Something wrong with my Sara goose.

[LadyHayleyHalo1]

I went to Wal-mart this a.m. and bought some Flush-Free Niacin (Inositol Hexanicotinate) 500mg capsules. Is that the Niacin all of you are talking about, I sure hope so? I won't give it to her until I find out this is the one. Should I still get the Brewers Yeast? I also bought some more Romaine lettuce big dark green bunches.The water bucket is a two gallon bucket. The pen is a 25ftx25ft pen divided into fourths. During the day they all have access to all 4 pens. Will it hurt the others if they drink from her water bucket? Her mate is the only one in her pen with her at night. All the others are in their pen. My Sara stopped laying eggs 5 yrs. ago. I offered her ( and the others) Romaine lettuce this morning she showed a great interest in it. She ate more than she has been in the past two days. I actually saw excitement in her eyes. She ate her lettuce then went to the pool. She groomed a bit and back to her house. Her tail seems to be pointing up a little more than yesterday. She's still stiff legged but moves somewhat a little better. I have put down some oyster shells for her, she wants no part of it. She looks at it and walks off. When she goes in her house she lays down and starts throwing her bedding all over in the house, grumbling about it the whole time. I don't understand that. I love her so much. I'm so sorry to keep rambling on, it hurts me so not to be able to take her to the vet. Thank you all so very much.

 

[The goose girl]

Quote: Would you happen to have a video of that behaviour? I'm having trouble picturing it. Does it look anything like nestbuilding? How does the grumbling sound?

I only have a video - or actually three videos - of my goose doing nestbuilding in her pond, of all places:

She started that behaviour more than a month before she laid her very first egg. When she's on her nest now and improving it, she will make a low rumbling sound, like a deep, long, close-mouthed cough.

I've never heard of a goose laying after a five year break, though.

I know you said that water is sparse, but she may benefit from a warm bath.

 

[LadyHayleyHalo1]

No she's not doing that. She will pick up a mouth full of bedding and throw it to the side of her, or throw it of to the front of her. If she's in the pen doing this she digs so far down under the bedding she gets into the dirt, then her nostrils are all full of dirt. I noticed today that now when she is in a setting position she is leaning back on her hocks with her feet pointing up. I am really scared of what is going on here. She spends a lot of time in the pools. Severe water issues or not they are going to have their pools. My husband is out of town and I feel so all alone. It's so confusing, she is so very alert, grooms, baths, drinks, I found a little bit of grass for her and she chowed on that as she does her lettuce, but she's not touching her food. I just don't know what else to do. And in closing you have a BEAUTIFUL baby there. Thank you for your concern.

 

[Miss Lydia]

No she's not doing that. She will pick up a mouth full of bedding and throw it to the side of her, or throw it of to the front of her. If she's in the pen doing this she digs so far down under the bedding she gets into the dirt, then her nostrils are all full of dirt. I noticed today that now when she is in a setting position she is leaning back on her hocks with her feet pointing up. I am really scared of what is going on here. She spends a lot of time in the pools. Severe water issues or not they are going to have their pools. My husband is out of town and I feel so all alone. It's so confusing, she is so very alert, grooms, baths, drinks, I found a little bit of grass for her and she chowed on that as she does her lettuce, but she's not touching her food. I just don't know what else to do. And in closing you have a BEAUTIFUL baby there. Thank you for your concern.

The niacin you got if flush free isn't the right kind. It should be plain Niacin they add something to these others which makes them less effective. And you can still use the Brewers yeast also you might have a better time finding it. But then again she has to eat it, have you tried making her some soupy feed? take some nice warm water and mix some of her feed into it start with a small amt to see if it entices her. Sometimes when they aren't feeling quite right giving them some wetted down feed get them back to eating. I feed Fermented feed which is feed with warm water with Apple cider vinegar poured over top and mixed and set up over night. My flock really like it. Since she is drinking can you get some poultry vitamins to add to their water? maybe giving her some extra nutrients beside the niacin may help her get back on her feet. If you decide to try offering her some wet feed try chopping some lettuce into it also that may get her going on eating too. Not sure about the way you described her sitting almost sounds like her balance is off.

 

[livininbrazil]

Would you happen to have a video of that behaviour? I'm having trouble picturing it. Does it look anything like nestbuilding? How does the grumbling sound?

I only have a video - or actually three videos - of my goose doing nestbuilding in her pond, of all places:

She started that behaviour more than a month before she laid her very first egg. When she's on her nest now and improving it, she will make a low rumbling sound, like a deep, long, close-mouthed cough.

I've never heard of a goose laying after a five year break, though.

I know you said that water is sparse, but she may benefit from a warm bath.

She´s going back to her roots...she wants a marsh!!

