Need advice on gosling

[lizzyGSR]

I went back and looked at the first pics, adorable! My two are 5 weeks old now but I remember how they stumbled over everything and didn't quite look where they were going! It was comical but worrisome at the same time!
She is a sweetheart, wishing you continued success! Thanks for posting more pics.

From my estimations (I don't know an exact hatch date), Lucy is about 5 weeks old. Lucky (the duckling) is roughly 6 weeks old.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Aww I love the pics, she has really grown and sounds like she is getting her legs under her good too. thats awesome, now someone needs to tell my 5 yrs old gander that he needs to watch where hes going, he never pay attention always has his head up in the air steps on anything in front of him.

 

[NanaKat]

So glad to see how well they are growing and how nicely Lucy is getting around.
I use the same cge for my nighttime coop. I have it covered with a tent tarp and it is inside a big pen.
Just curious, what is the butter tub with the cut out for....?

 

[lizzyGSR]

Just curious, what is the butter tub with the cut out for....?

That's another water bowl. I have the butter dish for the deeper water so they can dunk their heads in it, and then I have a frying pan full of water for them to play in and keep cool. However, I think they're getting close to outgrowing the butter dish, so I guess I'll either need to get one without a lid or upgrade to a larger container. The lid has the advantage of keeping them from playing in their water and spilling it all over and then ending up with no water in the heat.

 

[NanaKat]

They can make a mess of their water!

 

[lizzyGSR]

Lucy and Lucky took TWO big steps towards becoming "big birds" today. First, I let the whole flock free range today while I worked in the yard. Of course, I had the dog close by so I could keep an eye on him as I was unsure how he would react with the birds. So far, so good. I'm still hesitant to leave him with them unsupervised, but he did well for a first go-round. The next big step will probably be to let the birds free range while I watch from the house.

Second, Lucy and Lucky got to go in the "big bird" pen today with all of the adult birds after they were done free ranging. I think they are happier in there because of the extra room. I think the bigger birds are over most of their aggression now and seem to have accepted the new additions to the flock. I did add more water dishes to the pen. I put two frying pans out there, as well as the butter dish I'd been using to give the LIttles their water in. That brings the total to 5 water bowls, plus the pool. I also put bricks beside and in the pool so Lucy can get in and out as she pleases. I'm not sure she's figured out how to use them quite yet, but I'll work with her on that over the next several days. In the meantime, she can play in the frying pans if she gets hot. Lucky (the duck) has become quite the little jumper and can jump in and out of the pool with no problems and is even better at doing so than most of the older birds.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Lucy and Lucky took TWO big steps towards becoming "big birds" today. First, I let the whole flock free range today while I worked in the yard. Of course, I had the dog close by so I could keep an eye on him as I was unsure how he would react with the birds. So far, so good. I'm still hesitant to leave him with them unsupervised, but he did well for a first go-round. The next big step will probably be to let the birds free range while I watch from the house.

Second, Lucy and Lucky got to go in the "big bird" pen today with all of the adult birds after they were done free ranging. I think they are happier in there because of the extra room. I think the bigger birds are over most of their aggression now and seem to have accepted the new additions to the flock. I did add more water dishes to the pen. I put two frying pans out there, as well as the butter dish I'd been using to give the LIttles their water in. That brings the total to 5 water bowls, plus the pool. I also put bricks beside and in the pool so Lucy can get in and out as she pleases. I'm not sure she's figured out how to use them quite yet, but I'll work with her on that over the next several days. In the meantime, she can play in the frying pans if she gets hot. Lucky (the duck) has become quite the little jumper and can jump in and out of the pool with no problems and is even better at doing so than most of the older birds.

That is so awesome that Lucy has come so far. please be very careful about Ever leaving your dog unsupervised with your flock. It can happen in an instant, my dogs are wonderful and have lived with ducks/chickens all their lives but I would never leave them closed up in a fenced in area without me being able to watch. Just not worth it, also when birds start running and flapping their wings it can cause a reaction in dogs that isn't good. Hope all goes well with their transition into the big duck flock. there again caution because the adults can be mean too. But Congrats on getting them this far that is awesome. And Happy 4th of July!!

 

[lizzyGSR]

That is so awesome that Lucy has come so far. please be very careful about Ever leaving your dog unsupervised with your flock. It can happen in an instant, my dogs are wonderful and have lived with ducks/chickens all their lives but I would never leave them closed up in a fenced in area without me being able to watch. Just not worth it, also when birds start running and flapping their wings it can cause a reaction in dogs that isn't good. Hope all goes well with their transition into the big duck flock. there again caution because the adults can be mean too. But Congrats on getting them this far that is awesome. And Happy 4th of July!!

Don't worry. I was watching the dog VERY carefully when the birds were free ranging. Our dog is a lab and, thus, is a bird dog. We've been working with him to teach him that THESE birds are not for hunting, but I still don't trust him. So, we'll only let them free range under supervision until we're SURE the dog won't try anything. When they free range, they get the whole yard, which is a 3 acres and isn't fenced. When they're not free ranging, the birds get a pen whose circumference is about 50 feet. I was watching the birds for several hours this morning while they free ranged and have been checking on them regularly throughout the day. The Littles seem to be doing very well and seem to enjoy the new space. They have been watching the larger birds carefully and get out of their way when they get close. So far, everything has been going really well. I'm not ready to leave them in the duck house unsupervised with the adult ducks all night long, but this is a first step in that direction.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Don't worry. I was watching the dog VERY carefully when the birds were free ranging. Our dog is a lab and, thus, is a bird dog. We've been working with him to teach him that THESE birds are not for hunting, but I still don't trust him. So, we'll only let them free range under supervision until we're SURE the dog won't try anything. When they free range, they get the whole yard, which is a 3 acres and isn't fenced. When they're not free ranging, the birds get a pen whose circumference is about 50 feet. I was watching the birds for several hours this morning while they free ranged and have been checking on them regularly throughout the day. The Littles seem to be doing very well and seem to enjoy the new space. They have been watching the larger birds carefully and get out of their way when they get close. So far, everything has been going really well. I'm not ready to leave them in the duck house unsupervised with the adult ducks all night long, but this is a first step in that direction.

 

[lizzyGSR]

I'm a proud goose mama right now! Lucy got into AND out of the big bird pool all by herself! She is growing in leaps and bounds and getting stronger by the day!

Oh, I should also mention that I DO clean the water regularly. My pekin ducks dig holes in the mud and put all the mud in the pool. It only stays looking clear for an hour or two... Needless to say, I can't clean the pool THAT often!

Here's a blurry picture of Lucy getting out of the pool by herself! If you look closely, you can see the bricks I put in there for her to use to jump out.


And, one picture of the whole flock, just for fun.