!!
Any suggestions?
(P.S... I always feel bad that I write such a "book" when I post but I try to avoid everyone scratching their heads and thinking, "Gee, I wish she'd given us a little more info" and the resulting question and answer game. )
I also might add (I know, I know... there's more I just thought of
Ok, I'm done.
