Goose hatching duck eggs?

moodybubbles said:

I have an African female goose. The person who gave her to me said she would hatch duck eggs. So I have two ducks laying eggs that we cannot eat (turns out DS is allergic!?) so I would love to know how to best set her up to want to hatch a few.

Right now she is free ranging during the day with my chickens and I herd her into the duck pen and herd ducks and goose into the coop at night where the chickens also stay. She has access to the coop all day as well.

Can I just leave the eggs on the ground? and if she is broody she will gather them together and sit on them in the coop?

Or would she need to be set up in a small pen all on her own so she will go ahead and do it for me? My hatch rate on chicks was not good and I really like these animals to raise their own anyway.

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moodybubbles said:

She does not seem to be laying. I believe the eggs I find each morning are from my younger Peking ducks. So there's no chance she would see eggs laying around and go broody....I believe her to be on the older side. The lady spoke of having her years back.

We have no gander. I assumed when the lady said that she would hatch duck eggs, that she did it all on her own at maybe a certain time of year.

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moodybubbles said:

I had no idea they lived so long. Chickens don't need a rooster to lay eggs, the eggs without a rooster are just not fertile. I'm guessing it's the same with other fowl they just may have more specific laying and breeding (if males are present) patterns.

How old can a goose still lay? I'm not sure, but much longer than chickens. In looking at older posts, I found one that said their African goose laid eggs until she was 16 years old. At the time of the posting the goose was 19 years old. I read that it is generally spring when they lay, she could bury them somewhere (she's endlessly digging!) and she will likely stop laying when she hatches some. I can remember my geese as a teenager. One African goose made her nest out on the edge of a hay field. It was a huge mound of grasses. I really doubt your goose would bury the eggs deep. My geese did cover the eggs after they started brooding when ever the left the nest. When the start to brood they pull down feathers to line the nest and to cover the eggs when on break.

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moodybubbles said:

She laid an egg yesterday!!

I have her in the coop with ducks at night. She doesn't get along with them right now. So i have her separated but in the same coop at night. She has a small area in there of her own. Would it need to be darker? No. Would she need a separate pen setup or can she still free range and go broody? Would I need to ensure the safety of ducklings from snakes or are geese good at that?

I've never had a broody chicken so I just don't know what they need or do.

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