Should I be concerned?

[The goose girl]

And GooseGirl, you mentioned that you looked into the possibility of giving a goose too much calcium, did you come across any negative effects?

It's all really complicated and I haven't come across a whole lot of information regarding calcium overdose in geese. But from what I found, surplus calcium in laying geese is first stored in the bones, then excreted in the form of extra thick, bumpy and rough egg shells. I don't know for sure what happens if the goose isn't laying, but we humans secrete surplus calcium in our pee. So I'm guessing geese do the same.

Calcium deficiency could be caused by other than lack of calcium. Vitamin D3 is vital for the absorption of calcium. On the other hand, too much vitamin D3 drains calcium from the bones. So I wouldn't recommend adding D3 to their feed.

I found a few links that might be interesting:

http://www.thecanarysnest.com/calcium/index.html
This is primarily about canaries and other small birds, but it's really extensive on calcium deficiency and may be extrapolated to geese.

http://www.univet.hu/sc1/feltoltott/23_1336670115.pdf
The second pic on page one shows calcium storage in bones as preparation for egg production.

http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/70020863
A reference to a publication about wild geese eating clam shells.

 

[Haunted55]

It's all really complicated and I haven't come across a whole lot of information regarding calcium overdose in geese. But from what I found, surplus calcium in laying geese is first stored in the bones, then excreted in the form of extra thick, bumpy and rough egg shells. I don't know for sure what happens if the goose isn't laying, but we humans secrete surplus calcium in our pee. So I'm guessing geese do the same.

Calcium deficiency could be caused by other than lack of calcium. Vitamin D3 is vital for the absorption of calcium. On the other hand, too much vitamin D3 drains calcium from the bones. So I wouldn't recommend adding D3 to their feed.

I found a few links that might be interesting:

http://www.thecanarysnest.com/calcium/index.html
This is primarily about canaries and other small birds, but it's really extensive on calcium deficiency and may be extrapolated to geese.

http://www.univet.hu/sc1/feltoltott/23_1336670115.pdf
The second pic on page one shows calcium storage in bones as preparation for egg production.

http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/70020863
A reference to a publication about wild geese eating clam shells.

Excellent info Goose Girl.

 

[flockman]

Please don't apologize. I am very interested in the whole topic as I want to prevent these issues if at all possible. I thought I had done everything right. I didn't let Natasha get overweight. I had switched to layer feed a month and a half before laying. She had oyster shell available. I was sprouting grains for greens as well as providing greens from the store.


Thank you Goosegirl and Haunted for this information. I think the more that people know the better.

 

[RURU]

Flcokman you are right because at one point I had no idea about many things before. I am wondering if the two females we lost may have had this happen to them and I just was not experienced enough to realize this....
The forums have taught me so very much.

 

[Haunted55]

Flcokman you are right because at one point I had no idea about many things before. I am wondering if the two females we lost may have had this happen to them and I just was not experienced enough to realize this....
The forums have taught me so very much.

X 2!!!

 

[tillyita]

Just wondering if your geese are on pasture or only on grain/supplimentry feeding and if they are on pasture - what types of grasses are available?

 

[flockman]

It is winter here so pasture was covered with snow. We have Timothy, Kentucky blue, alfalfa and rye grass pasture. The pasture is almost an acre. Only in winter was it only supplementary feeds/greens. The rest of the year they graze for their feed with recommended supplementation.

 

[tillyita]

I am new to geese but from my experience with other animals this is my understanding:

Shell or Oyster grit is predominantly made up of calcite with some aragonite (a different crystaline form of CaCO3 - calcium carbonate) - the younger the shell the more aragonite it contains. This requires some break down from the acid in the stomach of the animal that is ingesting it. In geese it acts primarily as a grit to help break down other food as it doesn't dwell in the stomach (where the acid is) for long enough to break down properly. So the geese would need to eat large quanties to get the calcium benifit.

The grain in high grain diets limits that amount of calcium that is available to be digested as they contain phytic acid that bonds with any free calcium making it unavailable to the body.

High oxalate pastures and foods also do the same thing due to containing oxalite acid - and can even rob the bones of the animal that is eating it in order to break down the food. This includes kikuyu grass (particularly when it is actively growing) and things like silverbeet.

In order to obsorb calcium, vitimin D (from sunlight) is needed. So being winter/autumn doesn't help - less daylight hours + potentially less time outside.

Given this the best sources of calcium are from green vegetables and sprouts (other than the high oxalate ones) and from extruded foods - pellets that have been made from steam treated grains to break down the phytic acid. When I need to look at supplimentation (when it gets to late winter here) I think I will look for some liquid supliments or up the amount of sprouts I feed.

I hope this helps.

 

[calmwinds]

Purina omega 3 layer pellets was fed to my ducks. I know this is a goose thread but wanted to say that this feed was causing me to have soft shelled eggs and the ducks were not looking physically as well. I switched to Mazuri breeder and have not had the problem for a couple of years. I believe Purina changed formulas as I had tried their other layers products also. Mazuri is more expensive but there is less waste so therefore for me a better way to go. I am getting a pair of cotton patch geese in the next few weeks so am watching the geese threads. I have five ducks now and looking forward to the geese.

 

[opalwednesday]

So sad I'm not sure if someone already posted this, but I had success with an eggbound goose last year by soaking her in a warm bath and then going in with olive oil as a lubricant. It's dangerous, but my girl was obviously not going to make it on her own. You have to be very careful not to injure the bird or damage the shell. I was able to guide it out and when I walked her back to the coop an hour later another egg fell out :/ I believe that this process saved her life. I hope that this thread can help other goose owners, knowledge is power