[goosepimple]

One of our Steinbacher geese abandoned her two goslings last week - a case of first time mum not knowing what to do we think more than not wanting them. We set ourselves on hand rearing them and put them in a basin with the necessities in the house we originally gave our geese (who very rarely use it but do use the feeding station next to it), the idea being if the geese were interested they could see/hear where they were.  I put the goslings (now about 5 days old) in a large-ish oblong wire cage today outside the house so the geese could actually see them - they were very interested and this evening I put them back in the goose house with the heat emitter but left the door ajar slightly - half an hour later mum is in with them sitting and nursing them and they are all back together again.  We are trusting that everything will be ok now and so have taken the heat emitter away (didn't want mum to get burnt).  Tomorrow I'll build a run so I can open the door of the house and let them walk around but it may be wise to keep them all in the house together for a day.  The gander and other goose are doing there own thing - if anyone knows how this is all likely to end please speak!  Will they all live happily ever after even if one of the offspring is male?  I'm taking a chance leaving them I know but she is nursing them of her own accord - letting nature take its course to an extent - I do intend keeping mum in with the goslings in the house/run for 3-4 weeks - herons would be likely to get them otherwise.  Goslings are fit and strong so far.  Fingers crossed.

[doganjo]

All sounds good to me - well thought out. Photos as soon as you are able to take them please?

[jaykay]

Excellent, what a great outcome 

I think making mum and goslings some sort of pen and keeping them together for a while would be a good plan.

When we had goslings, all three adults seemed to help look after them (I had a trio then) - so is it possible to make somewhere safe out where the other two can help with the care?

These three grown-up goslings lived very happily with their parents, all sharing the same house, despite one being a gander until it became the spring. Then I could see that the young gander was beginning to interfere a bit with the pairing up behaviour of the parents and thought that I'd better provide the parents with some peace from their teenagers if they were going to breed again, hence selling them to you 

[goosepimple]

Thanks both for your kind support... REALLY GUTTED today however as mum squashed the stronger looking of the two overnight so we are left with one only who is less chatty now its mate has gone.  Have put No2 back in the basin in the goose house rather than taking the chance of it being squashed too and mum is sitting patiently beside basin.  Will have to put heat emitter back in too as she would be likely to squash it overnight.  Oh I'm just so gutted.  I think wee one will have to stay in the basin for a couple of weeks until she's stronger and not sure mum will be happy about that.  Anyone any advice please feel free, I'm really gutted, I feel like I should have known this, it happened with our RIRs and their big clumsy feet a couple of years back. Gutted.

[jaykay]

Oh no {{{{hugs}}}}
I don't see how you could know this  Their parents didn't squash them and that was with three adults in the house, and obviously there'd be no poultry in the world if this sort of thing was common 
I think you may have to set up the heatlamp and just let mum be nearby, by the sound of it. I think if you set up a 'creep' system baby gosling would go to mum in prefence and then be at risk too.
How sad, after reuniting 

[Heather]

  oh soooo sorry for you..........

[lill]

a happy ending for the little ones