Labouring Goose

[eyo schicky]

Hi all. I am a first time goose mum so I don't what to do at the moment. My 2yr old Pilgrim? Goose is having quite the time at the moment with laying eggs. We are in North Queensland, Australia so our spring has just started and so far she has laid 4 eggs, 1-2 a week. Last year she laid 4 in total. She has not laid for about 3 days and today and yesterday she is walking really slow and "nesting" a lot. I don't know how long it should take for the egg to come out and I don't know if I should take her to the vet. Her "nappy" is very full but no obvious egg ( I also didn't poke too hard in case I hurt her) will I know if it is stuck? Otherwise she is alert and eating a little but drinking a lot. Some reassurance or advise would be greatly appreciated

 

[Miss Lydia]

Hi all. I am a first time goose mum so I don't what to do at the moment. My 2yr old Pilgrim? Goose is having quite the time at the moment with laying eggs. We are in North Queensland, Australia so our spring has just started and so far she has laid 4 eggs, 1-2 a week. Last year she laid 4 in total. She has not laid for about 3 days and today and yesterday she is walking really slow and "nesting" a lot. I don't know how long it should take for the egg to come out and I don't know if I should take her to the vet. Her "nappy" is very full but no obvious egg ( I also didn't poke too hard in case I hurt her) will I know if it is stuck? Otherwise she is alert and eating a little but drinking a lot. Some reassurance or advise would be greatly appreciated

I think a vet would be in order they should lay every other day and with what you have said it sounds like there maybe an egg stuck ,You could try letting her float in some nice warm water sometimes the warm water will relax them enough to where the egg will come out, and some Tums antacid crushed and offered in her drinking water 1-2 tums to 1 qt of water calcium can help too. But please don't let it go much longer.

 

[eyo schicky]

Great! Thanks heaps for the advise, I have booked her into the vet this afternoon.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Great! Thanks heaps for the advise, I have booked her into the vet this afternoon.

What did you find out @eyo schicky

 

[eyo schicky]

Well... I got home from work to find that she had laid and egg, so that is great but.... she was still not herself and was reluctant to walk and when she did it was an effort so I kept the vet appointment. The vet said that she didn't have any residual eggs left in there and she has a slightly elevated temperature but nothing too serious, faecal smear didn't show any nasties, so for now she has antibiotics and vitamins and just watch her for a couple of days and see if she picks up. It is an effort to orally medicate a goose! She has an incredibly flexible neck and I think I got more on me then in her mouth! He did mention that she may have a congenital reproductive issue and that might be why she doesn't lay much? Should she be laying everyday if she is only 2 yrs old?

 

[Miss Lydia]

Well... I got home from work to find that she had laid and egg, so that is great but.... she was still not herself and was reluctant to walk and when she did it was an effort so I kept the vet appointment. The vet said that she didn't have any residual eggs left in there and she has a slightly elevated temperature but nothing too serious, faecal smear didn't show any nasties, so for now she has antibiotics and vitamins and just watch her for a couple of days and see if she picks up. It is an effort to orally medicate a goose! She has an incredibly flexible neck and I think I got more on me then in her mouth! He did mention that she may have a congenital reproductive issue and that might be why she doesn't lay much? Should she be laying everyday if she is only 2 yrs old?

When in full laying cycle they lay every other day not every day. When my 3 yr old lays she is usually right on with every other day then about a month into laying she'll take a break for about a week then start back . Your vet maybe right that their is something going on since she laid only 4 eggs last year. I'm glad she laid that egg and could be it took a while and might be why she was so weak and could walk well. Hopefully the antibiotic and vitamins will help. If she has a favorite treat you might be able to mix her meds into a small amount and let her eat it. Some meds are so nasty tasting though that may not help. Or you could get someone to hold her then you pry open her bill and put the meds down her throat on the left side remember there are 2 holes one right in the middle which goes to her air sacs nothing should go down there to the left of that hole is where you want the meds to go and I use a syringe with out a needle to give to my chickens haven't had to medicate any of my water fowl yet. Here is a pic showing proper way to give medication with syringe without a needle [edited to clarify that is with out a needle]

@eyo schicky

 

[eyo schicky]

Whoops, I did not know that! Thank you sooo much for sharing that. I was just putting it straight in her mouth, but wasn't putting it right down her throat. I will definitely be aiming to the side now. Today she was still a bit lethargic and still reluctant to walk but she is eating, drinking and wading in her pool and extremely sooky - just wants to be cuddled all the time (which I love, I just wish she was 100% and affectionate and not sick and affectionate), so hopefully she improves tomorrow... Thanks again for your help and expertise, I really appreciate it!!