Sickly geese

[Avian Allie]

I’ve had two ganders for about four years now and they’re great. But this summer they started looking off. They are super underweight and their beaks turn white. For the beaks I assumed it was calcium and added powder to their corn. Which helped but sometimes they still go white. I’ve given antibiotics, wormer, antifungals, natural immune boosters, vet rx just because. The goats didn’t need as much corn in the summer so I put it in the bottom of a water bucket so only the geese can eat it. They have as much hay, corn, bread and even grass that they can eat. They have crushed oyster shells 24/7 and I put calcium powder and niacin occasionally in with their corn. They also get tons of veggie scraps. They have fresh water that is kept reasonably clean and shelter if they choose to go in it they can even sleep under a chicken light when it’s cold. I’m afraid I’m going to lose them this winter they are so thin, does anyone have any suggestions?

 

[BirdsBeesTrees]

Is give them all flock so they can get more protein. Why do you give them bread? Just wondering. My geese love mealworms.

 

[ShannonR]

Parasites, either external or internal would be my guess.

 

[Avian Allie]

Is give them all flock so they can get more protein. Why do you give them bread? Just wondering. My geese love mealworms.

I will, thank you. We get day old bread for free to feed the goats and the geese absolutely love it.

 

[DiYMama540]

I would start by adjusting their diet. The corn and bread should be used more as just a treat rather than a staple of their diet.

Feeding them an all flock or flock raise feed, along with grazing make for a really beautiful, healthy bird. The commercial feeds have the balanced nutrition they need, no guess work on your behalf.

Another thing you can try is giving them some B complex and poultry Nutridrench for about a week and see if that helps boost their immune system.

Hoping they get to feeling better, keep us posted!

 

[Miss Lydia]

X2 great advise. My flock loves bread but it’s a special treat not part of their normal diet. Grazing on soft grasses is awesome for geese do they have this year round. Since you say you’ve wormed them and they are still thin and looking off try feeding them the all flock, cut back on bread and corn to just a treat. Just like us if we ate nothing but mostly carbs we wouldn’t be healthy either. Try the feed and nutridrench and b complex for a month you should notice a big difference if they aren’t already at the brink but many have still come back. What breed? This is the best liquid b complex give them each 1 ml over a small amount of corn so they get their full dose. This says injectable but we use it orally TSC and probably many other feed stores should carry it.

 

[Avian Allie]

X2 great advise. My flock loves bread but it’s a special treat not part of their normal diet. Grazing on soft grasses is awesome for geese do they have this year round. Since you say you’ve wormed them and they are still thin and looking off try feeding them the all flock, cut back on bread and corn to just a treat. Just like us if we ate nothing but mostly carbs we wouldn’t be healthy either. Try the feed and nutridrench and b complex for a month you should notice a big difference if they aren’t already at the brink but many have still come back. What breed? This is the best liquid b complex give them each 1 ml over a small amount of corn so they get their full dose. This says injectable but we use it orally TSC and probably many other feed stores should carry it. View attachment 1971699

We are in the warm South so grass does last a long time, but they always have good hay when the grass does die. They are Africans.
Though they have Niacin I will definitely get a b complex. Thank you.
The reason they get so much bread and corn is because it helps keep our goats fat in the winter, not really supposed to be the geese’s main diet, but I didn’t think about it making them sick.
I find it interesting that everyone is saying a mixed flock feed, I’ve heard that geese can’t eat meat and pellets will actually make them very sick. Thank you byc community for saving my geese from the internet and I’ll get them what they need ASAP.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I have a 12 yr old Embden gander and a 7 yr old Toulouse goose and have had them on flock raiser all their lives no grazing here we live in the mountains and can't grow grass because of rocky soil and chickens. I supplement greens by buying from grocery. But saying this because mine have survived and thrived since hatch on this feed. I hope getting them on a good solid diet and the liquid B complex gets them hardy again. Please keep us update.

 

[Avian Allie]

Thank you guys so much for your advice. I’m still having a bit of trouble and figured I’d ask for ideas. So my goats love love love the flock feed but it makes them super sick. Some of My chickens get put in a coop at night (our only Florence survivors were the ones that didn’t stay in the coops so the geese could herd them onto the porch and those have earned the right to not be locked up) so I just lock the goats out and it’s all good. But the geese only have open shelters and prefer to sleep next to the water watching everyone anyway. They really aren’t tame enough to put in a separate pen every night and crumbles don’t do well in water. Do you have any ideas of how to feed the geese without feeding the goats? Thanks again!

 

[ShannonR]

Lol..... goats do tend to complicate things a lot, don't they?

I got nothing, sorry. They're goats.