Goose Egg Incubation

[silkie1472]

I feel a little crazy for not knowing the answer, but I was wondering if the incubation period for geese is the same for all. Does it vary?

Is it true that Canada goose eggs hatch in 28 days? What about embden? Toulouse? Sebastopol? Are they the same?

 

[silkie1472]

I just want to give a little update on my goose eggs. The two eggs have been incubating for 8 days now, and both of them are developing nicely.
(for some reason, maybe just because it is a larger egg, the other embryo developed faster and is slightly bigger) You cannot really tell the difference in the picture.

The egg you see at the bottom is another goose egg that I was fortunate enough to come across. It has only been incubating for 3 days. It is significantly larger than the other two.

 

[kimmee12]

If it's warm outside, I get mine out there by about day 3. Once he's steady on his feet and can hold his head up good. You can put him in a small play yard and let him eat grass. They make play yards for guinea pigs or dogs that's what I use. https://www.chewy.com/frisco-dog-ex...FILlTxHrqM4vP_VpycmNYRoCI5rw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
I wrap chicken wire around it to keep the babies in, and cover it in bird netting so nothing can get the baby from above. Start out just letting him out for an hour or so and increase time everyday. But it needs to be warm out, I would say 75-80 degrees at least in the sun. He needs a friend, geese don't do well alone. Even a duckling or baby chick would work for right now. But really he needs another gosling to grow up with.

 

[silkie1472]

Thanks so much y'all. I'll check to see when the next shipment of geese come into our local feed store. I'm going to try to get a Toulouse gosling to go with him--just so they will look somewhat similar.

 

[Pyxis]

I reread the entire thread but couldn't find it anywhere. Is this a wild Canada goose or did you buy the eggs from a hatchery? 

I'm wondering this too. I also didn't know it was a Canada goose. If that's a domestic one that you got through legal means, make sure you pinion it. Otherwise it'll try to fly off when it's migration time, and not knowing the routes it won't make it and it'll die. That's if you don't plan to keep it always in a covered pen so it can't fly off.

 

[Pyxis]

Goose eggs do vary as far as incubation time goes, and they can even vary within the breed. They usually take somewhere between 28-32 days to hatch. Generally speaking, the larger an egg is, the longer it might take the embryo inside to fully develop. So even within the same breed you can end up with a larger egg taking longer to hatch than a smaller egg. I've had sebastopols take 28 days to hatch, and also up to 32 days for a larger egg.

 

[silkie1472]

Thanks So Much!

 

[silkie1472]

Okay, as you can probably tell, this is my first time incubating goose eggs. I read that geese hatch better when incubated on their sides, so this is what I did:

Just to test the eggs out, I have only placed two in the incubator. The rest of the eggs are turkey eggs (unimproved bronze). Do you think that this setup will work? (keep in mind that I will still turn the eggs 180° before and after school and before I go to bed)

 

[silkie1472]

Anyone?

 

[Pyxis]

Hi again! I'm not sure that that will really be turning the eggs. I'd mark one side with an X, then check on it in an hour and see if it's really moved at all.