Why are they dying?

[Maranne]

Hi Folks
I had nine goslings hatch out at the beginning of May.
One died after being crushed in the nest. I have been away on hols and left the stock in the good care of a nieghbour. Over the last week or so five of the goslings have died. I notice that two of the brood are much bigger than the casualties. They have all recieved grain supplement to the grass in the paddock but my neighbour reports that they are not all feeding well. Any ideas on possible causes. There is some ragwort in the field but it has not been a problem in the past.
Sadly
Martyn

[Andy Hamilton]

Could they be casulties of the late cold weather we have been having?

[ina]

On a farm I worked for we had a few gosling who suffered from worms - they looked pretty rough and would have died if they hadn't been treated. We used garlic (some kind of pill), that might be effective if they are not too bad yet, otherwise some stronger stuff from the vet's might be called for. Could be a virus, of course, or some bacterial thing (all the young ducks died of something like that); check the droppings for any signs of worms to get a clearer picture.

Hope you can save the last ones!

Ina