Gossling Help :eek:

[cirianz]

My daughter rescued a gossling last night while at sea scouts. A dog killed it's mother & had the gossling in it's mouth (it has no visible injuries & seems quite healthy) before the dogs owner came along & told it to drop it. Tomo tried to put it back with the flock (a local wild/feral flock) but they chased it away. Her scout leader told her to kill it (he hates geese). So she brung it home & now I'm at a loss & apealling to all farmers & anyone with geese experience

It's very young, all fluff, no feathers & wings still just little stubs, but I'm not familiar with geese so I can't estimate it's age by size.
I'm feeding it grain bread softend with warm water & it seems to be able to feed itself out of our hands but seldom picks any up off the ground. It seems to need feeding VERY often. We've made it a 'nest' in a cat box. We'll have to build it an enclosure outside in order to let it out, we have 2 dogs & 5 cats & it's still tasty morsel size for any of them. So we need to be able to keep the cats etc out until it's bigger.

It seems quite happy in it's box & this morning seems uninclined to come out under it's own steam. I've just locked all the cats inside for a while so I cat take the gossling out for a 'walk' up the back paddock. I think I'm going nuts.

One question... I understand that geese eat grass, is the grain bread enough or does it need greenery?
& another... how do you raise baby geese? What sort of instruction would it's mother be giving it? Or is it enough just to stuff it with food & let it follow me around? I am completely lost
Anything you can offer would be appreciated.

 

[Adywebb]

I can't help you with advice on how to look after it - but I would take it to the local RSPCA or Animal Refuge so they can give it the proper care it needs.

I'm not sure that its going to be able to survive on just grain bread.

 

[cirianz]

Thanks Ady but our Local SPCA is very small & deal almost entirely in cats & dogs & the gossling seems to need almost constant attention at this stage. I don't think it would live very long there & there are no local animal shelters & the last time I went to DOC with a bird that wasn't a native they told me to hit it on the head with a hammer. Apparently he's done it tons of times & it doesn't hurt
Besides, I like geese & am quite happy to have one... it's getting it to geesehood that's got me kerfuffled

No, I don't think garainbread will do it longterm. But it is still too young to eat grain. At least in the bread the grain is all chopped up & more digestible.

I was wondering, if I get some duck food & mush it up would that do it?
& until then, should I mix some sugar in with the bread mix for energy?
or is that likely to cause problems?
I'm guessing from the way it eats that was learning how to feed itself but is still used to having it's mother predigest most of it's food.

Anyone???

 

[Adywebb]

Maybe the local RSPCA wasn't the best idea then


OK - found this: http://www.ricecrc.org/reader/poultry/geese-raising-part-d.htm - has a section on feeding

 

[cirianz]

Thank you Ady

Maybe the gossling is younger than I thought... it doesn't seem inclined to graze at all.
Or maybe that's just shock.
I might try mushing up some lettuce & mixing it with the bread mush
I wonder if Peanut butter, or beans will do for the protien?
Gotta go again, I'm being summoned

 

[Adywebb]

That site says that a gosling should be encouraged to graze after 3 days - I would imagine yours is older than that.

Maybe if you cut back on the hand feeding it may start?

 

[floppybootstomp]

Good grief..... no qualms about buying poultry from supermarket yet when a real live young one wanders up....

But......... I know how you feel, I've nursed a few young birds back to life, yet have shot pigeons.

It's a funny old world

 

[Adywebb]

Ah, but think of how good its gonna taste once Ciri has fattened it up a bit

 

[floppybootstomp]

It will hiss at you as you pop it in the oven

 

[TriplexDread]

I used to have a couple of Ainsbury Ducks. They grew massive within a few weeks amazing growth rate

I just left them too it, feeding them bread, grain, water and milk

 

[cirianz]

lol, yeah, John's already talking about roast potatoes, reckon he'd be doing major battle with Tomo first. & I know what you mean. Can quite happily pop down the supermarket for a chook for dinner, but couldn't leave an injured animal to just die. & I reckon I'd throw up if I tried to eat our chook Go figure.
At least my daughter can claim not to be a hypocrite, she's vegetarian, but me... nope, I'm pure omnivore.
She named him Bill by the way. Short for responsibility. Guess she ain't stupid.

He was much more alert this time I took him out. Came out of his 'nest' on his own. Ate some grass Tried to escape a few times & hissed at us scary monsters a few times. Although he seems quite happy to eat from our hand.
He's not very good at pulling his own grass but he can definitely do it & will happily eat grass that has been pulled up for him. Ate a mixture of grass & some of the bread mush this time. Am very relieved. I was begining to think he might die of shock.

