Question about crop

[gottsegnet]

I was watching my goslings yesterday and their crops seemed awfully large to me. I'm not familiar with geese, these are my first ones. How big do they get during the day? And is there anything to do to help if there is a problem?

We lost two for no apparent reason. I'm sort of hoping it was due to an injury (I tripped over one though it seemed fine at the time). I hate the thought of losing any more.

 

[Kim65]

Geese and ducks don't have crops like chickens do http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww38eiv.htm

Sometimes there's no explanation

unless you do a necropsy, they very rarely get sick. Usually it is environmental at that age. I don't know what to say about the "crop" being large, they do have a dilation in their esophagus like a small crop, but it doesn't fill up like a chickens does.

Are they eating at least 20% starter feed? They need cut up greens (dandelions, soft young grass, lettuces) and fresh water deep enough to dip their whole bill into. They can hold their body heat at two weeks pretty well unless it's really cold (like below fifty) in their brooder.

Are they getting soaking wet playing in their water? They can chill and weaken from that, unless they have a heat source to dry them off fairly soon. Without a mama goose, they don't have natural oils to coat their down and are like little sponges in the water. Are young children handling them? Their rib cages are very delicate and they can be suffocated if held too tightly.

Just thinking stuff off the top of my head, I love geese and would be as sad as you are. Hopefully the rest will do fine. Geese are easy to raise, as long as their environment is safe and their food and water is fresh