Ice on goose chest

[starrymutt]

Winter is finally here and it's my first time with geese. They still have a pool that we crack the ice of every day and go swimming, but tonight while putting them in I noticed that my ganders' chests and stomach were iced down.

Should I remove it and remove access to the pool? He didn't seem to preen it off but it didn't seem to bother him either

 

[azygous]

Did you feel his frozen breast feathers to see how deep the ice went? If you did, you probably would have discovered only a thin layer of ice on the outer feathers only while the feathers and down closer to his body were warm and dry. That would be because he preens his feathers with oils that waterproof them against freezing.

If he's an older gander, he may not be preening thoroughly if the freezing feathers are more than just on the outer surface. These oils protect the goose from hypothermia, and if he isn't preening adequately, he may be at risk for freezing to death. Those feathers should not be absorbing water and icing up.

 

[Moments]

My goose and ducks preen obsessively and sometimes the outside of some of their feathers, especially around their neck and chest will freeze a bit. Doesn't seem to bother them though. I think it is in part due to jumping out of the pool after a good thorough dip when it's cold enough to make it freeze almost instantly. If they're showing signs of being cold (or I just want them to defrost a bit) I put them in for a little while