Baby gosling keeps falling over - any advice?

[jobo123]

Hi. I joined this site yesterday and posted this lot on new members. Someone suggested I post it here as well so I hope I'm not being a nuisance! I wrote this lot yesterday:

Hi I've just joined this site and wondered if anyone could help. One of our geese hatched a gosling about 3 days ago (we think) and had another egg which she stayed on (which we've now found dead). My husband found the first gosling outside of the nest and wet (she'd made a nest inside a shed which is inside the main hut so we've no idea why the gosling was wet). We think she's either hurt it or it was born a bit lame and she's thrown it out. Anyway it's been in a cage under a heat lamp inside our house for 3 days (with a chick we incubated so it's not lonely). The gosling has splayed legs but no wounds and is eating and drinking perfectly well but it keeps falling over onto its back and I keep having to right it. Sometimes it gets back onto its feet on its own. My husband read on a forum that, when chicks have splayed legs, you can help correct this by putting elastoplast on each leg and a piece of string inside double sided sellotape from one leg to another to keep them more together. He did this and the gosling seemed to be able to stand a lot better. The problem is that it's still falling over onto its back, especially when it shakes its head or is startled by someone. Like I said, it's eating just fine, seems alert and is perfectly happy when I take it out and hold it (to clean off bits of hay etc). Do you think it's a matter of giving it more time to get strong and it'll sort itself out or, could there be anything else wrong with it, or anything else we can do?

Since yesterday I put her in the sink to see how she did and she paddled but stayed in the same place - probably a bit wary. Legs are still tied but I'm not so sure it's her legs now (I'm calling it a her). When she shakes her head, or when she preens herself she falls over. Is this more a balance problem do you think? My cat used to fall over after she had brain damage from eating poison (she's absolutely fine now) and it just seems a bit similar to my tiny little mind. She's on her back every 30 seconds or so it seems and I just don't know what to do to help her. She's trying so hard. Many thanks for reading this xxx

 

[Speceider]

What are you feeding it? If chick starter you might want to suppliment with niacin.

Clint

 

[jobo123]

Yes chick powder - and some boiled eggs just now which she's tucking into. Put it in a ramekin so she doesn't have to bend over so far and fall over. I'm stuck at home at the moment (snowing heavily in Bulgaria) so can't get to the vets for a while - don't suppose anyone has any storecupboard remedies? At least she's stood up eating the eggs. Will keep you posted xxx

 

[Speceider]

Have accessibility to brewers yeast.. ..good source of niacin.

Clint

 

[Iain Utah]

I'm sorry to say that what you describe is not a good sign. Is the gosling pooping well?

 

[tillyita]

Hi, I've had two goslings that have done exactly this this season (I'm in Australia so only a couple of months ago). One of them was in very similar circumstances to yours and one was one that I hatched out in the incubator and had all sorts of problems. If you can keep it warm and eating it should improve provided there is not something else going on that is not apparent. The head shaking tends to stop once they get stronge - so does the falling overr.

I had to do the tying the legs together thing - but only needed to do it for a day or so for each gosling. With the second one I had to make a "hoop" with a rolled up piece of towel (a tea towel) would probably work) and sit it in it with its legs underneath it (basically proping it up). It would get out of this when excercising its legs so I would give it the opportunity to have a drink and some food then put it back in the towel again. You may need to put a warm hot water bottle under it if its really cold - it was summer here so wasn't such a problem. I was also putting mine in the basin once a day and encouraging them to paddle - made the water move. Just make sure you dry her off afterwards.

Both of mine recovered and have gone down to my sisters farm and you wouldn't know that they had problems to begin with.

I also agree with the others if your feed has a high level of corn or maize in it add some brewers yeast to the food because they are known to cause niacin deficiency which leads to muscle weakness. (and adding it wont hurt if you dont because its water soluble and will go "straight through" if the gosling doesn't need it).

Good luck.

 

[jobo123]

Ooh that's cheered me up a bit tillyita - glad to hear yours did so well. Baby's doing well as far as eating, drinking and pooping, though if I go to bed and she falls over when I'm not there I guess she's on her back all night and not eating. Just given her some physio - put her on the kitchen table which has a pvc tablecloth and watched her walking. I just wanted to get her legs moving to try and build up some strength. Put some egg on the table and she ate that. I took the string off to see what happened and, when she was standing still, her left leg was moving away from her body - so I've put some more string on her. Tried the masking tape as someone kindly suggested but she couldn't even stand up with that on. The cage she's in (with a little chick) has straw down which is uneven of course and I'm sure doesn't help. As they're both only a few days old I guess I can't put sawdust down or they'll eat it. Also, if I put pvc down where would the waste go? So, I think we have to stay with the straw. I have the egg in a ramekin and the water in a tin so she doesn't have to bend all the way down. We tried some brewer's yeast but neither of them will eat it - maybe I should mix it in with some egg do you think? I'm going to put her in the sink again later - can't harm her. They're both under a lamp so they are nice and warm. I'll try the teatowel after she's had her swim. It's a good job I have no life.......

By the way, her mother is still on the nest - with no eggs under her. I guess she really wanted a baby - maybe just didn't know what to do with it? There's no way I'm putting the gosling back with her as she'd only kick it out again. Nature eh? xxx

 

[RURU]

When you let your gosling swim did you know you can use a hair dryer on low to blow the baby dry after towel drying.....

 

[Miss Lydia]

Ooh that's cheered me up a bit tillyita - glad to hear yours did so well. Baby's doing well as far as eating, drinking and pooping, though if I go to bed and she falls over when I'm not there I guess she's on her back all night and not eating. Just given her some physio - put her on the kitchen table which has a pvc tablecloth and watched her walking. I just wanted to get her legs moving to try and build up some strength. Put some egg on the table and she ate that. I took the string off to see what happened and, when she was standing still, her left leg was moving away from her body - so I've put some more string on her. Tried the masking tape as someone kindly suggested but she couldn't even stand up with that on. The cage she's in (with a little chick) has straw down which is uneven of course and I'm sure doesn't help. As they're both only a few days old I guess I can't put sawdust down or they'll eat it. Also, if I put pvc down where would the waste go? So, I think we have to stay with the straw. I have the egg in a ramekin and the water in a tin so she doesn't have to bend all the way down. We tried some brewer's yeast but neither of them will eat it - maybe I should mix it in with some egg do you think? I'm going to put her in the sink again later - can't harm her. They're both under a lamp so they are nice and warm. I'll try the teatowel after she's had her swim. It's a good job I have no life.......

By the way, her mother is still on the nest - with no eggs under her. I guess she really wanted a baby - maybe just didn't know what to do with it? There's no way I'm putting the gosling back with her as she'd only kick it out again. Nature eh? xxx

put down old clean towels for them to walk on will help her keep her feet under her better. and mix the Brewers yeast in the egg if they are eating egg or put some into their feed and add a tiny bit of warm water to make it moist. Just do small amounts of feed at a time to keep it from spoiling.

 

[tillyita]

put down old clean towels for them to walk on will help her keep her feet under her better. and mix the Brewers yeast in the egg if they are eating egg or put some into their feed and add a tiny bit of warm water to make it moist. Just do small amounts of feed at a time to keep it from spoiling. 

Puppy wee wee pads also do well and they are absorbant with a dry cover (act like a normal nappy).