My African geese (2 ganders) are sick what do I need?

[Harry Rooster]

I know one thing though, I'm fixing to start doing a lot of studying and reading and finding out how to take care of my animals myself! I can't stand any more of this kind of thing. I don't ever want this to happen again, so I'm fixing to get myself informed, since I finally realize that there's no one around this place that cares or will help me with my birds. They just expect you to put them down if they get sick or something, and that's not an option for me. They aren't just birds or animals to me, they are my pets, my companions and I love them all and I care about them, and intend to do everything I can to help them, so it's going to be up to me to find out how to help them myself. I'm just so thankful for y'all and all the help and good advise you give. I have saved a lot of my chickens by taking advise on treatments from folks on here. My 2 "Pretty Grils" (Easter Egg hens) are alive and well today and back to normal because of y'all on this site. If it hadn't been for y'all, they would have died pretty quickly, and a horrible death at that, also my beloved rooster "Little Baby", and my Dominique "Cripple Chick" and also "Fat Chick", are all alive because of y'all! Success!!!

So, a big Thank you all!!!

 

[Starfire669]

Good luck, I don't think a female would have you neck deep in babies. It shouldn't be that hard to find their nest. At least I don't think so. Good luck finding him a companion for Scareface.

 

[Iain Utah]

I just checked craigslist for Montgomery. There are a couple of ads there. Also do a google search for geese for sale in your area. You'd be surprised how much you can find if you are willing to drive up to a few hours.

 

[chicknmania]

What about rescue places? There are a few online. Sometimes they have poultry. Worth a shot. Whatever you get, remember to keep in quarantine for a month or so....

 

[Harry Rooster]

Well, have another problem now with Scarface! He has lice!! How in the round world did he get lice being in the water all the time? I couldn't believe it. If he hadn't been in here under the light tonight and being really still while watching TV, I would have never seen them. I'm sure since he has them so bad that Henry had them too. Wonder if that was a lot of his problem. I didn't know geese could get lice or anything like that since they stayed in the water so much. That's why he keep shaking his head all the time I'll bet. I thought he just did that or that he was doing it because of those things on his face, but now I know it's the lice. I got one of them on a piece of scotch tape so I could look at it under the magnifying glass, and I'm sure that's what it is. Too big to be mites. Kind of long not jumping around, just sliding around. I've never been able to get close enough to them before to see anything like that, also it was at night and he was being really still like he was going to sleep is why they came out where I could see them. What in the heck am I supposed to do about that. Dusting him is going to be near impossible, and it won't stay on anyway when he gets into the water and bathes, which he does constantly. What about a spray or something? What do you suggest I do/ His feathers are not like chickens, they are really thick and short except for on his back and down his back and tail.
Mercy me, it's one thing after another, and sometimes a bunch of things at once!

 

[livininbrazil]

Well, have another problem now with Scarface! He has lice!! How in the round world did he get lice being in the water all the time? I couldn't believe it. If he hadn't been in here under the light tonight and being really still while watching TV, I would have never seen them. I'm sure since he has them so bad that Henry had them too. Wonder if that was a lot of his problem. I didn't know geese could get lice or anything like that since they stayed in the water so much. That's why he keep shaking his head all the time I'll bet. I thought he just did that or that he was doing it because of those things on his face, but now I know it's the lice. I got one of them on a piece of scotch tape so I could look at it under the magnifying glass, and I'm sure that's what it is. Too big to be mites. Kind of long not jumping around, just sliding around. I've never been able to get close enough to them before to see anything like that, also it was at night and he was being really still like he was going to sleep is why they came out where I could see them. What in the heck am I supposed to do about that. Dusting him is going to be near impossible, and it won't stay on anyway when he gets into the water and bathes, which he does constantly. What about a spray or something? What do you suggest I do/ His feathers are not like chickens, they are really thick and short except for on his back and down his back and tail.
Mercy me, it's one thing after another, and sometimes a bunch of things at once!

I can´t help wondering if it´s all one problem....if they´re (were) suffering from parasites inside and out?
The shaking of the head can indicate gape worms, and of course, lice can simply suck the life out of the birds.
I don´t know if a spray for birds exists where you are, but I would get some good flea and lice powder, dust it on him by running your hand against the lie of the feathers, and also under the wings and anywhere else you can manage. You may have to do it again after a short time. But then don´t let him have access to bathing water for the day.
Lice survive water. He may be going in it more to get some relief. I´m sure you can soon get him sorted out.
You´ll also need to feed him some really good stuff to get him back up to health.

 

[livininbrazil]

I was considering that, but I know Scarface would be very mean and protective of her even more than he was about Henry. He wouldn't let anyone get near Henry! Henry wasn't like that though, but Scarface would chase you and bite you if he could to keep you away from Henry, so I can imagine how he would be about a female and babies. Mama didn't want to get a female cause she said we would have a yard full of geese in no time, and that would be a mess. We really couldn't have a lot of geese, and I wouldn't want a lot of them either, we couldn't take care of them properly if we had a lot of them, really 2 or 3 is enough, really 2 would be the best since our pond is not very big and the pool we have for them is only big enough for 2 at a time. I think it would be too much to try to have more than that. I would like to have the eggs though, to decorate and put on my Etsy shop. Haven't ever heard of people eating goose eggs, but I recon you can eat them like chicken eggs, but don't know. Don't know anything about that, or if they taste the same or what. Mama also said that they would be nesting somewhere where you couldn't find them or get to them and you couldn't get near them while they were and it would be a bunch of trouble to have a female. I would like to have a female, but after she got through telling me all of that, I thought maybe that might not be a good idea. Maybe you couldn't sell them or give them away like we have to do our roosters. Getting harder and harder to find homes for them every year. Gotta do something for Scarface a mate of some kind soon though before he starts going down from depression.

