Underdeveloped Gosling from Metzer?

[Gengar]

Hi all, first time posting here. Just wanted some advice on what seems to be an underdeveloped gosling that we recently received from Metzers.
We had a small order from them of 3 female mixed goslings (ended up with 2 white chinese and some kind of crossbreed?), but one was pretty messed up right out of the box.

The poor thing had a bad splay leg with a curled foot, an eye that wouldn't open past a sliver at most (no redness, no infection, no discharge, etc.), her other eye couldn't see that well, her umbilical cord was still attached, and she was noticeably much smaller in size than the other two. Overall, one side of her seemed to be very underdeveloped compared to the other.

We sent an email to Metzers about her right away, but all they said was to keep us posted and remarked that "you are not providing an actual starter feed, as the cracked corn has no nutritional value". The odd thing is we had not told them what we were feeding them, and they just seemed to assume by the pictures we sent them, which contained our crushed/flaked grain mixture (barely, wheat, corn, and brewer's yeast) in the background. They made no mention of what to do about any of her problems.

Fast-forward to over a week later of 24/7 care and therapy (so many sleepless nights...thank goodness I have three daughters to shoulder some of the burden), and her foot is uncurled (though the tips are still bent to one side), her energy levels are much better, and the umbilical cord literally just fell off moments ago.

Her eye, however, still won't open past a sliver and I am loathe to force it, as it still shows no sign of any sort of infection. The third eyelid still moves normally, and she seems to try and see out of it by how she tilts her head sometimes. Her eyesight in general is severely impaired, making it difficult for her to eat, groom, run, etc. as her aim is at least half an inch off. We have also noticed that the leg that had the curled foot is shorter than the other, and it seems to be taking longer than it should to correct the splay leg (we are using the splint method and providing plenty of extra nutrients and multiple kinds of fresh greens/grasses).

Anyone have any ideas on what could be done about her one eye? And/or any personal experience dealing with impaired goslings from Metzer?
Thanks in advance for any advice/helpful comments.
-G

 

[Goosebaby]

Sometimes temperature fluctuations during incubation can cause birth defects.

You might try asking about long term care tips for babies with issues in these catagories https://www.backyardchickens.com/forums/raising-baby-chicks.11/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forums/incubating-hatching-eggs.5/


You might try giving her a multivitamin supplement, niacin is important but so are the other Bs, vitamin E, vitamin A, and other vitamins and nutrients, she also needs more protein right now, something like 20% or 22%, if your grain mix is all she’s being fed she might not be getting enough and this will cause developmental delays and other health problems. She had issues from the start but incorrect feed will only make those issues worse.

I don’t have much expierience with something like this but if her eyesight never improves she will always be a handicapped goose, this isn’t a big issue if you’re willing to adjust a little, keeping her in a smaller enclosure than what’s typical for geese, always keeping her feed and water in the same location will help her immensely.
With one leg being shorter than the other I imagine this will complicate things, I’ve had geese with mobility issues though and if they can still get up and walk it doesn’t hinder their quality of life, just slows them down a bit. If for some reason she loses her mobility because of that leg her quality of life will also be lost unfortunatly.
There are people that have handicapped ducks but the larger the animal the harder it is on their health of mind and body, and you’ll be taking care of them full time, all day and night. I have a goose that suffered a few bouts of paralysis from an infection but overcame it, I had that hope that he would recover to help me help him through it, but if it was permanent, that isn’t any way for a goose to live. If her leg doesn’t continue growing and it prevents her from walking I can’t see a good future ahead for her and you might have to make the humane choice and euthanize, I’m sorry to say that but it’s a sad reality.

If her leg is just a little shorter and she just has a bit of a limp, plus being blind or mostly blind she still has a great chance at a good life, I’ve heard of a few people with blind geese that do all right, though keep in mind, sometimes with birth defects caused by incubation issues there are more than the ones you can see, there could also be issues internally so please keep that in mind, hope for the best but know that even with the best care not every little soul is meant to stay here.

