Sebastopol goose & winter question

[nsanywhere]

This is my first winter with my goose, a beautiful 9 month old female Sebastopol. 2 days ago I found her huddled in the chicken nest with bright red blood in her nostrils and on her beak. I'm super worried!

I brought her inside and she spent the night on a hay bed in my bathroom tub with warm water and food. She seems to be doing fine, the bleeding has stopped and I put some neosporin on her beak to heal up.

I'm in northeastern PA - its been cold here, mostly 20's, but going lower in the next few days (and we still have a few months of winter). I keep my birds (20 chickens, 1 turkey, 2 ducks, 1 goose) in a coop that is up off the ground with a fenced in outdoor area. I have a heated water bucket in the pen, and a brooder lamp and pine bedding in the coop. I don't close the little door - perhaps the drafts are an issue? (never have been before, but....)

Everyone else seems to be fine except for my sweet goosey. Help!? Is the bloody nose just from the cold? Any advice on Sebastopols in the winter would be much appreciated.

 

[banter]

My Sebs are in an unheated barn in the winter which can get below zero here. I have had no problems. Could she have caught her beak in something, or could a chicken have pecked her?

 

[nsanywhere]

it doesn't look like that, more like an actual bloody nose. She's more active now, eating and drinking and doesn't seem stressed. My best guess is cold wind in the nose, like a person? It looks like a little dried blood inside the nostril cavity.

 

[MsMelvin]

...she probably needs water deep enough to submerge her entire head, right? to clean herself....?

I'd shut the draft door (if you put her back out) ....just me though. We (ne pa) are going to single digits tonight with wind.

Good luck!
Sally

 

[Cottage Rose]

She will be better off outside than in a warm house.
As long as she has fresh water daily (deep enough to submerge head in)
plenty of food and a dry shelter at night she will be okay.
Just keep an eye on her.
If it keeps up get some Vet Rx and put some in her nostrils per instructions.

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

my gander walks outside in sub-0* temps, beats his chest, and dares the cold to get him!

but seriously - she should be fine if she is out of the wind. she might not like to walk on the snow/ice which is why she may have been inside. make sure she has dry straw to stand on inside and water 2x a day. we have to break the ice out of the buckets every morning and we 'top off' with warm water at nite.

and do everything that C.Rose recommends - she really helped me last year with our ducks! (hey CR!)

 

[Cottage Rose]

 

[nsanywhere]

Very helpful everyone - thank you!

She's doing much better. I put her back in the coop after one night in the bathroom, and added more straw. They already have a deep heated bucket with fresh water every day and plenty of food, veggies, etc. No more blood from the nostrils, but she is hunkered down in the nesting box. Fair enough - it was 8 degrees here this morning.

Thanks again!!

 

[Cottage Rose]

Good news!

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

great to hear! you know, my geese are pretty silly - wonder if your lady slipped on the ice (ask goosedragon about that!) and smacked her beak??

anyway so happy she's perking up.

we had extra cold cold cold too - cant wait for this spell to break.