Bullied gosling

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themagicaltoad1

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Bullied gosling
« on: May 14, 2012, 11:17 »
I have a gosling who is now about 9 weeks old and still very much a baby, unlike chickens at that age. His "mum" a bantam hen has long since lost her maternal instinct and leaves him to it. Our top hen used to ignore him but since she went broody has had it in for him and he is terrified of her. She will ignore him for hours then suddenly attack him, and when she does 3 of the other hens join in the attack. They have left him bloodied all around the back of the head. I've used purple spray on him but it hasn't deterred them. At night I have been removing the bully into a separate coop because he won't go in with her in the big one, and I daren't leave them all in the same run. This morning it was a different hen that attacked him. It doesn't make any difference if they are free ranging in the garden.
My problem is I only have 2 weeks until I'm off on holiday when they will have to be shut in the run for the whole time while a neighbour comes in to let them out of the coop and put them away at night. I think they may kill him if this behaviour continues. Does anyone have any suggestions how I can break these attacks before I go?

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joyfull

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Re: Bullied gosling
« Reply #1 on: May 14, 2012, 22:18 »
they are attacking him because he is different and doesn't stand up for himself. If you have to leave them unsupervised then I would at least fit beak clips to give him a fighting chance. If you start straight away you may be able to break their nastiness otherwise you may need to get him a friend and a sperate coop and run until he can stand up for himself  :(
Staffies are softer than you think.

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New shoot

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Re: Bullied gosling
« Reply #2 on: May 15, 2012, 08:08 »
How big is he now?  I have a rabbit hutch and run you could borrow as a temporary solution, although its fairly big so you will need a van or something to pick up.  Alternatively you could drop him off and I'll look after him while you are away - I'm not that close but not millions of miles away. He would be on his own but in sight of 2 other sets of chickens.

Here is a pic of the hutch from when my 2 serama boys were babies to give you some idea.  I'm just not sure if it is big enough for him  :unsure:  It was £26 off Fleabay and some TLC to fix it up.  Is it worth having a look to see if you can get anything yourself?


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themagicaltoad1

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Re: Bullied gosling
« Reply #3 on: May 15, 2012, 14:28 »
Thank you New shoot for your kind offer. I think I'm going to have to go with Joyful's suggestion in the long term and get him another goose for company, he just doesn't mix at all with the hens and is such a lonely lost soul wandering around on his own. He would be much too big for your hutch & run. I think I'm going to have to get something suitable for 2 geese and put him and his "mum" in it for the duration of my holiday, she won't like being separated from the other hens but she's the only one who doesn't attack him now.
I never had this problem when integrating new hens so I think Joyful's right that they are attacking him because he's different.

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joyfull

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Re: Bullied gosling
« Reply #4 on: May 15, 2012, 15:32 »
wise move - but if he is a he then get him 2 girlies so when he is older and the mating season comes round he can divide his attentions between 2 girlies  :)

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themagicaltoad1

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Re: Bullied gosling
« Reply #5 on: May 15, 2012, 17:43 »
Daren't get 2 Joyful, I really think my wife will divorce me :( I keep promising no more animals but the list seems to get longer. I did read that geese pair for life, like swans, so hopefully if he is a male he will be happy with just one female. I now have my work cut out to build a separate enclosure, and then try to find one about the same age.


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