Concerned about broody goose

[3dogs]

After a couple of false starts one of my geese planted herself on a nest close to a week ago. She hasn't budged from it. Common sense tells me she won't allow herself to starve to death, but now I am wondering.

A couple of days ago I approached her with a little lettuce and she ate it after telling me off. I took feed and water to her yesterday and left it in the shed, but far enough away that she had to get up to reach it. No dice - she let it sit. Later in the day I held the feed under her bill and she took a couple of bites of it, but turned down water. I am here almost 24/7, go out there 3x a day and look out a window frequently to check what's going on. She is not getting off that nest to eat and drink. What to do? How long can she last?

Rest of the picture - my four geese are a little less than a year old. There are two of each sex, and the other female seems to be the more dominant of the two. They all share one shed overnight, and a large pen during the day. I did consider that she might be glued to the nest so she doesn't lose it to the other female. Both had been laying eggs in a single nest. It appears the dominant goose is done laying eggs.

Ideas?

 

[texascowboy1979]

Quote:
No ideas really, Im trying to picture it..

I have 3 female geese and 1 male. My Grey and Buff Toulouse share the nest... which I gave no extra thought, but then today when the gosling hatched, 2 were squashed under the weight of both hens... So I Put a pen around the nest so no goose can get in or out.

If you pen them all up in the same pen at night. Id build a small fence around her nest to keep any other geese from getting in. If you decide to build a small fence, make sure its not a box, it has to be fencing material so she can breath and be comfortable. As a broody goose, she is not concerned with the pond, or the grasses, or whats going on in the barn yard, she is only concered with those eggs.

My geese brood for a few days before getting off for a min or two and then back to the nest.

My 2 cents is that if she is brooding... Lock her up alone. Dont move her nest, just build a fence around it so that she is not bothered, and then feeder her little feed and water every other day. She is not on Food or water mode, shes on brooding mode as a good mother should be.

Hopefully someone else can be more helpful.

 

[3dogs]

At dusk when I put the other three birds into the shed there is initial wild honking, and then they settle down. It does not appear that the other goose is making any attempt to get on the nest. From what I have observed, the others leave the sitting goose alone during the day. I had thought of putting up a barrier in the shed to keep her somewhat isolated, and will see what I can come up with without getting her upset.

Thank you for your comments. Geese sure are characters!

 

[texascowboy1979]

any pictures we can see?