American Geese - Buff, Lavender, and Blue

[ColtHandorf]

As most people know, Holderread's Waterfowl has stopped offering goslings. I am reaching out to see if they are still shipping adult birds, or if they've sold everything off. In the meantime, I did stumble across Blue House Farm located in North Carolina. They offer hatching eggs (shipped or picked up) from their geese as well as goslings (pick-up only). I thought I would share this information as I remember some other members looking for the two less common colors. I have an email in to them, and am awaiting a reply concerning wait lists, availability, etc. and will keep you all posted.

 

[ColtHandorf]

Here is a transcript of our communication so far:

"Good afternoon,

I stumbled across your website when an online friend linked me to it. They'd gotten Barenvelders from you, which are beautiful, by the way. I am interested in your Lavender and Blue American geese. I assume they are from Holderread's Waterfowl originally? I have several pairs of Buffs and have been wanting to add the other two colors for a couple of years. Obviously you can't predict what hatching rates will be like after shipping, but how have your eggs done for you, and on average shipped? I've never shipped geese eggs, and the Call duck eggs I had shipped were a disaster, with every air cell loose. Only two developed out of 18 and they didn't hatch. Personally if I let the hens set, they are usually 100% successful. This would also be my first time incubating geese eggs artificially, unless of course my hens go broody when the eggs arrive.

Anyway, do you have a list for eggs? Did I read correctly that geese eggs are $10 each? Do you have minimum or maximum numbers on eggs when ordering?

Thank you so much for your time,

Colt"


"Colt,
Yes, my stock came from Holderread. I don’t separate the colors so I don’t know which egg will hatch which color gosling. I don’t have a minimum. The maximum is however many eggs I get per week. I only have six females. And I do have a pretty long waiting list already, but the year is new and I’m optimistic! And yes, $10 per egg. How many are you looking for?
Shipped eggs are always a gamble (and call duck eggs are very hard to get to hatch anyway). I have not shipped tons of goose eggs but I would say the hatch rate on the shipped eggs was about 50% in the past. Goose eggs do need to be babied in the incubator. Misted, cooled down daily etc.
How is your setup for your broody geese? Mine never like the nests I provide, try to sit wherever they choose and are generally not very cooperative in hatching goslings for me....
Saskia"


"Thank you for the quick reply! Regarding my broody set up, I originally only had one pair. I used a jumbo cat litter pan to start the base of the nest and piled some hay up. The nest was in the corner of their shelter and the pair did the rest. She built it up the way she wanted and laid eight eggs last year. The gander kept a watchful eye on her from their yard, but the night before the babies pipped through he parked himself in the doorway. The next morning I could just barely spy little puffballs. Every night she'd take them back to the nest and he'd block the doorway to keep them in their shelter. She hatched seven and they raised six to maturity. One of the babies got into some water I thought was much too tall and didn't make it out. So lesson learned there, no water in bowls or tubs until they are much larger.

Honestly I'm not sure how many eggs I'd want. Ideally I'd love to get pairs or at least trios of the Lavender and Blues, and any Buffs unrelated to my own would be a great bonus. I'd conservatively say 12 eggs? But if more are available I'd definitely be interested. Call Ducks are miserable to ship and hatch. Thankfully I have a friend up the road who doesn't want to hatch eggs this year, so I'll be setting them. I know goose egg incubation can be pretty precise. I've done it before but that was fifteen years ago in a cabinet-style incubator.

I'd love to be put on your list though if eggs are available when you reach my name. Out of curiosity, I haven't done much reading on the genetics. I'm assuming Buff is dominant to Lavender or Blue?"

 

[ColtHandorf]

Out of curiosity, I haven't done much reading on the genetics. I'm assuming Buff is dominant to Lavender or Blue?

Does anyone know the genetics at play there? I'd be interested in seeing what possible combinations could occur since all their birds are running together. @Pyxis you're a whizz at goose genetics. Do you have any idea?

 

[Pyxis]

I'll take a look later tonight when I'm on my computer and can type out a decent reply, lol.

 

[ColtHandorf]

I'll take a look later tonight when I'm on my computer and can type out a decent reply, lol.

Thank you!

 

[ColtHandorf]

Any luck @Pyxis?

 

[Pyxis]

Any luck @Pyxis?

Whoops, sorry, forgot to reply!

So blue is just like in chickens. One copy of the gene makes blue, two makes silver. Lavender Americans are silver, genetically. They just call the color Lavender.

Buff is a recessive gene. It's also sex linked. I have seen the combo of buff and blue referred to as Lilac, and the combo of buff and silver called Cream.

 

[ColtHandorf]

You’re the best. So then running them all together I could get several different colors as goslings. That’s interesting.

 

[ColtHandorf]

I am on their list for eggs. Hopefully they lay. I told them I was interested in more than a dozen. I hope they ship well...

 

[ColtHandorf]

So for anyone following this, I did order eggs. The breeder did a test hatch to check fertility and sent me six eggs (plus one extra) that arrived this morning. They were well-packed and clean.

All eggs appear whole to my roommate who unpacked them for me. I'll candle them when I get home to check air cells. Fingers crossed that the air cells are whole and intact. I'll be crushed if I have a bunch of bubbles like the Call Duck eggs I had shipped last year.

@Pyxis I've got the parent genetics down I think:

Buff x Buff = Buff
Buff x Blue = Lilac
Buff x Lavender (Silver) = Cream
Lavender x Lavender = Lavender
Blue x Blue = Blue

What happens when you start crossing Cream and Lilac back to their parents or to each other?

Buff x Cream =
Buff x Lilac =
Lavender x Cream =
Lavender x Lilac =
Blue x Cream =
Lilac x Cream =
Lilac x Lilac =
Cream x Cream =
Blue x Lilac =