FIRST EGG ANY TIPS!!

Regardless of the weather a nest outside the pen is usually a bad idea - it makes both goose, eggs and goslings vulnerable to predators.

A nest inside the pen of course requires the goose to have access to the pen both day and night.

If you want to move her nest, supply straw or other similar nesting material in the desired location. Geese like cavelike structures with a view, i.e. something with a roof and at least one side open - like a big barrel on its side. Put a good layer of straw there and the egg(s) she has laid on top and show it to her. Hopefully she'll start fussing over the egg and begin pulling out straw to cover it, thus accepting the nest.

Geese may successfully share a nest, but odd are it doesn't work, so you should supply one nest for each goose.

When she feels she has laid enough eggs, usually 10-15, she'll stop laying and start sitting on the eggs. You can tell by her only leaving the nest for 15-20 minutes once or twice a day.

You can remove the eggs you don't want her to sit on when she's on one of her short sitting breaks.

It's a good idea to mark the eggs in pencil with the laying date. It makes it easier to remove the oldest eggs (which may have a lower fertility rate). Don't let her see you handle the eggs, she can be very protective of them. If she sees you "stealing" her eggs, she may consider the nest unsafe and decide on a different location.

If you keep taking her eggs away she may keep laying for several months. If you let her keep all her eggs, she'll stop when she thinks she has enough. Some geese will start sitting after only three eggs; some will hoard 25 eggs. Most geese lay 10-15 eggs before sitting.

It's common for young geese in their first breeding season to be a little clumsy about the whole thing. Their instinct haven't always fully kicked in, so don't despair if it doesn't work out. They'll be much better at it next year.