Limping Buff goose, no apparent cause.

[Goosebaby]

I am not sure whether I should start a new post or piggy back on this post for the same problem. If I need to do a new post, I certainly will.

My 3 year old Buff goose is exhibiting the same symptoms. She started limping 3 days ago for no apparent reason. She doesn’t have bumble-foot. It is considerably worse today and she can hardly put weight on her left leg. I read through some posts and thought maybe she may have a vitamin deficiency, so I gave her some fortified nutritional yeast with niacin, put some poultry vitamins in her water, and left crushed oyster shells out for her today. She has eaten/drunk all of the above, but still has not improved. Maybe it will take a day or two? She is also exhibiting two other strange behaviors - she is not holding her wings up and just letting them droop. Also, she has been going to the fire pit and digging around for charcoal. She has been eating the charcoal for the past week. Please let me know if you know what is going on and how I can help her. She laid an egg yesterday and is due to lay again tomorrow, but I don’t know if she will. Thank you!View attachment 4044780

What feed is she on? Has her appetite changed?
Has she had any unusual droppings, red, pink, orange, neon green, excessively white? Bubbly or mostly watery droppings?

How do her eggs look? Are they thin? Have you seen calcium deposits on the eggs?

Eating charcoal can mean she’s calcium deficient. If she’s eating charcoal, dirt, and sand that’s pica and it can mean she has a serious vitamin deficiency or stomach discomfort from an infection or parasite. Charcoal is great for detoxification and birds will crave it because they can also absorb calcium from it, however its ability to scrub toxins means it’s excellent at absorbing vitamins and nutrients, calcium can also do this which complicates things if she’s calcium deficient and B vitamin deficient at the same time.

You could try giving her direct doses of a B vitamin complex, lack of B6 can cause droopy wings, if you can find calcium gluconate that will help her if she has a deficiency in that regard, but probably give one in the morning and the other at night to give her a better chance of absorbing the Bs without interference from the calcium.

 

[Birdnubie]

What feed is she on? Has her appetite changed?
Has she had any unusual droppings, red, pink, orange, neon green, excessively white? Bubbly or mostly watery droppings?

How do her eggs look? Are they thin? Have you seen calcium deposits on the eggs?

Eating charcoal can mean she’s calcium deficient. If she’s eating charcoal, dirt, and sand that’s pica and it can mean she has a serious vitamin deficiency or stomach discomfort from an infection or parasite. Charcoal is great for detoxification and birds will crave it because they can also absorb calcium from it, however its ability to scrub toxins means it’s excellent at absorbing vitamins and nutrients, calcium can also do this which complicates things if she’s calcium deficient and B vitamin deficient at the same time.

You could try giving her direct doses of a B vitamin complex, lack of B6 can cause droopy wings, if you can find calcium gluconate that will help her if she has a deficiency in that regard, but probably give one in the morning and the other at night to give her a better chance of absorbing the Bs without interference from the calcium.

Thank you so much, Goosebaby for replying and sharing your knowledge!

She is on 22% protein chicken feed from a local feed store that is suppose to be good for all flock from chicks to layers. I also see her grazing on grass. I give the geese romaine lettuce twice a week. Her appetite is good, but seems to have increased in the past 2 days. Maybe the nutritional yeast, oyster shells, and Poultry Cell are helping her a little? Her poop has been mostly black and runny recently with a few of them being watery and white/clear.

Her eggs are runny and have calcium spots! What does that mean?

Yesterday I was really encouraged because she was not limping and was walking normally for most of the day, but today, she is limping again when she decides to move. She stood in one place for a long time this morning and when she moved, she was having a hard time putting her left leg down - very hesitant to do so and put weight on it very briefly. She has regressed today and seems worse again. She has been in the fire pit a lot today and also eating from the bowl of oyster shells.

I will purchase B vitamins for poultry and try to give it to her in the morning and evening. She does not like to be held or handled at all, so it will be a challenge.

 

[Goosebaby]

Thank you so much, Goosebaby for replying and sharing your knowledge!

She is on 22% protein chicken feed from a local feed store that is suppose to be good for all flock from chicks to layers. I also see her grazing on grass. I give the geese romaine lettuce twice a week. Her appetite is good, but seems to have increased in the past 2 days. Maybe the nutritional yeast, oyster shells, and Poultry Cell are helping her a little? Her poop has been mostly black and runny recently with a few of them being watery and white/clear.

Her eggs are runny and have calcium spots! What does that mean?

Yesterday I was really encouraged because she was not limping and was walking normally for most of the day, but today, she is limping again when she decides to move. She stood in one place for a long time this morning and when she moved, she was having a hard time putting her left leg down - very hesitant to do so and put weight on it very briefly. She has regressed today and seems worse again. She has been in the fire pit a lot today and also eating from the bowl of oyster shells.

