Do you let your geese hatch their own eggs?

[ThreeBoysChicks]

So I vent sexed my Sebastopols yesterday and I have a boy and a girl. YEAH!!! I noticed that the girl has made a straw pile in the barn into nest so I am thinking she is getting ready to start laying.

Have you ever left your Sebastopols hatch their own eggs? I did just recently build an incubator, but that will be full of chickens for a while.

Just curious. Thanks for responding.

 

[Omniskies]

Goose eggs are hard to hatch out. Unless you're wanting tons of eggs, it may be best to let them hatch out their own, or at least have another broody goose or muscovy hatch out the eggs for you.

Though, once hatched I recommend taking the goslings, or at least some of the goslings, from the pair when they hatch for a bunch of reasons. First off, your geese will begin laying again with their new family gone, which means you can get 2-3 clutches out of each goose every year. If you are raising geese for meat, for sale or to build your flock then this is beneficial. If not, then taking the new goslings away means you can now enjoy goose egg omlets for the remainder of the season.

Secondly, goslings _and_ parents will be much more friendly when separated. The goslings will bond with people and, when placed back out with the flock, will still remain pet-like. If you decide to sell goslings to others then no matter the age, the new owners will appreciate having more mellow, friendly geese.

Geese _love_ baby food. If you want your babies to grow faster, or you want to make sure they are getting the nutrients they need, then separating them out means you can feed the goslings their baby food without worrying about the parents happily indulging.

On the other hand, leaving the goslings with the parents means you'll be keeping the parenting instinct strong. Plus it's tons easier to let the parents do the hard work rather than have you do it.

Congratulations on your pair. Hope you have a great hatching season

 

[muscovy94]

yeah if you let the parents raise them they will be wild and very standoffish, but if you incubate them or take them shortley after the parents hatched they will become very friendly and they will bond with you.
Oh and congratulations on your pair!!!

 

[turbo]

We hatch our own eggs and we get a pretty good hatch rate using an old redwood incubator.

 

[banter]

My Sebs hatched their own eggs last season and the resulting geese are
anything but standoffish! They are pests! Could have to do with breed or how much interaction you have with your birds (?). Mom was incubator hatched and hand raised, however. That could make a difference. Having done it both ways, I'd rather have the parents hatch-they did a great job.

 

[pips&peeps]

So I vent sexed my Sebastopols yesterday and I have a boy and a girl. YEAH!!!

TOT, but how difficult was it? I have 14 I have to sex soon and I know a few of them by sight, but the rest,

Thanks,​

 

[banter]

I blew sex venting 101-I stink! I think I was too afraid of hurting them-Advice?

 

[ThreeBoysChicks]

It was not hard at all. Once I turned them over on their back, my 10 year old held them in that position and the rest was vary easy.

 

[pips&peeps]

I helped my friend sex hers, but I thought we did it wrong for the longest time because we never saw the male "part". They ended up both being females.

So, the male part is very easy to see when you apply pressure to the vent?