THOSE REGAL EMPERORS (GEESE THAT IS!)

By Paul Dye, Northwest Wildfowl Farm

My introduction to the beauty and uniqueness of Emperor Geese came in 1981 near the tip of The Seward Peninsula in Alaska, not far from the mostly native village of Shishmaref. The location I visited in 1981, and then again in 1983, is about mid-way in the nesting range for this far northern species. Approximately 90% of the wild world population of Emperors nest along the western Alaska coast from approximately Point Hope, south to the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, where the concentration is greatest. The remaining approximately 10% nest along the eastern edge of Siberia. Since early in the 1990’s their numbers have been declining from a population high of 165,000.

Since their lifestyle and habits are closely tied to seacoast they are rarely, if ever, found more than ten miles inland. Although known to feed on small mussels and clams, Emperors are primarily vegetarians, utilizing all types of aquatic vegetation, such as eelgrass, kelp and other seaweed species. Due to their dependence on maritime habitats and their restricted range, they are uniquely vulnerable to oil spills.

NESTING

While many Emperors arrive on their nesting grounds by early June, weather often delays their nesting. As a result, when I arrived on the Seward Peninsula tundra in early July, many nests were still very much in evidence next to ponds and lagoons close to the Bering Seacoast. Studies done to date reveal that Emperors lay an average of 4 eggs per clutch, in relatively shallow depressions made in low vegetation. Very little down is added to the nest until relatively late in the incubation cycle, unlike most other arctic waterfowl nesters. In some areas, although egg fertility is usually high, the hatch is often reduced as a result of egg predation by arctic foxes, jaegers and gulls.

Emperor hatchlings, like most waterfowl leave the nest as a family group with the female parent as soon as all the goslings are dry and rested, and are soon joined by the male. At this time in their life their diet consists mainly of seeds, berries, insects and small aquatic organisms. Pairs have been known to adopt abandoned or lost goslings from other pairs, resulting in broods of varying sized young. As with other arctic species, growth rate is rapid in order that the youngsters will be able to leave prior to an early fall freezeup. During the rearing period losses often occur due to additional predation by arctic foxes and gulls.

MIGRATION

Departure from the nesting area occurs in late August or September, when the adult pairs complete their moult and regain flight ability. They migrate as family groups to their fall staging area in Izembek Bay at the tip of the Alaska Peninsula. From Isembek they migrate west to the shores of the Aleutian Islands where they winter in the company of other Emperors from Alaska and Russia.

As I indicated earlier, my interest in Emperors was piqued by my exposure to their beauty and uniqueness in arctic Alaska. Although my primary goal was the collection of Black Brant and Eider eggs, I had also requested that a small number of Emperor eggs be added to my permit, as I’d heard that they were fairly common around Shishmaref.

Little did I realize what a marvelous chapter in my avicultural life these few eggs would provide. Now, twenty years later, I’m still breeding and rearing descendants of the Emperor goslings hatched from those eggs. As I recall, my collecting partner, Walt, and I managed to collect all the Emperor eggs we were allowed by our permits, as there was no shortage of them in that area at the time. We owed a good measure of our success to the skills of our native guides, Walter and Curtis Nayukpuk, who managed to get us safely out onto the Tundra surrounding the American and Serpentine rivers several times, and safely back to the village with our eggs. Each day was a high adventure. We transported the eggs as carefully as we could in thermal bags, and then placed them into the incubators we had set up at our residence in Shishmaref.

The fertility of the collected eggs was excellent, and although we lost a few due to the rigors of transportation to Nome, then Anchorage, Seattle and beyond, we still managed to wind up with more than enough to start our captive breeding efforts.

Two years after they were collected as eggs, my Emperors, as if on cue, began their own cycle of reproduction. First, pair bonds were formed, and then as spring arrived, territorial aggression by the males began in earnest.

Nest sites selected varied from secluded locations under shrubbery to some of the larger open-style nest structures provided. These nest structures are approximately 30" wide by 30" high and 36" deep front-to-back, with a mostly open front. Only the top and back are solid, as the sides are made either of 1" by 6" lumber or half-rounds obtained from a local cedar mill. These boards are spaced on the sides in a way to provide some privacy and protection from other aggressive geese while still allowing the nesting pair the ability to monitor their surroundings.

Into these structures I place a discarded automobile tire to contain the nest material. I then fill the center of the tire 2/3 full of sand and then 1/3 full of hay or cedar shavings.

