Need goose help; unexpected arival that I know nothing about!

[RavenStorm]

Hi everyone, my DB went to the feed store on his lunch break today to pick me up some chick feed. We have just gotten week-old pullets on Wednesday, and the little buggers ate more than I expected. Anyway that was all he was supposed to get, and he is not an impulse buyer at all so I was really surprised when he called and I could hear chirping in the background. Apparently he saw a little week-old goose at the shop and just on a whim decided to bring her home (the guy at the shop told him it was female). When I asked him why, he said it was because I mentioned long ago that geese are sometimes used as watchdogs to protect chickens, but our chickens will not be free range!

Please, help me, I researched for months before I got the chicks but all I really know about geese is that when they bite it hurts! Give me some emergency tips on the immediate care I need to give this little creature.

 

[LV426]

I think the first thing you should do is send her to me.

Actually they are easy to keep, just make sure she's warm and give her enough water so she can submerge her whole head over her eyes and waterfowl food. I use Mazuri waterfowl.

 

[RavenStorm]

Lol, trust me you don't want to put this little sweetie through any more turmoil. I just found out her story now that my DB is home and apparently a postman brought her alone to the feed store. When he opened up the post office this morning he found her chirping away in the corner but couldn't figure out which package she had busted out from. So some poor person out in this area probably ordered a few geese and now this little one got separated from her family.

She has really bad separation anxiety too; chirping very loudly and constantly if she cannot see you.

 

[LV426]

They do that when they are alone. My first duckling was alone for a week and I had to keep her with me constantly or she wouldn't shut up. I gave her a stuffed animal to sleep with and that seemed to quiet her. You might try getting a plushie and put it in with her.

For water I use a gallon milk jug and cut a whole in the side big enough for their head about 2 inches up and fill that with water to the level of the hole. That way she can dunk her head and clean out her nares and eyes without splashing water all over the place.

You can feed her chick starter if you have nothing else but I really like Mazuri's feed line even if it is expensive. Any feedstore should be able to order it.

 

[cjeanean]

DO NOT FEED MEDICATED FEED!!! I don't know if this applies to geese as well as ducks, but the medication in the feed will kill waterfowl! Poor little goose, I'm so jealous! I want a goose....I'm curious as to how the feed store knew it was a she....I thought it was impossible to sex waterfowl unless you're a vent sexer LOL! maybe the feed store has one? Provide water, food, and warmth, and you're good. The milk jug idea is good, but you gotta make sure the little gosling can't get inside it to swim. They can't be in water for very long unless they have a mama to provide them with extra oil, otherwise they'll get waterlogged and drown or get sick. So unless you have a mama, keep your little one out of the water! Get gamebird starter the next time you're at the feed store, just make sure you don't feed medicated chick starter!!!

Good luck!

 

[dogzrule5]

NO medicated chick feed for the geese. They eat so much that it will harm them.

Also, once she is about 8-9 weeks old, she'll need to be changed to crumbles (with a lower protein content) or she'll develop Angel Wing.

They are intelligent, so talk to her and handle her as much as you can while she's young. I don't think she'll be happy by herself. I've read that lone geese will become possessive of their humans and that's where some problems can start.

I've got a pair of geese that are about 9 months old now and both are very sweet, although Hansel is beginning to show signs of being somewhat protective of Gretel. I've also read that if and when he challenges me, to not back down.

Gretel is a sweetie pie and very curious and friendly. Do some research; mine are so sweet and I'm so happy that I got them.

 

[RavenStorm]

Quote:
Yeah, I had heard to not feed geese medicated chick starter unless it was an emergency and only for a small amount. Luckily for this goose, my DB knows nothing about feeds and he accidentally picked up a bag of non-medicated feed even though I need medicated for my pullets. So for right now she is eating a nice mix of weeds and trying to put a dent in the 10lbs of non-medicated chick feed.

I have a little tub of water for her that she only sticks her head into. I bought it because I was going to use it as a dust bath container for the chicks once they moved outside, but for now it has made a nice drinking lake for the gosling. She did jump in and out quickly a couple of times, but it is too shallow for her to drown and it is REALLY hot here (95 degrees + a little humidity) so she is drying off before she even gets out. She probably jumped in to try to cool off; I know that is what I would be doing if it was my size!

 

[RavenStorm]

Quote:
Honestly I don't even know how they knew it was a goose unless there is someone there who is REALLY into waterfowl. I looks to me like it could be a duck or a goose. Since it comes from someone who rescued it from the post office mail sorting room I have no idea if it is a goose or a duck, male or female, or even what breed it might be. From looking up pics of goslings though it appears that some of them are born with slightly different colorings for the genders. I think this is why they thought she was a girl at the feed store; they told my DB that because she was "dark" that it must be a girl, but I learned from my reading that this doesn't work for every breed so I have no clue. Once she lets me leave her site, I'll go get my camera and post her up on the "breeds" thread.

 

[LoveMyBirds]

Quote:
Hmm.. where to start.. I just raised 2 Geese this summer. I babied them and what a mistake..

When they got big they wanted to follow me around everywhere, crap on my porch...

I finally got tired of it

and put them in my freezer....

I have a really big yard, which I thought they would be glad to use, but they wanted to hang with me ,, well.. u get the idea...

Good Luck..

 

[picklespickles]

i like having geese. they have amazing hearing and sight. if i peek through the blinds from the window i usually toss food from, they put out an attentive honk and the whole barnyard from goats to ducks to chickens come running. lol. so, maybe i wish they needed glasses somedays.

waterbirds do have bigger, messier poops than chickens, to let you know.

i haven't raised one from a baby, just from teenagers. my girl this year laid eggs, but they never hatched because i think the boy duck may have prevented the the boy goose from consumating. so now i got girl ducks to hopefully take his focus off. but that's another story. ha.

the eggs are wonderful, though. so gigantic. if i had kids, i think i would lie and say they were dinosaur eggs. very believable, i think.

enjoy your goose. even if it turns out to be a duck. lol. or a peacock.