Goose Incubation & Hatching Guide - Completed!!!!

[Crimsonchicken]

Victor and Sara
I have a Brinsea heater thingy that I put in there with them. They are doing good so far! Goslings are the sweetest babies <3

 

[mandarin1]

I have a question for everyone, my fifth goose egg has been internally pipped between four and five days (I noticed it pipped on day 26, but not sure if it pipped on day 25 or not), but no external pip, today is day 30, is it time to do an external pip and assist so it doesn't run out of air or should I let it be? It is still rocking and moving around in there, but I'm worried b/c it's been internally pipped for so long. All four of my other goslings internally pipped, externally pipped on day 29, and hatched on day 30 if that helps with whether I should help or not. Thanks!

 

[Crimsonchicken]

I have a question for everyone, my fifth goose egg has been internally pipped between four and five days (I noticed it pipped on day 26, but not sure if it pipped on day 25 or not), but no external pip, today is day 30, is it time to do an external pip and assist so it doesn't run out of air or should I let it be?  It is still rocking and moving around in there, but I'm worried b/c it's been internally pipped for so long.  All four of my other goslings internally pipped, externally pipped on day 29, and hatched on day 30 if that helps with whether I should help or not.  Thanks!

I would definitely do an artificial pip if it has been inernally pipped so long and it's day 30. Can you tell if the yolk is absorbed when the egg is candled? You may have to assist hatching. I would be tempted to help the baby if it was me.

 

[mandarin1]

I have no idea if the yolk is fully absorbed. I think I will try to do an external pip and put it back in the incubator with a damp papertowel and see if it makes any progress on it's own, at least I'll know it's breathing, I just hope I don't make it start bleeding. Wish me luck!

 

[mandarin1]

Well I made an artificial external pip right where the beak was and was able to pull back the outer membrane and there was no blood, and I could be wrong, but I didn't see the inner membrane with veins in it, so I'm assuming that it has the yolk and blood is completely absorbed? After making the pip I then took a q-tip with a little warm water on the end of it and carefully dampened around the artificial pip to try and keep the membrane wet without getting any in the goslings nose and then dampened a paper towel, added water to my incubator and I am now waiting to see if it makes any progress on it's own and crossing my fingers that it doesn't get shrink wrapped.

 

[mandarin1]

Okay, so despite the fact that I had a damp paper towel around the egg and my humidity is 78%, this gosling started to get shrink wrapped (I guess b/c I had it out of the incubator to make the external pip). I reluctantly pulled some more shell away so that I could try and moisten the inner membrane that was getting shrink wrapped, while doing this I nicked a vein that started to bleed, but right away I got it to stop bleeding. I then tucked a damp paper towel all around the inside of the hole to try to prevent anymore moisture loss, but now I'm a nervous wreck! The gosling is still chirping and breathing fine, so I guess it's time to sit on my hands other than making sure my humidity stays up. Is there anything else I can do? I'm worried about it getting more shrink wrapped and not being able to free itself from the membrane, what do you do if it becomes wrapped up like this? I've read where someone removed the entire shell and then wrapped the chick and membrane in a damp towel until it broke free of the membrane, but I don't know if that would be advisable.

 

[Crimsonchicken]

Okay, so despite the fact that I had a damp paper towel around the egg and my humidity is 78%, this gosling started to get shrink wrapped (I guess b/c I had it out of the incubator to make the external pip). I reluctantly pulled some more shell away so that I could try and moisten the inner membrane that was getting shrink wrapped, while doing this I nicked a vein that started to bleed, but right away I got it to stop bleeding.  I then tucked a damp paper towel all around the inside of the hole to try to prevent anymore moisture loss, but now I'm a nervous wreck!  The gosling is still chirping and breathing fine, so I guess it's time to sit on my hands other than making sure my humidity stays up.  Is there anything else I can do?  I'm worried about it getting more shrink wrapped and not being able to free itself from the membrane, what do you do if it becomes wrapped up like this?  I've read where someone removed the entire shell and then wrapped the chick and membrane in a damp towel until it broke free of the membrane, but I don't know if that would be advisable.

How's the baby???

 

[mandarin1]

Thank you for asking!

It is still alive and breathing, but no progress since I went to bed. Now I'm afraid to try and help anymore and cause anymore bleeding, but I know I need to get it out of there soon, I'm just worried about whether all the blood vessels and yolk are absorbed yet. Additionally, I've got a bunch of other chicks hatching (some pipped, several zipping, and two hatched completely) so I don't want to open the incubator and have a bunch of stuck babies. I guess I'm going to have to wait until they've all hatched and get them in the brooder and then try to help this little guy out and hopefully by the time that's all said and done everything will be absorbed and there aren't anymore complications... still crossing my fingers

 

[anne-elizabeth]

I can't thank you enough Pete55 for this brilliant work!!!
I bought my first incubator when my Toulouse geese started laying eggs. I have never done anything like this before - not even a chicken. Over the past three months I have incubated 27 fertile Toulouse eggs and, by following your guide to the letter, I have raised 26 beautiful goslings. THANK YOU. This work is brilliant! I have succesfully performed 'open - egg surgery' on numerous eggs. how fabulous is that? the excitment of saving the little goslings is wonderful. the only one i lost was due to infection - the only egg I washed. That was back in the first batch and through careful note taking I have learnt so much.
This should be published. You should boast about this work pete55 - it's BRILLIANT! Thank you!
Anne

 

[mandarin1]

My gosling finally made it!!!

This afternoon it started trying to push it's way out, but couldn't quite finish the job because the membrane was a little tough and couldn't quite get pushed out, so I grabbed my tweezers and started pulling more shell and pulling the outer membrane back until it was able to push itself free. So far this baby seems to be healthy and is making new friends in the incubator as we speak. Now I'm just hoping my next five go as easy as my first four that hatched and not like this little guy, it's soooo stressful!