 

[livininbrazil]

No she's not doing that. She will pick up a mouth full of bedding and throw it to the side of her, or throw it of to the front of her. If she's in the pen doing this she digs so far down under the bedding she gets into the dirt, then her nostrils are all full of dirt. I noticed today that now when she is in a setting position she is leaning back on her hocks with her feet pointing up. I am really scared of what is going on here. She spends a lot of time in the pools. Severe water issues or not they are going to have their pools. My husband is out of town and I feel so all alone. It's so confusing, she is so very alert, grooms, baths, drinks, I found a little bit of grass for her and she chowed on that as she does her lettuce, but she's not touching her food. I just don't know what else to do. And in closing you have a BEAUTIFUL baby there. Thank you for your concern.

Sounds like she´s nest-building, but doesn´t mean she´ll lay an egg. She´s old, of course, but she could have many more years ahead of her yet, so maybe the niacin will help, as she´s happy with the romaine which is rich in niacin, sounds like it´s helping a lot. The way she´s sitting could just be the discomfort she´s feeling.
MLyd´s got some good suggestions there. Of course, another way is you could dissolve niacin in a very small amount of water and float her ripped-up romaine lettuce in that, and then as she eats the small pieces, she´ll be taking in the niacin with the water. Greens are always the best food for geese, so if she´s eating her greens, that´s good news. Just need to build up the vitamins etc that she´s lacking. Sounds like you´re doing great so far.
I bought 2 geese recently, so scaredy-cat, won´t come anywhere near me. One of them can hardly move in the morning, just these 3 mornings now. I cannot get anywhere near her to medicate her. She takes off, wobbly legs or not. I imagine she´ll have to be really sick before I can get hold of her. So, thinking cap on... 2 days ago I fed all the other geese out of her reach, then put some food down for her nearby with Brewers Yeast mixed in. After a long wait, and amazingly no other geese stole her food, she went to it and picked out the corn and left everything else! OK, next day I tried a different tactic..I mixed up her food in a bowl, all chopped up and brewers yeast diluted in water, so it was impossible for her to separate it. She´s not used to the bowl, nor the chopped-up food, so it still didn´t work. So, I diluted Brewers Yeast in a bucket for all the geese to dring from, because it won´t harm any of them anyway, it´s good for them. They all drand it, ducks too, except the 2 new geese ! Today, a different tactic...I found an old bit of plastic marge pot that has been down there for ages since I had the tiny goslings, just never brought it back up, so she´s used to this...I put the mixed food in it, put it near her (she ran away, of course), then happily, without the other geese noticing, I managed to walk around at a distance, slowly herding her closer to the dish that she´s not frightened of....it worked. Goodness, these geese! So, now I´ll try what I did today again tomorrow.
So, just try different things until something works. I hope that was an interesting read for you!

I hope I can get the niacin into mine, and I hope yours is feeling a bit better today.

 

[Miss Lydia]

How is Sara doing this morning?

 

[LadyHayleyHalo1]

Thank You....it was very interesting to read. Boy these geese keep us hopping. Yes, she is nest building. I took all the bedding out of her house and put in fresh. She got in almost before I was done and began to make her nest. After she had it done she went into the ducks pen and checked Fawnie ducks house, looking for an egg. I gave her one of Fawnies eggs. She tried to pick it up and take it back to her house. When she picked it up it broke, she was very upset, she started flapping her wings and down she went. She has gone broody on me I think. Last year we lost the only goose that was laying eggs, my Hannah. Sara would wait until Hannah left her house to go bathe and Sara would quickly run in Hannahs house and take over the egg. When Hannah seen this it did not make for a pretty site. So I took the next egg Hannah laid and gave it to Sara, all happy in paradise with the girls. Well ,Hannahs not here this year, and I really feel Sara is really stressing about this. I have been reading about stress in geese and she has all the symptoms. I need to find somebody that has geese that are laying and get her a couple, before this kills her. Right now I'm hard boiling three eggs for her, prayerfully that will make her happy. I thank you and everyone for caring.. Will keep everyone posted. P.S She's not really happy with the niacin water, I'll try putting her Romaine lettuce in the water.

 

[LadyHayleyHalo1]

Thank you for asking . I think she has gone broody on me. I'm boiling her some eggs right now . Prayerfully that will make her happy. I'm looking around in my area for someone that has geese that are laying. I'll even buy them if I have to....anything to get my girl happy again. I cried almost all night last night about her. She's not happy. I want my Sara back to normal. Her eggs are done I have to cool them down and get them out to her. Will keep all posted.

 

[livininbrazil]

Thank you for asking . I think she has gone broody on me. I'm boiling her some eggs right now . Prayerfully that will make her happy. I'm looking around in my area for someone that has geese that are laying. I'll even buy them if I have to....anything to get my girl happy again. I cried almost all night last night about her. She's not happy. I want my Sara back to normal. Her eggs are done I have to cool them down and get them out to her. Will keep all posted.

Hayley, well done on persisting with the niacin. And do you think you´d be able to get her a couple of tiny goslings to adopt? She may really like that. And you´d feel so much happier, too, as they´re such fun little things.
You could pop a couple of fake eggs under her to keep her content until you get her sorted. Just ideas.