Malnutrition - Broody Goose

[The goose mama]

Hey all!
I have a very broody goose sitting on eggs! My entire flock is healthy, dewormed, etc. Since becoming broody she has become malnourished and legs are very pale. How can I get her healthy again while she lays on her eggs? Have you experienced this and what worked best?

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

Place both food and water in front of her. (The water needs to be deep enough for her to get her beak fully submerged.) By having it in front of her, she should eat and drink without leaving the nest. It's very good and necessary for her to leave the nest every once in a while, but with her not doing it often enough, that is what you can do.

How long has she been setting for? Do you know if any of her eggs are fertilized? (Just because you have a gander in the flock, doesn't mean the eggs are fertilized.) If she's been sitting longer than her eggs should of hatched and/or you can see no goslings in the eggs when you candle them, it may be time to remove her from the nest. First take the eggs, destroy the nest, and block off the nest so she can't return. She might be very upset for a few days, but if her eggs are never going to hatch, it could be a life saving move.

 

[The goose mama]

Place both food and water in front of her. (The water needs to be deep enough for her to get her beak fully submerged.) By having it in front of her, she should eat and drink without leaving the nest. It's very good and necessary for her to leave the nest every once in a while, but with her not doing it often enough, that is what you can do.

How long has she been setting for? Do you know if any of her eggs are fertilized? (Just because you have a gander in the flock, doesn't mean the eggs are fertilized.) If she's been sitting longer than her eggs should have hatched and/or you can see no goslings in the eggs when you candle them, it may be time to remove her from the nest. First take the eggs, destroy the nest, and block off the nest so she can't return. She might be very upset for a few days, but if her eggs are never going to hatch, it could be a life saving move.

I candled her eggs last night and two are fertile and developing so that’s exciting! She had gone broody about two weeks ago so I put eggs under her that were earmarked for the incubator last week. I will put food and water inside with her today! Aside from some brewers yeast, should I give her nutri drench or anything?

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

I candled her eggs last night and two are fertile and developing so that’s exciting! She had gone broody about two weeks ago so I put eggs under her that were earmarked for the incubator last week. I will put food and water inside with her today! Aside from some brewers yeast, should I give her nutri drench or anything?

Ok, that all sounds good. As far as what you're feeding her, I've always fed my geese Game Bird Crumbles, so I'm not sure what else to give yours.

 

[Goosebaby]

That happens with geese, it can be a good idea to get them off their nest once a day for food and to stretch the legs. It doesn’t hurt the eggs.

Sitting so long causes poor circulation making them pale, they often get a bit anemic too even if you get them off their nest every day.

Bringing the food and water on the nest is a good idea but not if the water can be spilled by her or the others.