People around here eat goose eggs, we eat goose eggs. they have a stronger taste, more like a duck egg does, but they make great omelettes, and if you blow the eggs out, you can decorate it too. 2 in 1. You don´t have to let a female sit on the eggs. Or let her sit on, say, 2 of her eggs and put some fake eggs in to keep her happy. You won´t be knee-deep in goslings, even if you do let her lay eggs. If you read through these threads you´ll find that many people have a great deal of problems trying to raise them! Geese can hide their nests, but they´re impossible to find, as the gander is usually very nearby. I would say you´re better of getting a couple of young females if possible. You can have eggs, you ccn raise some goslings if you choose to, and then sell them later. Goslings grow so very fast. By 3 months they´re almost the size of the adult bird! Have you ever had an old dog and got a pup? It brings the old one to life! I reckon you´d be best to keep an eye on Scarface with first introductions, as just a few ganders are a bit odd, but he should take to them very well. You can keep them warm at night, then he can look after them during the day if he´s inclined that way. Most ganders are.
I find it interesting that your 2 ganders got along so well. Most don´t. I don´t have Asiatics, so I have no experience with them, but I´d be inclined to think that you never know if another gander could give you problems.
I´d say, get his parasites sorted out, and get a couple of goslings to cheer yourself up, and as companions for him....I´m sure he´ll really perk up. Just my thoughts on it all.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Well, have another problem now with Scarface! He has lice!! How in the round world did he get lice being in the water all the time? I couldn't believe it. If he hadn't been in here under the light tonight and being really still while watching TV, I would have never seen them. I'm sure since he has them so bad that Henry had them too. Wonder if that was a lot of his problem. I didn't know geese could get lice or anything like that since they stayed in the water so much. That's why he keep shaking his head all the time I'll bet. I thought he just did that or that he was doing it because of those things on his face, but now I know it's the lice. I got one of them on a piece of scotch tape so I could look at it under the magnifying glass, and I'm sure that's what it is. Too big to be mites. Kind of long not jumping around, just sliding around. I've never been able to get close enough to them before to see anything like that, also it was at night and he was being really still like he was going to sleep is why they came out where I could see them. What in the heck am I supposed to do about that. Dusting him is going to be near impossible, and it won't stay on anyway when he gets into the water and bathes, which he does constantly. What about a spray or something? What do you suggest I do/ His feathers are not like chickens, they are really thick and short except for on his back and down his back and tail.
Mercy me, it's one thing after another, and sometimes a bunch of things at once!

You can use Epernix pour on it is used like front line for dogs and is safe it will also kill internal parasites. all but round worms. I have used it but you'll need to keep him out of the water over night, like treat him before bedtime then put him up so he can't get into water till 12 -24 hrs can't remember that part but if you can keep him out of the water long enough it will kill the lice/mites. LF chicken get 7 drops on the skin at neck and 1 drop under each wing. so that's for a 7-10 lb bird. I used it on my water fowl one year in Jan since that was when they wouldn't have any bathing water and I used 12 drops on my ganders neck .

 

[Starfire669]

Well, have another problem now with Scarface!  He has lice!!  How in the round world did he get lice being in the water all the time? I couldn't believe it. If he hadn't been in here under the light tonight and being really still while watching TV, I would have never seen them. I'm sure since he has them so bad that Henry had them too. Wonder if that was a lot of his problem. I didn't know geese could get lice or anything like that since they stayed in the water so much. That's why he keep shaking his head all the time I'll bet. I thought he just did that or that he was doing it because of those things on his face, but now I know it's the lice. I got one of them on a piece of scotch tape so I could look at it under the magnifying glass, and I'm sure that's what it is. Too big to be mites. Kind of long not jumping around, just sliding around. I've never been able to get close enough to them before to see anything like that, also it was at night and he was being really still like he was going to sleep is why they came out where I could see them. What in the heck am I supposed to do about that. Dusting him is going to be near impossible, and it won't stay on anyway when he gets into the water and bathes, which he does constantly. What about a spray or something? What do you suggest I do/ His feathers are not like chickens, they are really thick and short except for on his back and down his back and tail.
Mercy me, it's one thing after another, and sometimes a bunch of things at once!  

A parasite overload could easily kill a bird, dogs and cats can die from intestinal worms causing their intestines bleed and thus blocking the animals ability to absorb the food they ate. If your geese were never wormed in their life it is very likely that parasite and their complications are what killed Henry. The blood loss due to parasites feeding on him would have weakened him a lot, and a lot of parasite carry disease or open wounds from their bites that can become infected. If Scareface has lice and they are feeding on his face, he could easily scratch like a dog and open wounds on his face that can then become infected (which is what I think may have happened now that you know he has lice). So you have to treat him for parasites to get rid of them, both internal and external, and you should keep him on the antibiotic in his water to help treat infections they caused. I would still also clean and drain his face.

Good luck and I hope that he gets better soon!

 

[livininbrazil]

You can use Epernix pour on it is used like front line for dogs and is safe it will also kill internal parasites. all but round worms. I have used it but you'll need to keep him out of the water over night, like treat him before bedtime then put him up so he can't get into water till 12 -24 hrs can't remember that part but if you can keep him out of the water long enough it will kill the lice/mites. LF chicken get 7 drops on the skin at neck and 1 drop under each wing. so that's for a 7-10 lb bird. I used it on my water fowl one year in Jan since that was when they wouldn't have any bathing water and I used 12 drops on my ganders neck .

That´s fantastic, MLyd. Here I can´t even get the combination drops to kill both lice and worms in cats. Let alone for birds! How useful to have Epernix!