OK, I have never had geese before, so I am totally out of my element. I have had chickens and ducks since forever, so I figured how different can it be, right? Uh, now I know better... Let me explain what is happening, and maybe one of you guys that has had geese for a while can offer me a suggestion.
My son brought me several eggs for Mother's Day, they were goose eggs and timing was right to hatch on Mother's Day but dear boy didn't think to ask what BREED of geese they were (kind of one of those, "You mean there is a difference?" things.) So, we dubbed them the "Mystery Geese," and I put them in the incubator waiting to see that would happen. I got two hatchlings about a month ago. From the very first, I realized these guys were VERY different from anything I have ever raised. For one thing, I *think* they have imprinted on me; do domestic geese do that?? They definitely start calling as soon as they hear my voice. The first day they hatched, they showed me that goslings are a LOT stronger and more developed than any other bird I've ever hatched; they got out of the brooder first thing and were running around on my bedroom floor the first night at about 4 in the morning. I heard them calling frantically, stumbled blearily into the bedroom and saw the lid off the brooder, and thought, oh Lord, I'll never catch them with all the furniture in this room to crawl under. Not so! the minute they heard me, here they come a-running, tumbling around my feet and asking to be picked up!! Never had that happen with any of my other peeps; they might be friendly but not like this, which makes me think maybe they imprinted and think I am Mama. Well, I was there when both hatched, watching intensely both because they were my Mother's Day gift and also because I was curious to see what they are. (Still don't know.) So, I was the first thing they saw when they hatched. At any rate, I have thoroughly enjoyed raising them, right up until today.
This morning when I went out to feed and water, I found that the slightly larger gosling had completely DENUDED the other one, and had beaten it so badly that it was bleeding from several places. It's big leg joint is badly swollen, and blood was dripping steadily from the tip of its left wing. I never heard a scuffle, but they have been moved out to the garage once they got past the initial intensive broody situation, so it must not have been loud enough to hear indoors. There was blood all over the bigger one's beak so I know it was him/her that did it, plus this is in an enclosed garage in town so predators are not really an option. They were in a pretty large pen with plenty of feed and water, so it wasn't about resources. To be honest, I didn't actually think the smaller one would make it; it was really groggy and weak when I brought it back in the house to put it in the 'bird hospital.' Now, as I said I have had a lot of other birds, and one thing I have noticed with injured birds is that isolation initially might be fine, but if you keep them isolated for long they don't do as well as they do if you give them a friend to help them recuperate. So, I had only one baby Golden Lakenvelder make it from my last hatch out (about a week old) and it was kind of lonely too, so I put the single hatchling Lakenvelder in with the gosling, and that seems to have been the right idea, because the little one is up and perky now, eating and drinking where when I first brought it in, it showed no interest in its surroundings. The orphan Lakey seems happier to have a roommate too. On top of that, we found an orphaned duckling this morning (long story) and I put the tiny new baby in with them too. I was afraid the feral bird might refuse to eat, but the small gosling has taken the baby duck 'under its wing' so to speak, and the three of them are all doing well for now. In fact as I type this they are all cuddled together under the broody lamp asleep.
I am in hopes that the worst has passed with the injured one, and I think it's going to make it now, but here is my question: Any ideas what caused the bigger one to suddenly decide to try and kill its sibling? They have always been affectionate to one another before now, preening each other and etc, I have never seen any aggressive behavior until today, so this came as a pretty severe shock. Is this a common thing with geese, or is this unusual? Not to mention, the bigger sibling is now crying inconsolably because it is all alone, but darn it I am afraid to put anything else in with it after seeing what it did to its little brother/sister! Anybody have any suggestions? I really like both of these guys and I do intend to keep them but kind of worried about re-introducing them (certainly not until the little one is healed up and strong.) The difference in size between the two is not great, but apparently it is enough. And what can I do for the now-orphaned sib, who may start pining if I leave it isolated? I don't really want to lose either of them. Should I put one of the decent-sized 3 mo old chicks in with it that could probably hold its own, so it won't be all by itself, or should I leave it by itself for now? Is there some management trick that I missed? Does breed matter? All I can tell you is they are not China Whites; because they are brown above and yellow below, they look kind of like African babies or maybe Toulouse? They look more like the pictures of those goslings than they do like Embdens plus Africans are pretty common here.
