11 eggs in lockdown! UPDATE: They're HATCHING! We have babies!

Puddle Foot Farm

Songster
11 Years
Aug 20, 2008
638
3
139
Maryland
Hello everyone!

I am nearing the end of my first goose incubation which is also my first hatch in my Brinsea 20 Eco that I got for my birthday.

Here are the stats:

Today is Day 26.

Out of 14 toulouse gander/chinese geese eggs set (none of my the parents are even a year old, btw), 1 was infertile, 1 died very early in the incubation process, and 1 died on day 20ish. That leaves me with 11 eggs that seem to be alive and kicking.

My vent was open, but humidity was only 70%, so I half-closed it. Now it's at 74% - is this a good compromise, or should I open the vent all the way and add more evaporating cloth? (I dunno how much more I can add, as it already almost covers the entire floor of the incubator.) Temp is good.

I believe I saw one rocking earlier.. But I might have been hallucinating or I might've bumped the incubator. This morning when I candled (I didn't touch them, I just put my maglite against them and could see in), none of them seemed to have internally pipped.

Anyways, I am soooo excited! I only get to keep these babies for a week or two, but hatching things still makes me happy. They are for a farmer who lost her flock a while ago.

Chelsea
 
Last edited:
In my experience, eggs rock before internal pipping, and then again once they've been doing so for a while. They seem to go still right before they make the internal pip, however. Also, I'd keep the vents open. Just open up the incubator and add a couple moist sponges or a wet hand towel or something of the like. I find that towels and sponges hold humidity much better. Try for around 80% or so. If it's too high, you'll find they come out too early, with some bleeding perhaps. This isn't always too bad, just be careful. The vents should be open because the goslings now will start breathing, and need lots of air flow. All incubation manuals say that they should be open during hatching.

Good luck.
 
Thanks for the well-wishes Adrian! I am trying to get the humidity up, but it will not go above 76% since our air is unseasonably dry. I'll have to buy some sponges and add them later if no one's pipped. I did mist them earlier to raise humidity. I am so excited for them! I haven't seen any internal pips, but I didn't candle very well because I didn't want to disturb them. I'm hoping at least one or two will pop out.. That will be success enough for me.
smile.png
 
I woke up this morning and didn't see any pips, but when I opened to mist to raise the humidity, there was a little tiny one that wasn't fully pushed out! I misted them quickly and closed. Now, it is official lockdown!
 
So exciting!
big_smile.png
I definately think you should get a spong, but try to open the bator as little as possible.
smile.png
Good luck!
fl.gif
 
Quote:
How do you know if some died early on??? I've never hatched before, but would like to - also, do you have a picture of your Buff? My goslings were both supposed to be romans, but one turned out to be a Buff, I think, I would like to see others' photos... jennifer
 
When the eggs die, they turn weirdly clear and you can't see the veins anymore. And actually, my American goose is turning out to be a blue. He is half and half, but I don't know the genetics of goose colors, so I'm still waiting to see exactly how he'll turn out. I know there was a thread last year on buff geese.. https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=196247 It has a lot of pictures of chseeads buffs!
smile.png


I'm pretty sure I heard someone peep at me.. Or I could be hallucinating. Or I could be hearing my 9 goslings outside, or the three upstairs, or the four ducklings upstairs.. But I'mma say it was the eggs.
smile.png
 
I have been upping the humidity all day with a straw/funnel system and a cup of hot water. I put the straw through the vent hole and to the floor of the bator, then pour the hot water in. a lot of it floods the bottom of the bator and makes it come out the bottom, but it raises the humidity.

I definitely have heard a peep several times, and I think I saw an egg wobbling. I want more pips! I've been singing and peeping to them.. Hoping for more in the next couple hours!
smile.png


PS, bock, I know what you mean. I've gotten soo excited about other people's eggs.. And I guess I'm a bit too excited for these eggs, since the goslings are leaving on Saturday with the farmer who ordered them. Just enough time for me to get attached!
roll.png
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom