Broody goose predation and stupidity questions

[JRies]

These are broken completely, but no residue inside. It is like the eggs hatched successfully, but some of them were definitely too early to do that.

Usually when a egg hatches on time mom eats the shell and goo so probably not that. I only put the suggestion up because last year I kept finding hollow runner eggs. One day I walked out into the barn and here was this magpie stradling the egg shell had pecked a big whole in it and sucking everything out of it. The shell was as clean as if I had blown it out. snakes just swallow the whole egg. Let me know if you figure out what did it.

 

[GooseInGarden]

Usually when a egg hatches on time mom eats the shell and goo so probably not that. I only put the suggestion up because last year I kept finding hollow runner eggs. One day I walked out into the barn and here was this magpie stradling the egg shell had pecked a big whole in it and sucking everything out of it. The shell was as clean as if I had blown it out. snakes just swallow the whole egg. Let me know if you figure out what did it.

I didn't know the goose is supposed to do that. We have hatched out a number of times successfully and ours never seemed to. They just left the shells for the chickens.
Our broodies do seem to be a bit lacking in the natural instinct department though! Even had one mama goose up and abandon her gosling before ... The king gander had to raise it.

My sympathies for your runner duck egg loss. It's never a good year when you loose birds.

 

[JRies]

I didn't know the goose is supposed to do that. We have hatched out a number of times successfully and ours never seemed to. They just left the shells for the chickens.
Our broodies do seem to be a bit lacking in the natural instinct department though! Even had one mama goose up and abandon her gosling before ... The king gander had to raise it.

My sympathies for your runner duck egg loss. It's never a good year when you loose birds.

Lots of ganders raise there babies. Sometimes I think there more maternal that the geese definitely more protective. The runner eggs were freshly laid. But the magpie spent all last spring terrorizing them looking for eggs. Then one day it came into the closed run and I was able to pen it in. Took a broom and terrorized it for about a hour never hit it just swung the broom back and forth not letting it stop trying to get out. Opened the door it flew out never came back. Crows are really smart and lazy opportunist. But still would like to know whats happening to your chicks.

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

...the magpie spent all last spring terrorizing them looking for eggs. Then one day it came into the closed run and I was able to pen it in. Took a broom and terrorized it for about a hour never hit it just swung the broom back and forth not letting it stop trying to get out. Opened the door it flew out never came back.

Crows have really good memories, and since magpies are also Corvidae, I'd be sleeping with one eye open, if I were you.

 

[JRies]

Crows have really good memories, and since magpies are also Corvidae, I'd be sleeping with one eye open, if I were you.

Thank you after last year when I cough it in the closed run have not seen it again up till then it was even trying to attack the house. But I dont think I did it I think the hawk nest in the tree they had last year took care of it. We had huge wild fires for 2 years that chased allot of the birds down out of the mountains. I probably shouldn't have answered this thread since here eggs shells were already hatched not just a hole in them. Missed something I think.

 

[alycececelia]

Hello.
I share a flock of Embdens with my folks, with almost 20 some geese right now. At least six of the geese started building clutches this spring. It is not the first year--we had about the same number try to set last year, but had something raiding the nests at night taking almost hatched eggs and new goslings. Last year we figured it was a skunk due to smelling it and seeing it in the area. This year, we moved the broodies to individual runs paneled with chicken wire and chain link when they started incubation to eliminate the predation. All seemed secure until the oldest brood reached the final week or two of incubation, but she is now down to five or six eggs out of at least eight. (We do not bother the broodies as much as possible so do not have exact counts or dates.) The rest of the nests, the ones that were still being built up by the geese, are being cleaned out each night. The geese share pasture with sheep and chickens, and we have dogs on property. Dogs aren't out at night because of a nasty neighbor with a gun. Ganders and non-setting flockmates are able to access all sides of broody runs.
I am wondering what could be preying on the clutches? Ganders and chickens both are very willing to chase anything cat-sized or smaller during the day, and we have lost no chickens.

The other question is regarding a goose that built a clutch of 14+ eggs, but seemed to keep loosing her clutch. She would just keep laying new eggs on top, but never start the incubation or even to line nest with feathers ... I have had some stupid birds before, even those that attacked their own hatchlings, but never this. What is up and can we do anything to fix the behavior?

As of now, my mom and I are building an incubator to try and get some goslings

I didn't read all responses - but can you get a game cam? They come in extremely handy and you'll have your answer probably the first night!

 

[GooseInGarden]

Well, we haven't gotten a game cam, but did have a plot twist. The last of the first clutch was destroyed and we have gotten all but one piece for our incubator, so we started collecting the new eggs for incubation.

In the process of that, we went through some of the nesting materials for the old nest and found the mummified remains of between three to five goslings. They seemed to have been fully formed or at least to pipping stage.

Now I am not sure if it was really a predator issue or some fault of breeding or of the broody goose. Anyone have any ideas?

 

[GooseInGarden]

So, thank you to everyone who responded with ideas. I think I have an answer to what was happening, or at least an close idea. It was probably not a predator issue at all but a humidity issue.

In the time since loosing the first clutch, we have had record breaking rainfall in our area, more than triple our normal amount for May. In one storm that lasted about twelve hours, the goose in the sheep pen hatched out four healthy goslings. The next morning we went out to see if we would have to take goslings and leave the rest of the eggs to finish, or take eggs so mother would leave nest with goslings. (We have lambs that can go through any opening we left for geese, so had to close fence and prevent rest of flock from coming into sheep pen.)

Of the three remaining eggs, one was infertile and two late pipping and dried out. We put both in an incubator under lockdown conditions, and eventually had to moderately assist them to a successful hatch. All six are back with mother geese, and we retrieved the second broody's eggs in exchange for one gosling so that we can monitor humidity and progress without having to fend off all the rest of flock.

So, one learning experience, six healthy goslings, three pipped eggs, and four eggs waiting for candling later, I am content with the spring hatch.

 

[JRies]

So, thank you to everyone who responded with ideas. I think I have an answer to what was happening, or at least an close idea. It was probably not a predator issue at all but a humidity issue.

In the time since loosing the first clutch, we have had record breaking rainfall in our area, more than triple our normal amount for May. In one storm that lasted about twelve hours, the goose in the sheep pen hatched out four healthy goslings. The next morning we went out to see if we would have to take goslings and leave the rest of the eggs to finish, or take eggs so mother would leave nest with goslings. (We have lambs that can go through any opening we left for geese, so had to close fence and prevent rest of flock from coming into sheep pen.)

Of the three remaining eggs, one was infertile and two late pipping and dried out. We put both in an incubator under lockdown conditions, and eventually had to moderately assist them to a successful hatch. All six are back with mother geese, and we retrieved the second broody's eggs in exchange for one gosling so that we can monitor humidity and progress without having to fend off all the rest of flock.

So, one learning experience, six healthy goslings, three pipped eggs, and four eggs waiting for candling later, I am content with the spring hatch.

Congratulations.