Older gosling is balding on face. Help?

[Renee55]

I tried looking on the internet for hours and couldn't find ANYTHING that addresses the problem I'm seeing, so I figured I would just ask and hope that someone can help me figure out what's going on. So here are the details:

I recently ordered some Canada Geese goslings, 3 weeks ago as of this last Friday. Inside the box were 2 older goslings, I'm guessing about 5-6 weeks old (I was told 3, but I now know that wasn't accurate), and 1 less than a week old gosling. Everyone has been doing fine, growing, etc. The older two were already in the process of growing their adult feathers and losing their baby fuzz, so I'm guessing this was about the 4-5 week mark. I moved them both outside 1 week ago, but as I was moving them outside, I noticed that the younger of the two older goslings didn't seem to be gaining head feathers like the other. The oldest is now almost fully feathered, white stripe on the head, black feathers coming in, starting to feather out nicely, while the other is feathering nicely too, but appears to have a barren face on both sides of the head, around the eyes and around the front area of beak and somewhat on the cheeks.

This is the only place where it's barren, and tomorrow I plan to do another check just to make sure I didn't overlook something, and take better pictures that aren't blurry and that show the problem better than the ones I have already should someone need to see a picture just for clarification. I didn't see any bugs or redness or scabs, just baldness like the baby feathers were lost, and instead of there being adult feathers sorta already there and coming in, it's like the adult feathers decided to never come in or something. I had guessed that maybe it was a Canada goose thing, but I figured geese are geese, and regardless, all feathers come in pretty quickly and don't leave bald spots like this. This is my first time raising geese, but I've had ducks 3 times before and have never seen anything like this before. Maybe geese are different in those regards, but I don't really know. Gosling is acting normal. Eating, drinking, preening, bathing, foraging, normal poops, clean bright eyes, etc, just this abnormal baldness on the face that the other one doesn't have any signs of, and never did. So I'm at a complete loss and the internet only seems to bring up goose brand jackets, Ryan Gosling (whoever that is), and answers for chicken and parrot parasites which isn't the same thing.

And not sure if it matters, but it might be asked for, so I'll just post it anyways. This problem started before I put them outside. I use pine shavings, put down fresh bedding every day and cleaned entire container every other day so it was dry and clean (after raising ducks, it's a habit, lol). Fresh water 3-4 times daily because they'd go through it like crazy, and are on non-medicated chick starter crumbles. They were old enough that I didn't need a heat lamp, so didn't have that on. Um, I think that's all I can think to mention. If anyone needs other details about when and what, I'll try my best to remember and post. I'll also try and figure out the picture posting stuff tomorrow and post a good picture so ya'll can see what I'm talking about.

Any help would be much appreciated! Thank you!

 

[RURU]

I know a lot of people use chick starter but it does not have the same ingredients as Waterfowl growth or game bird starter.
I have never used a chick starter I have always used the game bird growth or starter. There are things in the game bird feed that the chick starter just does not have. Niacin is one that waterfowl need.
I do not know if this could be the problem but since your goslings are older now you can just use the adult waterfowl feed.

This is just a suggestion. I do not know if it will help or not but it is a thought.....

 

[Renee55]

Not sure my feed store sells anything but the chick starter, but I can ask.

 

[RURU]

Then you are going to have to purchase either brewers yeast powdered for from a feed store or niacin. On the niacin you go to health food stores for that and DO NOT GET TIME RELEAST get just regular. Miss Lydia can help you on the niacin amount to give in their water......

 

[RURU]

Just ask for either waterfowl or gamebird feed. You can purchase the adult food because you do not want too much protein in their feed so the wings do not get angel wing from too much protein. You can cut the protein down even more by adding oats to the feed. 50% waterfowl feed or gamebird and 50% oats.

 

[jarodw45]

May i ask where you purchased them? I bought two juveniles from Murray McMurray and they were older than expected as well and the female (smaller) has the bare spot on her head. I wasnt worried at first but now seeing your post I'm wondering.

 

[RURU]

With waterfowl they need the waterfowl or game bird feed. Giving chick starter non medicated is just not as good for the waterfowl because it is missing nutrients that the waterfowl need.

 

[Renee55]

I purchased them from Purely Poultry, and I don't think the food is the problem because my other two goslings are doing just wonderful on it. I'm starting to suspect a feather plucking problem though from the older goose picking on the one missing more than just head feathers now. Do geese like to pluck out head feathers too? Breast feathers make sense, but missing head and neck feathers doesn't, but could I be wrong?

 

[RURU]

Goslings in too close of quarters together will start pulling out feather's on the other ones. The pull on the tail feathers, wings feathers and anywhere where they can pluck at the time.
I had a feather puller and put small sticks of celery in there with them to keep the mouths busy. They get bored fast and need something to pick on..... You can also hang romaine or cabbage and that will keep them busy and maybe change the habit of plucking feathers when they have good food to play with.

 

[Renee55]

I've tried handfuls of fresh grass when I put them up at night, and it doesn't seem to deter the goose at all from picking the other one. Even when they're out in the yard, I'll still see the ocassional picking, but not as bad. Why would picked grass be different than non-picked grass? Wouldn't a hung cabbage be no different than picked fresh grass? How would you hang a cabbage anyways (thinking of trying that anyways)?
I've resorted to separating them at nights until I can get outside to let them out into the yard and/or find another solution other than separating them. I won't be able to do this for long once my ducklings are big enough to go outside and into the coop I'm using as a separating method. Do those formulas that talk about stopping feather plucking, actually work? Any advice on how to stop feather plucking would be great!