Anybody else having an odd breeding season with their geese?

[Brickman House]

No long term experience with geese here, but yes, things have been a little odd with the ducks this year.

My ducks started laying like gangbusters in mid-February (which is a little early, in my experience). I have 7 hens, and was getting 6-7 eggs a day like clockwork. Now, in April, they seem to have tapered off, and I'm getting 4-5 eggs a day. Odd.

Obviously, I would normally expect just the opposite-- that they'd ramp up production as the day gets longer and the temperatures get warmer.

I should say, though, that fertility doesn't seem to be affected (I have one drake). I'm just finishing up a successful hatch of 18 eggs, and a customer of mine set about 40 a couple weeks ago, and reported in that all seem to be developing. I have another customer picking up 42 this weekend, so I'll be interested to hear his experience, as well.

So I don't know. . . it will be interesting to see what the summer brings.

As far as the geese go, we have a pair of 1 year old Tolouse. She started laying the first week of March, and we're getting 4-5 eggs a week, though she's not setting and none appear to be fertile. We got them as day old goslings last Spring, so I have no experience with them to know if this is normal or not. Sorry!

 

[Cottage Rose]

El Nino seems to be around every year.
Our winter had less snow than normal but just as cold as it usually is
and we've had a milder than unusual March but our weather always
seems goofy in Michigan anyway.
I dunno???

 

[ultasol]

We had a really warm spell after a very cold spell in December. I believe that triggered an early clutch in my birds, and our very mild Spring with cold nights seems to have them confused. They are laying now. I had some Buff Americans laying well into June last year.

 

[Cottage Rose]

We didn't have a warm spell when mine started laying in Nov. - Dec.
so thats why I thought it was so odd.
I think egg production is governed more by the daylight hours than air temperature anyway.

 

[CityChicker]

What is really bizarre is that my Silver bantams have always been at least reasonable layers and my Runners have always been phenomenal layers. Neither are doing anything. Some of my varieties have not layed a single egg yet. My Overbergs though are laying like crazy.

 

[Friend2Fowl]

Most all of my ducks started laying last year around the end of February/beginning of March. By this time last year I was getting an egg a day from all 3 of my ducks. Right now, I have a rouen that is laying pretty regularly, almost daily, and I'm getting 1 pekin egg daily. But I have a total of 3 pekin ducks, 2 cayuga ducks, and the 1 rouen duck, so I should be up to my ears in duck eggs! I don't know what their deal is, I had one pekin laying into November last year, then promptly went broody. She didn't sit more than a week or so, but there was snow on the ground, so I thought that was very odd!

 

[CityChicker]

Right when I said some of my Runner varieties aren't doing anything, I went out there tonight and a few of them laid today! Maybe if I say it is going to be an awful breeding season, next thing I know I will be drowning in eggs, LOL.

 

[Hillside]

An update. Heard from a friend yesterday who out of 16 eggs now has a dozen goslings. There are more fertile eggs but I don't know what kind of ratio of eggs set to eggs fertile we are talking about. He generally does well. says things are earlier than usual but otherwise normal and all these goslings/fertile eggs are the same breed if that matters. Things for me are very settled and normal. In fact none of the people I keep in touch with are reporting anything except good to better than usual years. Things being early this year comes up pretty often in discussion though.

 

[jojo@rolling acres farm]

After one of the worst Nebraska winters on record...things seem to be normal here. Normal breeding & egg laying. Can't speak to fertility yet...leaving everything alone. What happens, happens. I have one goose sitting and her goslings are due on April 19 give or take a day. Another two geese are laying but are not sitting on their eggs yet. I Hope I have something hatch...nothing says Spring like a gosling!

 

[Golden Valley Farm]

Quote:
If it were governed by daylight hours, did you have artificial lighting with your birds. Mine live outside year around and I have had normal egg production and fertilized eggs have been outstanding.