R.I.P. Godzilla

Miss Cecily's sweetheart, Godzilla, passed away early this afternoon. I had noticed him breathing a bit heavily on Saturday, and made plans to take him into the vet on Monday. Monday, his breathing was much worse. While at the vet getting tests done, he passed away. An autopsy will be performed to find out the cause, to make sure what happened isn't a disease that is/was communicable to the other geese.

Godzilla was one our two first hand-raised goslings. He was a sweet, sweet boy (except during mating season, of course). Although Tufted Romans are harem-minded, not mate-for-life types, he and Miss Cecily were always close. He and Billy-Bob both liked to come inside the house to visit Miss Cecily in her recovery area, or hang outside the porch next to the screen door and nap close by.

Billy-Bob has some big webbed feet to follow. Rest in peace, Godzilla.

[pic top: Godzilla in the mist. pic bottom: how Godzilla got his name - he was HUGE compared to the chicks!]

Special note to Ma Nature: enough illness and death for now, okay?

Godzilla in Carrier

He was off standing by himself the other night, shaking his head now and again. Godzilla, being the lead gander, is rarely away from the gaggle so I knew something was up. Got him cornered, picked him up (which he does NOT love, natch), set him on the shelter roof, and saw that his right eye was inflamed and appeared to be pussing over. YIKES! Godzilla is the first of the geese Spouse and I raised by hand, and thinking there was something wrong with my feisty boy about tore my heart out.

Our vet was able to squeeze him in the very next day. Thank you Dr. Sheffield, and all the wonderful techs at the Wimberly Veterinary clinic! [By the way, the slide-show on their web site's main page includes a pic of an awkward looking teen-aged Billy-Bob, with some gosling fuzz still attached to his head.] Looks like Godzilla has an inflamed wound on his inner eyelid, a treatable issue thank goodness. Here's where the fun starts, however: I'm to squeeze antibiotic ointment into Godzilla's eye three or four times a day for the next seven to ten days. That means:

• cornering him somewhere,
• picking him up (and trying to avoid getting wing-beaten in the process),
• getting him settled on a flat surface and relatively high up so I don't have to bend over,
  
• keeping him held safely in place while juggling the antibiotic ointment, and
• holding his head still for the treatment.

Yeah. Wish me luck with that.

[Pic: Godzilla in the carrier (reviewed earlier) on the way home. Of all the geese, he's been the only one to insist on standing and watching everything on the drive. The others sit until the car stops. He's my big goozul!]

Owie Owie Owie!

Godzilla was just doing his job. I was trying to herd Billy-Bob out of the gaggle (for reasons I'll get into below), and Billy-Bob was using the females as cover... which led Godzilla to mistakenly believe I was hassling the females. Uh-oh.

Godzilla got a good beak-hold on the back of my knee (through the jeans, no less), and wing-beat the living sh*t outta my leg. He remained latched on until my attention was directed towards him, and then gave me a couple more beats for good measure. Once it was clear I was no longer going after "his girls", he let go. I'm really proud of him, despite the hurtin' he put on my leg. He's doing his job: full-force offense when needed, then letting go when danger is over. Good boy!

On the other hand, Billy-Bob's personality has recently gone from charmingly cranky to down-right mean. He's getting rough with the ladies, and is bullying and interrupting Godzilla's wooing as well. We've enough ladies for them both, so it shouldn't be a matter of competing for scarce females. The past few mornings we've taken to isolating Billy-Bob from the group until they've had a chance to eat some greens in peace, then let him out when they come over to the pen to "see" him. I realize it's getting to be mating season, but mean poultry/fowl get eaten, and if he doesn't calm his crotchety-@ss down soon, he's going to become Sunday dinner. Seriously. The only question will be the method in which to do so.

[pics: back of my knee (do you know how hard it is to take a pic at that angle?), and Godzilla in the Mist.]

hug therapy, reconsidered

Wondering if there's something to that hug therapy mentioned on Back Yard Chickens...

While I was sitting down and distracting the geese from Spouse's car repair efforts yesterday, the two ganders - for whatever crotchety reason - decided to charge me.

[Mind you, Billy-Bob and Godzilla are about as scary as a down pillow being tossed about. Perhaps because I've raised them by hand I know they're mostly bluster and bluff.]

From their individual charges, each almost ended up in my lap. I would then scoop the gander up, snuggle securely and gently pet him until he calmed down. Miraculously, they were both much less cranky towards me afterward. Then again, perhaps they were too busy to be cranky, both preening themselves furiously after their hugs as if to rid themselves of the stench of "that @#$!! human!"

[pic: I think that's actually Dr. Girlfriend and Duchess. Oh, and geese smell SOOO good, like sunlight and warm grass. "Mama loves her goozuls, yes she does!"]

Pic o' the weekend: Goose!

I love the weird perspective in this photo. Goose head, to body, to my feet.

Plus, Godzilla looks like such a sweet boy in this photo!

[He's actually quite the fierce protector of the gaggle.]
[Edited for a bit more clarity - I really shouldn't write at 3:00 AM. Thanks @natalie!]

How much is that goose in the window? [pic]

Godzilla nattering at me while I (finally) hang curtains in the bedroom. Wow, we really need to wash those windows...

[Pattie Page sings the original: How Much Is That Doggie In The Window? http://tinyurl.com/6yljlt
Oh yeah, and Godzilla is a total camera ham.]

aren't they too young for this yet?

[warning: the following may be considered slightly risqué by the terminally uptight]

I'm not sure if they're just practicing or what, but it looks like the hormones have kicked in for Godzilla and The Girls. [Billy-Bob is not sure what's going on, but as he's four months six weeks younger than Godzilla, might still be catching up.] In the afternoons, one of The Girls will get into the kiddie pool with Godzilla. The rest will gather around, and Godzilla and his goose love of the moment will, ah, make woo. The surrounding geese honk and cheer them on during the event. Godzilla looks like Poseidon grandly astride a white crested wave, where the wave would be one of The Girls. It only takes a brief moment of honking and wing flapping, and then the woo is done. Afterwards, Godzilla looks content, and his goose love of the moment looks smug. Who knew geese could look smug?

Oh, and the previous post where I was concerned about the geese traipsing in and out of the goose kennel? Turns out, they're looking for safe egg-laying spots.

Wow. How quickly they grow up!

[pic: Godzilla in the Pool o' Woo. He's such a stud.]