Think I dodged a bullet.....Unfortunately NOT..see update

[mominoz]

Not a real gun type. I just went out today to feed and let the Holdereads babies(well 4 months +

0 duck and geese flock . And my adults from Night pen. I saw a BODY! First Loss! NOT! Phew. It was one of my 5 Sheltland Geese babies the ONLY female I have!!ARRGHH!.But she was alive, just lying on back and trembling , seemed to have lost motor control. Great I thought, probably botulism or poisoning! It has been really hot and dry here, I also had just started free ranging in the fenced pasture in the daytime the ducks and geese with my other few runners and Tufted Buffs.... I re read my geese and duck illness chapters. She was fine yesterday out eating like everyone else. We do have some noxious weeds the adults leave alone, and there are black widow, bees, hornets, snakes, etc. Wild birds,... Then I remembered I'd used gyphosalt (generic roundup) on some weeds in my arena (horse) that they can wonder into 5 or so days ago! Smacked myself

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Not really sure.I put her in a separate pen, with water and food and some lettuce. She'd flop herself around a bit and was trembling. couldn't stand and would often end up on her back. I did as suggested for possible posioning and added some oil (olive) to some warm water and some sugar in it and with a funnel(didn't have tube,) tried to get some fluid in her to flush her out. I checked some hours later and she seemed improved. No longer trembling, but still couldn't stand or keep herself right. I held her up to the water and she drank some (regular). Checked her again , this evening . more improvement. No trembling, and when I held her up she gobbled food like it was her last meal, also put her beak in water. Put a shallow water bowl and food bowl next to her. She is alot better. Hopefully , she will be alive and gaining strength tomorrow.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Quote:
Wow that was close, good thing you acted fast.. hope she's feeling much better this morning

 

[mominoz]

Well, she is still alive and eating and drinking, but still can't stand and some trembling...could even be West Nile or something.... I lean towards something toxic ....Trying to think what else to do, but don't want to stress her more with a bunch of "doctoring" and food change.Generally rest and minimizing stress , if they are eating , that is a good sign. No evidence of injury, and everyone else is fine... no mating behavior going on. Is hot as the dickens though, and been a dry spell.....

 

[crj]

Glad she is doing better. Maybe some vitamins will help. It's worked for me in the past with my chickens. Some protien might be helpful as well. Good luck.

 

[mominoz]

Well, now have a 2nd young goose with neurological symptoms, so I am going to try and post in the disease section.

 

[mominoz]

First goose died after doing better for a couple days, she was flopping around alot yesterday, in her pen, maybe she injured herself, thought she was getting better. Wasn't interested in eating this morning found her upside down and passed away this afternoon. 2nd goose is a Tufted buff, same age. She is still mobile and eating in hospital pen. Her behavior changes and not eating with other birds and wandering off alone and not coming in and standing staring when it was feeding time, and odd gait... had me isolate her in a pen. I put her on only Flock raiser (Purina ) and green grass. She had been getting a mix of oat/alfalfa pellet at 14% , some scratch and 1/2 Dumor Flock grower at 20%plus daytime grass. Maybe I caught it earlier in her. Though first goose was up and fine it seemed one day and on her back the next morning.(She was in a night pen with 30+ birds she was raised with). Wasn't sure if it was injury, posioning, or infection. Not sure if it is the same thing or a coincidence. It has been very dry and hot in the upper 90's for a month or so. Years ago, I lost geese and chickens in the same kind of conditions, (15 years). I clean their water daily, dump pools EOD, and hose their gravel aviary EOD. It all drains down a slope. Their are lots of wild birds in area (crows alot lately), in a wooded area. They have been eating in the yard area for 2 weeks or so. Their are grape vines, a rose, fruit trees (no fruit) hollys, 4 azaelas (adult geese don't nibble them, they are poisonous, I intended to fence them off). First I thought injury or botulism... but goose lived 5 days and started to improve, then wasn't eating today and died.

Not much out there, checked my books and Merecks online....She was pale on beak and legs and did have whitish droppings, but not much droppings

 

[rainy day ducks]

Very strange. My American Blue goose is ill. She cannot get herself up. I have been doctoring her all day.

Good luck with your other sick goose. I am thinking about getting Shetlands sometime. Do you like them? I really like the American Blues I have.

 

[mominoz]

Update, second female I put in pen and watched , seemed ok after a few days ,so I released her into the group.She seems fine now. An Adult female tufted buff, had a day or two of walking , then falling, then would get up , then fall forward, then fall, then get up. Very strange. She was a bit fluffed up too. I decided to increase feed, so they wouldn't , perhaps eat things or plants they shouldn't (did I mention we are in a real drought situation here?). There were some crows hanging around alot around this time too.... (we live in a rural area). Everyone seems to be doing ok now...Just lost the one young female..... Ducks all seem fine....(like 48 ).Water containers being kept very clean,what ever it is/was it was affecting some of the geese....

 

[crj]

Sorry your goose died. I had a problem with a duck that looked drunk. She probably was. I found her eating mushrooms yesterday and I have a feeling that's what the problem was last week. Could your geese have gotten into mushrooms? I thought maybe my duck had eaten to many nuts that feel from the tree. I don't think that was the case now.

 

[tbitt]

Did you check for Ticks.

I am sure I read that ticks are show how poisonous to geese.