Woke up this morning.. All goslings dead..

[ruth]

Quote:
I have had heat in an unairconditioned part of the house kill a whole group of ducklings. Was it unusually hot the night they died??

I didn't think about the heaters being on. It's been 100 degrees here for months so just didn't enter my mind. Maybe that's why the room was so hot. And yes, if the room got too hot and stuffy it could kill them as well. Here in deep South the a/c's have been going for months which could cause a room to get too cold, not too hot. In Marlyand with night temps in high 50s and low 60s maybe the room did get too hot with heaters on. Our second floor bakes just from the rising heat from the first floor.

 

[Puddle Foot Farm]

Okay.. Last day:

Woke up, got ready to go to work. Put the geese in their box and got in the car and drove them to the store.

At the store, they ran around after me for a while, then I put them in their box. Filled their waterer up and let them eat/sleep/poop for a while. Then, we filled up two containers of water and let them have at it. One container was deep, the other one they could stand in. They played for like 30 minutes in the water, jumping out randomly and switching between the two bins, as well as sitting on me and preening. I saw them gulp down a lot of water.

Next, I took them out and dried them off a bit, then let them wander around and dry in the driveway concrete area. Some people came and said hi to them. I decided to take them in, so I tried to get their attention for about ten minutes while they ate some weeds before I scooped them up and took them inside.

Put them in their box, gave them more water, they ate/slept/pooped. Then I put them in their "baby bag" to get them to shut up and carried them around for the rest of the day..

Came home, put them away, switched some straw out of their brooder and let them eat/drink/poop.

Went back up around 8, cleaned their water, they peeped at me contently. Some petting was in order.

Checked in again around 12 before I went to bed, all sleeping soundly.

Woke up at 8 this morning, all goslings dead.

Trust me, the goslings were warm, warm, warm. I know that isn't the issue. We've had young chicks up there too without a heat lamp earlier in the year, and they made it.. It's the upstairs room, so it's always warm, no matter what. Downstairs, right now, it's almost 80. We don't air condition our house. The windows are closed upstairs at night. It stays above 85 at all times in that room.. Probably hotter when the geese aren't home.

The room they were in is our master bedroom that doesn't have a proper floor. It got turned into our animal room.

And the goslings have been without heat for 3 days because it was 85 without the heat.. At all times.

I'm going to get the new ones a smaller watt bulb, but we have a 250 and it would have killed them if whatever did now didn't.. We saw them with it on, at night, on the other side of the pool, panting.

 

[rancher hicks]

I'd like to offer some input for those concerned about "chlorine". Chlorine evaperates. This is why my plant water bottle has no top and I let it sit over night. If you have concerns just let the water sit over night before using it.

 

[Windchyme]

Quote:
They heat got them I'm almost sure of it...the older they get the more resistant to cold they get so age met temp and it didn't go well.

 

[ruth]

It does sound like they may have gotten too hot. As I posted earlier, too hot didn't occur to me because I was thinking a/c or too cool being in Maryland. I agree - 250 watt bulb would fry them. I never use more than a 150 and that's in the dead of winter in an outside brooder. Inside, I normally use a regular light bulb 60-75 watt if I use one at all.

It sounds like they had a very nice day and you took excellent care of them. I can't see anything in the day that could have caused their death. But if you say the room gets really hot, then I'm guessing they overheated. What type of brooder were they in? Did it have a top? Did it have any air flow? I never use lids on my brooders for the very reason that if it gets too hot, there is nothing they can do - they can't get any fresh air and the heat can't escape and it will kill them very quickly.

Again, I'm so sorry you lost them. Best of luck with the ones you are getting tomorrow. May they live long and happy lives.

 

[Chickies-duckies-etc]

You have some great minds helping you figure this one out. But, one thing you mentioned caught my attention....((( MOLDY HAY!!!!!!)))

I don't know if that is the problem with your three babies or not but it will kill goslings and geese. I know - from experience. Check your hay. And any feed you are feeding or bedding. If there is any indication of mold, get rid of it.

My geese got some when the new grass in the pasture started growing up under old dry grass from last summer. We had so much constant rain that it was moldy under the old grass. The geese were reaching under to get the new and also got the mold. I ended up losing two before I figured out what it was. And, by the way, it was the vet that takes care of the zoo geese that helped me figure it out. There are medicine treatments that will help cure them if you run into the problem. I saved two more that were showing symptoms.

I am so sorry you lost your babies. They are such special little creatures.

 

[Puddle Foot Farm]

Well.. I'm going to do everything I can to keep the next ones safe. Tomorrow, we're taking the 5 hr trip up to Northern PA to a little farm, which has a 3 day old gosling, a one day old gosling, and two that have pipped. There are also older ones.. All Toulouse.

The mould wasn't apparently at first, but there was a tiny, tiny bit growing there.. so the spores could've gotten into their lungs and killed them. Or the heat. Or.. Anything. Getting the new goslings is bittersweet because I miss the old ones, but I'll still love the new ones.

Their brooder is a kiddie pool with a dog pen around it so they can't get out. No top. The dog pen isn't even completely around it.. The babies before hadn't figured out that if they got out the back and then went around, they'd still be able to get to us. They were such sweeties..

 

[Puddle Foot Farm]

Got the new goslings today. I just got back an hour ago.. It's a loooong drive. Anyways, I was kind of shocked, two of the goslings were filthy and in a pen with about 50 others that should have just had 30.. They were healthy, just cramped. O.O The older goslings had plenty of room, as did the breeder geese. So, two of them are dirty.. One we got straight out of the incubator, and she's fluffy and adorable. Her name is Luna. She's unsexed, but I think she's a girl..

Might post pics tomorrow.. They're tiny! Not quite super friendly yet, but i can work on them..

 

[Biddieacres]

Quote:
I was just wondering what medicine you used to help them when you realized it was the mold? Thanks.

 

[Chickies-duckies-etc]

The terramycin I had on hand worked. The vet said if it didn't that he had some sulfa based antibiotic that would work.