Lost 3 Geese in 2 Days

[sccrj88]

Like the title says we have lost 3 geese in 2 days. A little background: The geese are a little over 1 year old and have had no prior health issues that I know of. They were free range until 2 months ago when they began wandering across the road. They are currently housed in a 10x10 chain link dog kennel and have a large metal watering container which is big enough for them to climb into and bath. Part of the kennel is shaded. The temps here have been in the low 90s with the heat index. We move the kennel every few days to give them fresh grass and it is supplemented with layer pellets and chicken scratch every other day and occasional leftovers, most recently watermelon rinds and a few pieces of pineapple (fed sunday). The first goose was found dead Monday morning. The goose did not act lethargic or have any symptoms of a respiratory infection or any injuries (missing feathers, blood etc). The second goose was found dead Monday night, same condition. I fed them scratch and pellets today and they didn't act like they normally do and get excited about the food. I got home from work about 3 hours ago and they both seemed fine. I just checked on them again and found a third one dead and the surviving goose is hanging its head and acting lethargic. Any ideas what may be causing this? Is there anything I'm doing wrong? We haven't had this problem before and they just seem to be dying for no reason. These are our first geese but we have had chickens for years with no similar issues. Any idea how to save the last one? Thanks in advance for your help. Let me know if you need more information.

 

[FamilyJuulsFarm]

My geese free range and still get vitamin deficient. I guess the grass just isn't varied enough.
I thought of one more thing.... zinc toxicity. I can see your pen is galvanised, is your metal drinking trough galvanised or stainless? Have a read of this and see if anything matches up. Perhaps the warmer weather had some affect.
http://www.bird-vet.com/heavyMetalPoisoninginBirds.aspx

 

[sccrj88]

Attached are pictures of both the surviving goose who is weak and lethargic and the most recent deceased goose. The surviving goose can barely pick up her head.

 

[abbyf]

Sorry to hear your news, could they have wandered across the road and got into some poison (maybe roundup) Also check your scratch we had a bag mold last year after it got hot.
Hopefully someone more knowledgable will chime in.

 

[FamilyJuulsFarm]

Chicken scratch does not contain the right mix of vitamins and minerals for waterfowl. Niacin deficiency will cause the problems you are seeing. Give them bird vitamins and switch to a specialised waterfowl mix. Don't have vitamins? Give them brewers yeast- rich in niacin. I have even used berroca for mine.

I had a similar problem just recently.. I also treated them for worms and lice, and a dose of antibiotic. In my case, it seems to be the antibiotic that did the trick, but I've amended their diet as well.

 

[FamilyJuulsFarm]

Looking more closely at your photos- the beak is flaky, and the tail feathers are rough, also indicating vitamin deficiency. Though this isn't necessarily the cause of death, it wouldn't be helping.

This resource is invaluable for geese:
http://www.fastonline.org/CD3WD_40/JF/414/05-234.pdf

You will need a laptop computer to open it. It's a large file and will crash your tablet/phone every single time.

 

[sccrj88]

I figured that they were getting their vitamins and nutrients from the grass they were eating. When they were free range I fed them the scratch/layer mixture about once a week and they didn't seem to have any issues. What would change from them being free range to the kennel that is moved frequently? Also Abbyf I think it is unlikely that they got into any poison, we don't use it and they have been confined for 2 months. I think they would've had a reaction already, and the scratch is free of mold as far as I can tell.

 

[Iain Utah]

Wow, sounds just awful! So sorry for your losses. I do not think nutrition is the cause, especially since free ranging. Have no idea the cause, but I have a couple questions. Are the geese female? Are they laying eggs? Inability to set up permanent nest and routine to lay can cause egg-laying issues which can kill a female goose very quickly. Also, if female, without calcium supplement they can also fall severely ill.

 

[sccrj88]

Ian all the geese are female pilgrim geese. They all laid nests and eggs fine until about mid april and then stopped. What makes this strange to me is them dying in such quick succession.

 

[Iain Utah]

If laying season ended already, then that is likely not cause. It seems to narrow to perhaps poisoning (metal, toxic weed) or infection. If poisoning, there is a thread about charcoal somewhere on this forum to help. If bacterial infection, you can give her a shot of penicillin from farm store. Not much to do for viral infection except meticam (bird anti-inflammatory) would help.

Or you can take her to the vet for exam/fecal tests/blood tests and they will give her appropriate medication.