Occasionally in the Pacific Northwest we have excessively wet springs, like we did that first nesting year of 1983. Emperor goose eggs seem to be one of number of species with a low tolerance for excessive moisture. I found a fair percentage of their eggs to have died in mid incubation, and a few even progressed to the point of exploding in the nest, risking all the eggs in that clutch. Due to the small size of the air cell in the dead eggs I inspected, I concluded that their loss was probably due to excess moisture. I suspect that I’m more susceptible to this problem than most breeders, as my facilities are partially in a peat bog, and are located within Washington State’s infamous rainy "convergence zone". This area is greatly affected by its location relative to the Olympic Mountain range. In subsequent wet springs I was able to greatly alleviate this moisture problem by placing the nest structures above about 6"-10" of coarse sand deposited on top of the damp peat, thereby creating a dry pedestal below the nest that kept dampness from wicking up into the nest.

As you have no doubt concluded from the foregoing, I’m a big advocate of natural incubation and brooding of most of my geese. There are several reasons for this, but foremost among them is that I like the "end product", young geese imprinted on their own species, with a well-taught fear of avian predators, and a supportive "family group" that seem to help keep stress related illnesses to a minimum. I’ve also observed a tendency for parent-reared geese to usually search outside their own family for a future mate, if the ability to make such a selection is available. To be honest, another appealing reason for the natural approach is that it frees up more space in my incubators and brooding facilities for many of my duck species that do poorly when this method is used.

Once the family group has left the nest site they are caught up and placed within a 4’ by 8’ portable pen within the larger enclosure, and as close to the nest site as possible. This serves several purposes; most importantly, it offers protection from avian predators, especially Eagles, Crows and Great Horned Owls, which in my area can wipe out an entire brood by harassing the parents until they get them on the run. Once the family is on the move the predator can then get between the parents and the goslings, and pick them off one-by-one. The enclosure offers a good method of protecting the goslings from the effects of aggression by other geese, as well any bacteria and parasites carried by flock members other than their own parents.

In my area the two primary health problem you need to watch out for when using this rearing method are gapeworm and coccidiosis. The young geese were probably exposed to these illnesses via the dropping of their own parents, whose immune systems were able to keep them in check. Niether of these maladies is a serious problem if treated early, so you need to be alert to the symptoms, as immune systems of the young geese have not yet developed to the point that they can handle these problems on their own. Gapeworm first manifests itself with head shaking and caughing or sneezing. It is usually easily treated with ivermectin, but remember to retreat in 9 or 10 days to eliminate any of the parasites that were still in the egg stage during the first treatment. Coccidiosis is often suspect when one or more of the young geese seems to be having trouble keeping up with its family due to weak legs. Apparently swelling of internal organs interferes with the nerves controlling leg movement. It is imperative to isolate the sick individual and start it immediately on one of the sulfur drugs, such as Bacitracin. I usually assume that the entire family has then been exposed and start them on a prophelactic treatment by adding Corid to their water for 5 days. As soon as the sick gosling is attempting to stand and walk, usually in 2 to 3 days of treatment, encourage exercise to prevent further muscle atrophy. You are its "physical therapist".

As soon as the young Emperors are large enough to keep up with their parents in the open pasture and are developing immune systems, I like to let them return to the parents breeder flock. This usually occurs when they are about half the size of the adults. At this point it becomes really important to keep their stress levels down by being alert to aggression by any other members of the flock.

Feed requirements for Emperors are quite easy to satisfy. They do not require the extremely low protein feed used for the brant geese, and seem to thrive on most standard poultry or waterfowl feeds. Like most geese they relish fresh grass. I usually start young emperors on a diet of Purina Game Bird Startena, by presenting it in a shallow dish or pie pan next to the parents feed. Within the first two weeks they are sharing in the parents feed. One of the real advantages of the portable 4’ X 8’ pens is that they can be moved every few days to prevent them from getting too soiled, and to provide a diet of fresh grass to graze.

If asked what I think is the biggest potential problem for anyone contemplating long-term breeding of Emperor geese I’d have to say the avoidance of inbreeding, and its resulting weakening of your stock. It seems that not too many of the originally wild-collected small flocks of emperors are still around, and many of the offspring of from these flocks have been dispersed to small collections where frequently genetic record keeping has been less than ideal. Even in my own case here at Northwest Wildfowl Farm, after 21 years of keeping emperors, it is getting increasingly difficult to put together pairs that are reasonably unrelated. A search has been started nationwide to try to find a few pure, strong birds, not descended from our (Walt and my) original bloodlines, so that my breeding can continue many years into the future. Here’s hoping…..