I will purchase B vitamins for poultry and try to give it to her in the morning and evening. She does not like to be held or handled at all, so it will be a challenge.

It sounds like she’s doesn’t have enough calcium in her blood, if you can get calcium gluconate give her .2 ml per pound

 

[Birdnubie]

Thank you! I will do that.

 

[Goosebaby]

@Miss Lydia do you have any recommendations for how long she should be on calcium gluconate?

 

[Birdnubie]

I just caught her so that I can weigh her and administer the calcium gluconate. She can sure move fast when she wants to get away. I hope I didn’t scare her too much. She drank after the CG dosage and is now back in the fire pit eating charcoal.

 

[Pgw]

Hey, y’all.

I noticed yesterday my ~7 month old Buff goose had a slight limp. As of today, her limp is more noticeable, but she’s still getting around alright.

She has no bumblefoot, and her legs feel about the same to me. She eats as much Mazuri waterfowl feed as she’d like, though her grass intake has been lower recently (predator scare, freezing temps, etc.). She’s eating, drinking, preening, vocalizing. No other obvious symptoms.

My African goose is the same age, same conditions, and she has no limp.

Any ideas what’s amiss? If there’s something I can do for her, or if it’ll resolve on its own?

My buff girl 10 months old has been laying eggs since dec! Also on Mazuri since birth . She started limping end of Feb. Took her to the vet. Has no bumblefoot or foot injury so they xrayed for a break as well as to see if she was egg bound. Both normal. Put her on an antibiotic and anti inflammatory for 14 days. Still the same. It costs me $300. My other buff girl,same age, has had no issues. We just assumed she sprained her leg and it also is her left leg which concerns me. She has also lost all of her flight feathers on her wings. My other has not started molting yet. She is eating and drinking fine and joins my other birds in the yard. I read that a sprain can take a long time to heal especially for a heavy bird and she is. I have seen splints for birds that can be fastened with tape . Wondering if anyone has had any success with them. They would probably have to be removed every night. Hope your goose improves!

 

[Goosebaby]

My buff girl 10 months old has been laying eggs since dec! Also on Mazuri since birth . She started limping end of Feb. Took her to the vet. Has no bumblefoot or foot injury so they xrayed for a break as well as to see if she was egg bound. Both normal. Put her on an antibiotic and anti inflammatory for 14 days. Still the same. It costs me $300. My other buff girl,same age, has had no issues. We just assumed she sprained her leg and it also is her left leg which concerns me. She has also lost all of her flight feathers on her wings. My other has not started molting yet. She is eating and drinking fine and joins my other birds in the yard. I read that a sprain can take a long time to heal especially for a heavy bird and she is. I have seen splints for birds that can be fastened with tape . Wondering if anyone has had any success with them. They would probably have to be removed every night. Hope your goose improves!

What kind of mazuri feed is it specifically?

Is she still laying while she’s molting?


Mazuri tends to be low in protein, it’s fine for lighter breed geese but if it’s the 14% protein feed that’s too low for a medium weight bird “like a buff” while they’re molting.
You might try feeding her 20% start, something like nutrena all flock or purina flock raiser and start her on a regimen of liquid B vitamin complex and rooster booster poultry cell.

 

[Pgw]

She has been on Mazuri Layer and likes to eat my other hens food which is a nix of meat bird crumbles and nutrena harvest blend. So I would think the protein would be high enough. I am starting her on Poultry Cell today to see if there is an improvement. It is hard to know if she is still laying with another goose in their overnight pen. But this am there were 3 eggs. They normally lay 1 each daily and I knew there was 1 last night so maybe she is. Thanks for your reply

 

[Goosebaby]

She has been on Mazuri Layer and likes to eat my other hens food which is a nix of meat bird crumbles and nutrena harvest blend. So I would think the protein would be high enough. I am starting her on Poultry Cell today to see if there is an improvement. It is hard to know if she is still laying with another goose in their overnight pen. But this am there were 3 eggs. They normally lay 1 each daily and I knew there was 1 last night so maybe she is. Thanks for your reply

Sometimes a big egg can press on the nerves leading to the legs and cause temporary partial to full paralysis of one or both legs, so that can cause limping, but it should resolve itself once the egg is out of her system.

Beyond that it might be an issue with the layer feed. Calcium works as a sponge in the digestive tract and absorbs nutrients, “it can also scrub toxins out to an extent,” in excess quantities it can also cause issues with the kidneys and pancreas. Basically when feeding layer feed the extra calcium in it can inhibit the gut’s ability to get nutrients out of the very feed it’s in while also causing health problems for birds who aren’t using the calcium to build eggshells.
Offering oyster shell or boiled egg shell free choice can be a better system because they only eat what their bodies need at any given time.

Another possibility is a parasite or intestinal infection. If there’s something inflaming her gut she isn’t absorbing any nutrients no matter what she’s eating.