Any help would be appreciated, and I'll be happy to supply more details if you think it would help.
My son brought me several eggs for Mother's Day, they were goose eggs and timing was right to hatch on Mother's Day but dear boy didn't think to ask what BREED of geese they were (kind of one of those, "You mean there is a difference?" things.) So, we dubbed them the "Mystery Geese," and I put them in the incubator waiting to see that would happen. I got two hatchlings about a month ago. From the very first, I realized these guys were VERY different from anything I have ever raised. For one thing, I *think* they have imprinted on me; do domestic geese do that?? They definitely start calling as soon as they hear my voice. The first day they hatched, they showed me that goslings are a LOT stronger and more developed than any other bird I've ever hatched; they got out of the brooder first thing and were running around on my bedroom floor the first night at about 4 in the morning. I heard them calling frantically, stumbled blearily into the bedroom and saw the lid off the brooder, and thought, oh Lord, I'll never catch them with all the furniture in this room to crawl under. Not so! the minute they heard me, here they come a-running, tumbling around my feet and asking to be picked up!! Never had that happen with any of my other peeps; they might be friendly but not like this, which makes me think maybe they imprinted and think I am Mama. Well, I was there when both hatched, watching intensely both because they were my Mother's Day gift and also because I was curious to see what they are. (Still don't know.) So, I was the first thing they saw when they hatched. At any rate, I have thoroughly enjoyed raising them, right up until today.
This morning when I went out to feed and water, I found that the slightly larger gosling had completely DENUDED the other one, and had beaten it so badly that it was bleeding from several places. It's big leg joint is badly swollen, and blood was dripping steadily from the tip of its left wing. I never heard a scuffle, but they have been moved out to the garage once they got past the initial intensive broody situation, so it must not have been loud enough to hear indoors. There was blood all over the bigger one's beak so I know it was him/her that did it, plus this is in an enclosed garage in town so predators are not really an option. They were in a pretty large pen with plenty of feed and water, so it wasn't about resources. To be honest, I didn't actually think the smaller one would make it; it was really groggy and weak when I brought it back in the house to put it in the 'bird hospital.' Now, as I said I have had a lot of other birds, and one thing I have noticed with injured birds is that isolation initially might be fine, but if you keep them isolated for long they don't do as well as they do if you give them a friend to help them recuperate. So, I had only one baby Golden Lakenvelder make it from my last hatch out (about a week old) and it was kind of lonely too, so I put the single hatchling Lakenvelder in with the gosling, and that seems to have been the right idea, because the little one is up and perky now, eating and drinking where when I first brought it in, it showed no interest in its surroundings. The orphan Lakey seems happier to have a roommate too. On top of that, we found an orphaned duckling this morning (long story) and I put the tiny new baby in with them too. I was afraid the feral bird might refuse to eat, but the small gosling has taken the baby duck 'under its wing' so to speak, and the three of them are all doing well for now. In fact as I type this they are all cuddled together under the broody lamp asleep.
I am in hopes that the worst has passed with the injured one, and I think it's going to make it now, but here is my question: Any ideas what caused the bigger one to suddenly decide to try and kill its sibling? They have always been affectionate to one another before now, preening each other and etc, I have never seen any aggressive behavior until today, so this came as a pretty severe shock. Is this a common thing with geese, or is this unusual? Not to mention, the bigger sibling is now crying inconsolably because it is all alone, but darn it I am afraid to put anything else in with it after seeing what it did to its little brother/sister! Anybody have any suggestions? I really like both of these guys and I do intend to keep them but kind of worried about re-introducing them (certainly not until the little one is healed up and strong.) The difference in size between the two is not great, but apparently it is enough. And what can I do for the now-orphaned sib, who may start pining if I leave it isolated? I don't really want to lose either of them. Should I put one of the decent-sized 3 mo old chicks in with it that could probably hold its own, so it won't be all by itself, or should I leave it by itself for now? Is there some management trick that I missed? Does breed matter? All I can tell you is they are not China Whites; because they are brown above and yellow below, they look kind of like African babies or maybe Toulouse? They look more like the pictures of those goslings than they do like Embdens plus Africans are pretty common here.
Any help would be appreciated, and I'll be happy to supply more details if you think it would help.
