Sebastopol Geese Thread !!!!!!!!!! SHOW YOUR PICS !!!!!!!!!!

[theron]

Well, what a coincidence, I'm still waiting for your first goslings too!!

You are too funny Cloverleaf Farm. I am just getting impatient because the first few eggs to hatch has an egg from my lavender sebastopols!!

 

[coloradochick]

I posted this on our Colorado thread and thought I'd ask you all:

Hey guys, just a question. My Sebbie girl layed her first egg last week

in the barn. But the last 4 days she has trucked her little butt out to a spot in the field that is sooooo unprotected, made a nest and layed an egg. I've recovered the eggs because I don't want her laying out there. But my dilemma is, do I let her lay them out there, cover them up, and then when I notice her actually sitting on them, pick the whole shebang up and put her in the barn in maybe a dog carrier...or do I do something now.. And also, is it even a given that she is planning on sitting since she is making a nest and covering the eggs up with grass, sticks, and what have you. Or do geese go through all of this even if they're not going to sit on them....

 

[Nava]

I posted this on our Colorado thread and thought I'd ask you all:

Hey guys, just a question. My Sebbie girl layed her first egg last week

in the barn. But the last 4 days she has trucked her little butt out to a spot in the field that is sooooo unprotected, made a nest and layed an egg. I've recovered the eggs because I don't want her laying out there. But my dilemma is, do I let her lay them out there, cover them up, and then when I notice her actually sitting on them, pick the whole shebang up and put her in the barn in maybe a dog carrier...or do I do something now.. And also, is it even a given that she is planning on sitting since she is making a nest and covering the eggs up with grass, sticks, and what have you. Or do geese go through all of this even if they're not going to sit on them....

I say keep her from going out there, make her find another place that is safer for her to make her nest, I tryed to move one of mine last year but she did not feel comfortable in the place I made her, and she never sat.

this year I made a bunch of little houses and she has finally picked one and if she decides to go broody there that would be just fine with me, I think is safe for her to spend the nights there.

My 2 little cents.

 

[coloradochick]

So should I take the eggs she's already layed and put them in a nest of straw and show her, maybe she'll agree

That's the problem, anywhere but the barn that they get closed up in every night is going to be unsafe. Coyotes are thick here.

About how many eggs do the girls lay before they consider sitting on average or is there a big variance in that number.

(my question mark isn't working on my keyboard, otherwise I would use it)

 

[Joycats]

I am new to Sebastopols. I was thrilled to be able to buy 2 goslings last spring and have waited all year to see if I was lucky enough to have a pair. Well, I was a lucky girl and ended up with a very protective gander and a sweet little goose who is laying an egg every few days. My question is this - at what age do Sebs mature? The first 4 eggs were not fertile and I'm a bit disappointed. They aren't quite a year old yet as they hatched last April and May. I have given them a pool to swim and splash in, thinking they may need to mate on water. I'm pretty sure I have a pair just from watching behavior and also the fact that I'm not getting enough eggs for both to be laying. The goose sits on her nest and the gander stands guard and patrols the yard. But I haven't seen any mating. Any information/advice would be appreciated.

 

[JosieChick]

This is my first season with Sebbies too and I can only share what I have learned so far. I have a 3 year old gander and 1 year old goose. Her first couple eggs were not fertile either and they were actively mating. They may be a bit young yet and still getting their bearings together? Also, I had an egg that I cracked open to check fertility and thought it wasn't fertile but eggs in the incubator are developing! I didn't look like my fertile chicken eggs so I have just been setting eggs to check for fertility and so far they are all developing.

I have a question of my own for the goose color experts. I have a solid white gander who came from solid white parents. My goose looks solid white but came from a white gander over a grey saddleback goose. I had to catch her the other night to check her foot and noticed that her back has several feathers that are split grey and white. Can someone tell me what color genetics she is most likely carrying? I thought she was a solid white when I purchased her but now I am not sure what color she is?

Thanks!

I am new to Sebastopols. I was thrilled to be able to buy 2 goslings last spring and have waited all year to see if I was lucky enough to have a pair. Well, I was a lucky girl and ended up with a very protective gander and a sweet little goose who is laying an egg every few days. My question is this - at what age do Sebs mature? The first 4 eggs were not fertile and I'm a bit disappointed. They aren't quite a year old yet as they hatched last April and May. I have given them a pool to swim and splash in, thinking they may need to mate on water. I'm pretty sure I have a pair just from watching behavior and also the fact that I'm not getting enough eggs for both to be laying. The goose sits on her nest and the gander stands guard and patrols the yard. But I haven't seen any mating. Any information/advice would be appreciated.

 

[JosieChick]

This is my first season with Sebbies too and I can only share what I have learned so far. I have a 3 year old gander and 1 year old goose. Her first couple eggs were not fertile either and they were actively mating. They may be a bit young yet and still getting their bearings together? Also, I had an egg that I cracked open to check fertility and thought it wasn't fertile but eggs in the incubator are developing! I didn't look like my fertile chicken eggs so I have just been setting eggs to check for fertility and so far they are all developing.

I have a question of my own for the goose color experts. I have a solid white gander who came from solid white parents. My goose looks solid white but came from a white gander over a grey saddleback goose. I had to catch her the other night to check her foot and noticed that her back has several feathers that are split grey and white. Can someone tell me what color genetics she is most likely carrying? I thought she was a solid white when I purchased her but now I am not sure what color she is?

Thanks!

I am new to Sebastopols. I was thrilled to be able to buy 2 goslings last spring and have waited all year to see if I was lucky enough to have a pair. Well, I was a lucky girl and ended up with a very protective gander and a sweet little goose who is laying an egg every few days. My question is this - at what age do Sebs mature? The first 4 eggs were not fertile and I'm a bit disappointed. They aren't quite a year old yet as they hatched last April and May. I have given them a pool to swim and splash in, thinking they may need to mate on water. I'm pretty sure I have a pair just from watching behavior and also the fact that I'm not getting enough eggs for both to be laying. The goose sits on her nest and the gander stands guard and patrols the yard. But I haven't seen any mating. Any information/advice would be appreciated.

 

[JosieChick]

Sorry for the double post, slow satellite internet connection.

 

[Cottage Rose]

Josie your girl is a saddleback gene carrier (or "split" to saddleback) since she has one SB parent.
Meaning she carrys a recessive gene for SB.
If you breed her to another SB gene carrier or SB you can possibly get SB's, splash, white and solid grey.

 

[JosieChick]

Thanks Cottage Rose! I regularly drool at your gorgeous birds on your website. They are just lovely!

So only white babies this spring for my pair. Maybe before next spring I could find her a new boy with some color. These two are so attached to each other though, I don't know if I could steal this goose away from her main squeeze