My Goose Hatched a Golden Chick!

Veterinary Medicine

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Veterinary Medicine

My Goose Hatched a Golden Chick!
I learn new things everyday...

Gosling Hatching

So for a week it was goose and chick bliss. The chick was named Peck (a good unisex name) and Lydia, while tender with the chick, was not overly concerned about feeding the chick or at Peck's absence when I would periodically take Peck in the house to offer food and water. And so it went for a week.

Then one morning (about a week later, or a total of 28 days into this nest-sitting), I went out to check on Peck and "Mom". The nest was pretty noisy -- more cheeps than just Peck, but upon inspection, I only saw Peck and the two goose eggs. Then I picked up each goose egg. The second one had a small hole in it, no bigger than a pencil top eraser, but there is where lot of the cheeping was emanating from! A gosling (baby goose) was on the way.

Several hours later, Peck had a sibling. They were an odd couple from the start, with the newly hatched gosling about 3 times as big as Peck!

Mavis and Mom

The first couple of days went fine. Then again, the first couple of days after hatching are 'rest up' days. It is a lot of work to break through that shell! Once I got to know the gosling, I named her Mavis. Peck was thrilled to have a nest mate. Mavis was not. I saw her grab Peck by the leg and wondered how this would work. The next night, Peck found herself pushed out of the nest and alone under the heat lamp -- this feat accomplished largely by Mavis, but Lydia was again unconcerned about Peck's whereabouts. It seemed Lydia realized that ONE of her hatchlings was like her, and one was not.

So Peck came to live inside the house. I never thought I would have an indoor chicken (like my indoor cats), but it was a matter of survival in the winter's cold. Even though my hens have become broody before, if they aren't broody, you can't entice them with a busy little chick!

This goes back to my rule of never having one of a species. Peck needs avian company. Peck has a little mirror in her heated enclosure for at least the pretense of company, and she gets in a lot of 'people time' here in the house until she has enough feathers and insulation to move back out to the chicken house. I have to laugh though... as Peck sits here on my desk, curious about all that is going on. She is fascinated by my typing and has to add in her peck at the keyboard now and then.

Peck will prove to be an interesting adult chicken, I am sure!

To learn more about chickens and geese, please check out these links

Your Guide's Chicken Site
This was for an About Guide's contest. The site was one of five winners.