We had a goose masacre a few days ago where a mink (we aren't sure) killed about 6 geese and injured a couple. We are still missing 6. We have one goose that has a huge open wound (about 4 inch circumfrence) where the skin is totally missing on the back of her neck and back. What can I put on it? I don't think she will survive. We don't even know where she was, we just found her in the chicken coup yesterday morning. Some good samaritan must have found her and put her in there.
Injured Goose
First I am sorry this happened, If it were one of my chickens I would flush the wound with iodine or betidine(not peroxide) if it is dirty,then spray with blu-kote.I would also keep it warm with a heat lamp in a cage if you can`t keep it in the house.Are you sure this was not a dog attack?Hope this helps.Keep us informed on how it is doing.Good luck.
This message was edited Dec 18, 2013 7:07 PM
We do have a lot of coyotes and fox, but we have never had a killing like that before. As for mink, we know a trapper that has seen a lot of things, and he said that a pair of mink can do a lot of damage. We thought if they were in the yard under the security light, they would be ok. We keep the dog tied at night as she likes to visit the neighbors and we don't want her hit by a car, so her barking must not have chased off whatever was around. They were in the front pasture when we found the dead ones. There were six dead with one head gone, the rest were torn up on the necks with only one goose partially eaten. The tracks were small, that's why we think it was mink.
Thanks for the advice. I have never had anything with a wound that big. We usually just slather it with some kind of salve to keep it moist, but never anything of that size. She is still moving around pretty well, but we don't know if we should put her in with the other geese or not. The chicken coop has a heat lamp in it to keep the water thawed, so it's warm in there. There are 4 ducks in there too, to keep her company. I will try to pick something up today so we can doctor her up some more. I'm just hoping that it doesn't get infected.
The other survivors will go into a different coop in a couple of days. They are in the barn for now, but the windows don't allow a whole lot of light to come in. Supposed to be in the single digits for temps, so they will be getting a heat lamp too. Don't want them any more traumatized then they already are.
That is terrible. Who would think a little mink could do such a thing? I've noticed at night my chickens, if they are locked out of the coop for some reason, will just huddle down next to the coop and be still. So easy for a predator to kill. I'm wondering if that is what geese do too, just sit down in the dark and stay quiet.
Our geese usually sit by the light pole, probably so they can see if anything is coming. One always has his head up watching while the others sleep. We had them cooped up in the barn last year but we pulled in a smaller chicken coop but we have to staple the chicken wire over the windows first before we put them in there and then hook up a heat lamp.
I went to the vets yesterday to get something for the goose. He gave me some chlorahexadine to spray on her back (after I wash her up). He didn't have any Blu-kote but gave me something else, the name escapes me right now, but it's got the same consistency as vaseline and you can only use it on animals that you aren't intending on eating. It's got some antibiotics in it. We got home really late last night, and not sure if we will get it done tonight either, but hubby said that he would help me get her into the shower so I can spray the wound and clean it up. We have one of those shower heads that detaches, so we can have her sitting in the tub while we work on her. That will be a first. Although, we have had calves in the tub if we find them just born and half frozen in the cold. We have saved many a calf giving them a bath in hot water. My linoleum has never been the same. ;)
If you have hardware cloth put that on your windows to keep out critters that are small like weasils.Sounds like u r doing everything u can,hope it gets better soon
Well, we had the goose in the shower this morning and cleaned her up a bit. She is still hissing, so she might make it if she doesn't get an infection. Doused her with the cholahexadine and then used the Novacote. I'm crossing my fingers that she is ok. It's been almost a week since it happened. When we let her back in the coop, she wiggled her tail and looked at us like 'what the heck was that for?'
That's nasty looking,but I have to say if its been a week she will most likely be ok if infection does not set in.
That's what I'm afraid of. Hubby is going to clean the coop tomorrow, so we might put her in with the other geese for that little bit of time so she doesn't get any dust in it. We thought about wrapping it, but she would probably just peck at it until it came off anyway.
Just keep using what you have and hopefully she will be ok.She or the others would probably pick at it your right
Well, so far there is no infection. I hesitate to do anything with the big scab as I don't want to open it up to infection if I try to medicate it more. If it ain't broke, I'm not going to fix it. She has her little 'throne' of straw that she sits on in the coop and the chickens leave her alone. She's eating and drinking, even so much as to try to take a bath in the pan with the water in it. I would think after two weeks, she has a pretty good chance of making it. It's really cold right now (6 degrees) and supposed to get to -20 tonight, so I'm sure she will be sitting close to the heat lamp. Still keeping my fingers crossed.
So far so good - nice job!
Sounds great,think she will make it.Your getting the cold before us,northern Miane getting it Wednesday night -26, a high of -3 Thursday and Thursday night -20.We have so much snow,and it snowing as I type,going to get another 6 inches.
Sounds like the cold is headed your way, green. Hope those poor people in Wisconsin and Michigan have electricity soon. It was really windy last night, I'm surprised that some of the dead trees that died during the drought a couple of years ago didn't fall down. With the wind chill, it felt like -36. Hope it doesn't blow tonight, otherwise it will be below -40. Too cold for those poor animals that have to be outside.
Some of southern Maine still has no power
Oh my!! Our local weather just said it is going down to -30 Wednesday night and only -11 for a high Thursday,very very cold all this week.Guess I will have to get a heater to put in the coop
Just thought I'd let everybody know how the goose is doing. She still has a small opening on her back that we periodically use the salve on, but she's in with the other geese now and laying eggs. We just put them in the barn so they can go outside in the fenced yard and I think she's pretty happy. Just wish the grass would turn green so they could have something to munch on. We are delaying putting the kiddie pool out until it quits freezing at night (which might be until May). They even liked being in the snow the day before yesterday when we got three inches. The first day of spring has seemed like it's been a long time coming.
I am glad she is doing well. I had a chicken with a big patch of skin ripped off by a dog. I did not give her much of a chance. But I sprayed it with blue kote and kept it slathered with sulfur salve. It is my go to for all wounds. I kept her away from the others so they would not pick it. Before long she began to heal and in a while it was completely covered again. It was tight and some of the feathers never came back but she started laying again and she became one of the broadest hens in the coop.