The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: Robb on July 05, 2020, 06:06:21 pm
-
I have lost a goose a month for the last four months and not sure what is happening
The geese are kept outside garzing on grass, protected from predators and have plenty of water in childrens paddling pool.
I keepthem in a set of enclosures (adjacent ones) and move them as they use up the grass in one.
I have turkeys and hens inthe same sort of enclosure in the same setting - but geese have never been put on enclosures used by these other birds. (Hens and Turkeys completely separate from each other too) and all these birds are thriving and laying
Only thing I give the geese besides grass is chopped up apple.
No marks on the dead birds.
It might be that the dead birds became a little lethargic in the immediate days before death but I could be imagining that.
Otherwise all birds seems fine, graze well, and very active when I come with apple, plenty of activity from them, splash in the pool, etc
Death seems to come out ofthe blue
-
Some sort of internal parasites? Gizzard worm?
Btw you mentioned you keep hens and turkey separately - bare in mind that blackhead can spread through earthworms - so if you keep them in pens nearby to each other they will get it if you chickens have it.
-
They may need supplementary feed. I know geese eats lots of grass but they will also take from lake edges etc and I'm wondering if their diet is too limited.
My geese have 10 acres and a pond but they still come for food. Early part of the year they come for less and as the pond edges clear they come for more. Same with the ducks.
-
Domestic geese are much larger than the wild ones - I.e. they need better quality feed. Most breeds can't live just of grazing.
I used to have little Czech geese which would be OK, shetland geese would do fine with minimal feeding too. I would supplement them at least in the morning or evening to teach them to come back indoor at night.
-
We had a similar experience when we first started keeping geese. When the third one died we asked our poultry vet to do a post-mortem. There were no parasites but she did find a small mass constricting part of the intestines which meant that very little food could get through. The young geese had basically starved to death although they showed no signs of weakness until a day or two before they died.
The vet had come across this before and said it was likely there was a problem at the hatchery. If the eggs and new chicks are not kept in the right conditions the yolk is not absorbed properly and eventually forms a mass in the abdomen. In the following years we have bought our goslings from a different source and have never had a repeat of the problem.
-
I have lost a goose a month for the last four months and not sure what is happening
Only thing I give the geese besides grass is chopped up apple.
Death seems to come out ofthe blue
[member=197505]Robb[/member]
Death is rarely that sudden except for heart attacks or severe fright. Grass and the occasional apple is not a balanced diet for any bird. Like others have said you need to give them proper food for geese
Good foods are -
Cracked corn.
Wheat, barley or similar grains.
Oats (uncooked; rolled or quick)
Rice (cooked or uncooked)
Milo.
Birdseed (any type or mix)
Grapes (cut in half)
Frozen peas or corn (defrosted, no need to cook
Obviously, things like white bread, sweets, junk food, chips, and anything with high levels of salt, sugar, and fat should not be fed to geese
-
Actually, we do raise geese (Toulouse/Embden cross) on little more than grass and windfall apples. We do give them a few handfuls of whole wheat in the evenings but more to keep them tame than for the food value. We feed them turkey finisher nuts in the late autumn but I would expect them to be growing strongly at this time of year on little more than grass. Mind you, they do need plenty of it - they have voracious appetites!
-
Actually, we do raise geese (Toulouse/Embden cross) on little more than grass and windfall apples. We do give them a few handfuls of whole wheat in the evenings but more to keep them tame than for the food value. We feed them turkey finisher nuts in the late autumn but I would expect them to be growing strongly at this time of year on little more than grass. Mind you, they do need plenty of it - they have voracious appetites!
Yes, they eat lots of grass. Wild geese can decimate grass in farmers fields and they also sour grass and are a major problem around waterways where there are too many for an area. Is it something like 4 geese eat the same as one sheep?
-
[member=197505]Robb[/member] How are your geese?
-
Hi Doganjo
the last ones seem just the same, as suggetsed here I am suppementing their diet now with corn and have dosed it with flubenvet and am doing same with my other birds just in case although they show no symptoms
Thansk for asking