 

[Gengar]

Thank you for the info,

We've had her on nutridrench since the start, along with free access to finely chopped greens, grasses, and boiled egg yolk from my currently laying geese.

She mainly walks with a clumsy limp now, although it was hard getting her to that point. We mainly have to watch out for when she gets tired, as she goes a little splayed then.

We'd be able to adjust to her eye problem, although the concern would be she'd end up bullied or not be able to function as well outside with how she misses the food she's trying to eat. She also gets tired and gives up while trying to eat occasionally, so we have to swoop in and handfeed her to avoid any problems.

Hopefully the extra nutrition we've been giving will help her insides mature enough for a happy life.

 

[Goosebaby]

Thank you for the info,

We've had her on nutridrench since the start, along with free access to finely chopped greens, grasses, and boiled egg yolk from my currently laying geese.

She mainly walks with a clumsy limp now, although it was hard getting her to that point. We mainly have to watch out for when she gets tired, as she goes a little splayed then.

We'd be able to adjust to her eye problem, although the concern would be she'd end up bullied or not be able to function as well outside with how she misses the food she's trying to eat. She also gets tired and gives up while trying to eat occasionally, so we have to swoop in and handfeed her to avoid any problems.

Hopefully the extra nutrition we've been giving will help her insides mature enough for a happy life.

Could you post some pictures of her legs and a video of her walking?
Posting videos here is difficult, what most of us do is post the video to Vimeo, YouTube, Instagram or elsewhere and then share the link here.

If her leg is dislocated at the pelvis it could cause similar issues, that’s something I’m wondering if it could be a possibility. It can be popped back into the socket if it is but a vet should be the one to do it because the bones are so fragile when they’re small.

 

[Feather Mommy]

I just received a gosling with a twisted neck from Metzer. I ordered 3 females and received just 2. Not sure if the quality of the geese has anything to do with the fact that the geese did not lay well and they have not been hatching well. I am at a loss as to what to do for this sweet girl.

I hope yours is doing better.

 

[Goosebaby]

I just received a gosling with a twisted neck from Metzer. I ordered 3 females and received just 2. Not sure if the quality of the geese has anything to do with the fact that the geese did not lay well and they have not been hatching well. I am at a loss as to what to do for this sweet girl.

I hope yours is doing better.

A lot of factors can contribute to health of hatchlings and adults, so far I haven’t had issues with Metzer but even the best hatchery won’t have a perfect record, s*** happens, most of the time sick or otherwise unhealthy babies will be sorted out before they’re shipped off but sometimes a baby slips through now and then for whatever reasons.

As for why adults wouldn’t lay well there are a number of factors there that can influence that, genetics, weather, disease, and even shipping restrictions and market projections. If Metzer decided to trim back on the number of geese they chose to breed and incubate this year due to shipping issues of the last few years or the current bird flu pandemic that would contribute to smaller availability this year.

 

[LovedMyAlydar]

I bought from Metzers previously with no issues but that was years ago. I'm surprised that they don't seem to want to replace the sick/handicapped baby.

 

[Feather Mommy]

Update, Metzer refunded my money for the gosling. She is still alive, but not hopeful that she will live. She only drinks and will not eat on her own. I have force fed her and she is not much bigger than when we received her a week ago. I should probably cull her, but she is not in pain. She just sleeps a lot.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Are you using any vitamin therapy for her? and are you tube feeding?

 

[New duck mommy 2021]

Update, Metzer refunded my money for the gosling. She is still alive, but not hopeful that she will live. She only drinks and will not eat on her own. I have force fed her and she is not much bigger than when we received her a week ago. I should probably cull her, but she is not in pain. She just sleeps a lot.

Have you tried to wash her eye with warm water in case any goo they are in inside the egg isn’t stuck to her. It dries clear and like cement
Have you checked her for pasty butt ?
Sometimes it happens and many don’t catch it in time
They will be lethargic , not walking , not eating. Once you clear the bum they have a poo and are right back to normal