Squeaky goose and possible wet feather?

[starrymutt]

Two of my geese (one female and I'm not sure of the other, possible gander) have developed a squeak, almost like a hiccup when he honks and my female has had nearly constant wet feather.

She'll bathe in the pool but won't preen well and her chest stays wet for hours, I checked a moment ago and it seems like it got into her second layer of feathers? I can't tell if her down is wet or if she's cold. She seems okay otherwise besides sometimes laying down.

I'm mainly worried about her freezing since it's been pretty cold. 15F at night and getting down to 5F this weekend.

For the other, the squeak is recent and I only noticed it today, maybe a bit yesterday. He still has a bit of a baby voice but he has been eating chicken mesh and possibly got a little bit of cotton stuffing from an old hammock.

The squeak

 

[Goosebaby]

The squeak is coughing. It could be caused by numerous things, a respiratory infection “fungal, bacterial, or viral,” a lower intestinal infection or parasite (sometimes if the lower intestines are inflamed they can press on the lower airsacks producing symptoms that mimic a respiratory infection) or it could be a sinus issue stemming from the cold weather or some irritant.


Some things you can try is adding apple cider vinegar to their water, it won’t fix an infection but it can boost their immune system and help the airways stay clear.

Keep an eye on their droppings, if you see some that are red, pink, salmon/ orange, yellow, black, or excessively white that points to a gi issue. You’ll want to treat for coccidia to start with and then consider treating with Tylosin.
Tylosin will treat some intestinal issues like clostridium and some upper respiratory issues like mycoplasma.

Do they have a dry shed or coop to keep them out of wind and moisture? If not this would be a good idea. Geese are cold hardy but they do better if they have a place to escape the wind and dry off. Wood shavings are a preferred bedding in their coop as straw is a common source of mold and mites. You can use straw but it’s important to clear it out and replace it often.


The feathers don’t look too bad but keeping dry is critical for a bird’s survival in winter. If she hasn’t dried out before nightfall you could bring her in and let her dry out inside or blow dry her feathers. It might freak her out at first but she’ll benefit from it. Young geese seem to have a harder time remembering to maintain their feathers properly.

 

[starrymutt]

The squeak is coughing. It could be caused by numerous things, a respiratory infection “fungal, bacterial, or viral,” a lower intestinal infection or parasite (sometimes if the lower intestines are inflamed they can press on the lower airsacks producing symptoms that mimic a respiratory infection) or it could be a sinus issue stemming from the cold weather or some irritant.


Some things you can try is adding apple cider vinegar to their water, it won’t fix an infection but it can boost their immune system and help the airways stay clear.

Keep an eye on their droppings, if you see some that are red, pink, salmon/ orange, yellow, black, or excessively white that points to a gi issue. You’ll want to treat for coccidia to start with and then consider treating with Tylosin.
Tylosin will treat some intestinal issues like clostridium and some upper respiratory issues like mycoplasma.

Do they have a dry shed or coop to keep them out of wind and moisture? If not this would be a good idea. Geese are cold hardy but they do better if they have a place to escape the wind and dry off. Wood shavings are a preferred bedding in their coop as straw is a common source of mold and mites. You can use straw but it’s important to clear it out and replace it often.


The feathers don’t look too bad but keeping dry is critical for a bird’s survival in winter. If she hasn’t dried out before nightfall you could bring her in and let her dry out inside or blow dry her feathers. It might freak her out at first but she’ll benefit from it. Young geese seem to have a harder time remembering to maintain their feathers properly.

The squeaking seems to have stopped now that it warmed up a bit! I still added ACV to their water, so we'll see.

The female was still a bit damp by the time I put her in but by morning, she seemed fine. Rinse and repeat (although she has been swimming a lot). Might take a blow drier outside for her though, my parents would freak if I brought her inside.

Their coop looks like this. A 4x8 (for 5 geese) shack with a rubber roof and plywood. There's 'windows' on the sides and door but I've covered them since it was windy. Mostly use shavings but with the cold I've added straw and clean regularly. I'm only a bit concerned since at night it'll drop down to 2F and the high during the day will be 17F, would it be better to keep them inside the coop?

Now it seems like the female who had wet feathers cut her beak too. Any advice?

 

[Goosebaby]

The squeaking seems to have stopped now that it warmed up a bit! I still added ACV to their water, so we'll see.

The female was still a bit damp by the time I put her in but by morning, she seemed fine. Rinse and repeat (although she has been swimming a lot). Might take a blow drier outside for her though, my parents would freak if I brought her inside.

Their coop looks like this. A 4x8 (for 5 geese) shack with a rubber roof and plywood. There's 'windows' on the sides and door but I've covered them since it was windy. Mostly use shavings but with the cold I've added straw and clean regularly. I'm only a bit concerned since at night it'll drop down to 2F and the high during the day will be 17F, would it be better to keep them inside the coop?

Now it seems like the female who had wet feathers cut her beak too. Any advice?

If they’re struggling with the cold you should keep them in in cold snaps, geese are fairly cold hardy but some individuals are more sensitive too it, like my Helios, and it causes sinus issues, which I think is what’s going on with yours.