PICS OF HATCHING GOSLINGS

My two year old Sebastopol goose hatched goslings about a month ago and I finally have the time to post the photos.

Here is Sabrina on the nest, and you can see how friendly she is.  Most geese would hiss at people while on the nest.

Here is the first to hatch.

Sabrina checks the other eggs that have pipped.

The next morning she has two more goslings.

Mother Goose rests with her new babies.

Lucy, Linus (Pilgrim geese) and Basil (Sebastapol in the middle) occasionally go to the nest to check things out.  Lucy in particular becomes very interested.  Too bad I don't have a photo of when I found her keeping the goslings warm when she was sitting next to the nest.

We are not sure if Linus (Pilgrim) or Basil (Sebastapol) is the father.  We will have to figure it out as the goslings grow.  Fortunately we are not concerned with having pure bred geese considering they are just pets.

The secret is safe with Lucy.

Or maybe she is telling, and we don't understand her.

Quote:

Originally Posted by CelticOaksFarm 

Please don't take this the wrong way. However if they are "just pets" then don't let them hatch mutt goslings. Sebastopols are one breed who don't need more issues introduced from mixed breedings. I always stress that just because eggs are laid doesn't mean they have to be allowed to hatch. It is also important to be responsible when breeding, by pairing birds that compliment each other.
Easier to describe or compare to dogs. You have puppy mills that are awful, backyard breeders who often don't have the breeds best interest at heart, and then breeders who go through selection and culling processes before allowing a breeding to happen.

I won't take your comments personally.  As a dedicated breeder of Sebastopols, I'm sure you know a great deal about their genetics.  What sorts of health issues could arise from a mixed breed of Sebastopol and Pilgrim?  Those are the only issues that would have consequence, because any geese born on our 17 acres have a forever home.  I certainly won't let most eggs hatch.  I may take all the eggs away next year.  It is quite a dedication of time considering that I hand raise them so they are very friendly like our original 4 geese.  

The dog comparison is not all that applicable since I am not raising the geese to sell them.  But it is true that I don't have the breed's best interest at heart - I love each goose as an individual including all the characteristics that do not conform to breed standards because they are my pets.

The only animals that we have ever sold were the mute swans that we keep as a hobby, and we have limited ourselves to two breeding pairs because they need separate areas.