I'm planning on getting my goose a playmate. As she is imprinted on humans, she's never expressed any interest in other geese, but I'm hoping to get her maternal instincts to kick in.
The plan is to get her to brood and then sneak a newly hatched gosling under her. She's 4 years old, and her instincts regarding nesting and laying seem to be very sharp. So, step 1, how do I get her to go broody?
So far I've placed 6 fake eggs in her nest. Should I get more? Any idea how long it'll take? She usually goes broody around the end of June, but I can get a gosling around June 5th, and I'd really like her to be sitting on her nest by then.
Background: We're two people sharing her, and she spends her days with us in our respective yards, going for walks, and visiting friends and neighbors. She sleeps and nests in her goose house. She thrives. But her other caretaker turns 77 in a little bit, and he can't spend as much time outside as he used to, especially during the cold season. If we could get her to accept another goose, she'd be less dependant on human company when playing outside.
The plan is to get her to brood and then sneak a newly hatched gosling under her. She's 4 years old, and her instincts regarding nesting and laying seem to be very sharp. So, step 1, how do I get her to go broody?
So far I've placed 6 fake eggs in her nest. Should I get more? Any idea how long it'll take? She usually goes broody around the end of June, but I can get a gosling around June 5th, and I'd really like her to be sitting on her nest by then.
Background: We're two people sharing her, and she spends her days with us in our respective yards, going for walks, and visiting friends and neighbors. She sleeps and nests in her goose house. She thrives. But her other caretaker turns 77 in a little bit, and he can't spend as much time outside as he used to, especially during the cold season. If we could get her to accept another goose, she'd be less dependant on human company when playing outside.