I tried to remind myself a couple of weeks ago, that it is against policy to "help" poultry hatch out that are having troubles. Sometimes those babies are ok, but it's much more likely that they will have bent legs, or low weight, or are just weak animals. It's not good breeding policy to help them along. It's so tempting though. Just a little help getting the cap off...and it'll be fine. Things weren't so fine for Ryan gosling...4 healthy goslings hatched in a nest that had been slightly plundered earlier, and had a egg break all over the remaining eggs. With a big, hot goose on top for a month, things got a bit stinky. Still, 4 strong goslings emegered. Their Toulouse Goose mom wouldn't take them out for water or food though, and I thought they were all getting endangered. So, intervention #1 was to take the remaining 3 eggs, and set them in the incubator. One had started to hatch, and the gosling had made the first hole. The next day...no change. I didn't feel like I wanted to lose a gosling without trying to help out a bit, so I carefully finished taking the lid off the egg. Things didn't look quite right with the little guy, so I left it overnight to sort out. In the morning, there was a fluffy gosling, with long, long fluffy silverish golden down...and no good eyes. Ryan seems to have caught an infection in the egg, and his eyes did not develop properly.
He had no idea he was blind, or that it was a problem...he cheerfully sat in my hand purp-purpping away.
So...I put him in a fish tank, and headed into work at the nursery. Ryan was an instant success with staff and students. John Jr. aptly and excellent named him Ryan gosling.
Ryan is pretty big for the little fish tank now, so he's spending his days in a cage on the lawn. He can eat grass, feel the warm sun, and hear his fellow poultry on the grass. His chicken friends with excellent hairdo's: Gretch and Spitz, hang out with him sometimes. He is still happy to sit in my hands, and is growing well. Now what??? He won't be able to join the other geese. He walks in circles, and they amble over several acres a day. He's got two admirers willing to give him a home, so we'll see what happens. Interviews tomorrow to find the perfect home. I'll miss him, but with so much going on, he's better off where he can get personal attention. Ryan will post an update, when he's made a plan.