 

[floppybootstomp]

She named him Bill by the way. Short for responsibility. Guess she ain't stupid.

Lol

One smart cookie.

We humans are a paradox, I guess.

Looking good

 

[Taffycat]

Hi Ciri, I think you are doing a great job there with the little orphan, but I can understand your anxiety to find out a bit more about his needs. I have found two websites which might be helpful to you hopefully, you can find links to them here and here

Good luck

 

[cirianz]

I used to have a couple of Ainsbury Ducks. They grew massive within a few weeks amazing growth rate

I just left them too it, feeding them bread, grain, water and milk

Hi Trip, sorry, got called away mid typing so didn't get your post untill mine went up.
Yes, I'm hoping the Gossling will grow fast. The sooner he can take care of himself the better & especially, the sooner he's too big to be a cats dinner the better.
He seems to be very labour intensive at the moment, but since he can graze then I reckon, once we build a cat proof pen, then he'll be able to feed himself so long as we provide the food. Most of the work at the moment is hand feeding him & comfort when he cries for his Mum
Plus, without a pen we have to supervise him continuously when he's out.
That can get a bit boring as have to let him out for quite a time to wander around & eat etc. But can't leave him shut in the cat box all day. He'd go insane or, being flock animals & social, go apathetic & then die.

 

[cirianz]

Hi Ciri, I think you are doing a great job there with the little orphan, but I can understand your anxiety to find out a bit more about his needs. I have found two websites which might be helpful to you hopefully, you can find links to them here and here

Good luck

Thanks Taffy

Some very good stuff there
Bookmarked them both.

Bill seems to have gone to sleep for a while so I'm definitely up for a cup of tea now

spoke to soon. When he's missing his mum he gives these highpitched, distressed peeps that sound a lot like his "I'm hungry feed me" peeps except that he doesn't eat.
All I can really do is stroke him & make peeping noises back.
No idea if it makes any difference although he does seem to stop peeping much quicker than when I don't go through. Whatever noise I make it isn't going to sound the same though.
Hopefully he'll just get used to my sounds & his memory of his mothers noises will fade pretty quickly.

Hopefully time for that cup of tea now though.

 

[AbsoluteKevster]

This thread just shows how diverse our Forum is.
Amusing, entertaining - and, dare I say it.... 'cute'.

Good luck with the duck!
(Sorry Ciri - Gosling doesn't rhyme with luck!)
hehe

 

[cirianz]

lol, Thanks Kev. So far things seem ok. Still trying to get it used to me. It just quivers in terror sometimes. But it is eating well & often so hopefully all will go well

 

[itsme]

I hope! it survives, then you will treat it as you do the goat as part of the family, I have done what you are doing and did not have the heart to kill and eat the duck it died a natural death at 8 years old. I were 12 at the time.

 

[Taffycat]

A thought just occurred to me Ciri, I don't suppose anyone living near you happens to have a "spare" broody hen which might be prepared to act as a surrogate mum? Just for the little gosling to be able to cuddle up to, you know ... heads-under-wings, beaks-under-blankets kind of thing.... perhaps his shivers have more to do with missing the "comfort-blanket" of his real mum's lovely warm goose-down wing.

It must be so heart-wrenching to hear those little peeps, knowing what has happened to his mum, but well done you, it sounds like he is receiving the very best of care (We are animal lovers too and have rescued a few over the years - no geese, but there was a baby robin once )

 

[cirianz]

Yes, whenever I feed him I try to spend some time after just stroking him & wrap my hands around him like in a nest to try & help him feel 'tucked up' with his Mum & it seems to be working. Three times now he's settled down, stopped shivering & even started drifting off to sleep although his eyes still tend to pop open as soon as they close. But I figure a bit of reverse psychology helps here. Animals don't tend to fall asleep unless they feel safe, so I take advantage of his tired ness to get him to fall asleed (once he actually did fall asleep for a bit... I was down on the floor with him so long that time that I started drifting off too ) in the hope that he'll figure that, if he's falling asleep with me then he must be safe. Gunna take some time though. Don't know anyone with a broody hen though unfortunately. Pity, is a good idea.
Yes, I'm hoping he'll survive and do fine. I think he'd make a good adition to our wierd little family. Although John tells me I'm responsible for cleaning all the goose poop off the deck & paths But a good hosing will take care of that so long as you get it same day. We already get chicken poop all over the place as is lol. Now, if we could just convince the chicken to lay it's eggs in a nesting box... but then that's what comes from adopting full grown wild/feral animals I suppose. It still thinks bushes are the best place to lay eggs.