First time incubating goose eggs. A humidity question Toulouse/Buff American eggs

[PhantomSlayer]

Were incubating our goose eggs. We were hoping she would lay a few more before we started but its been 3 days so I don't want to risk the others going bad so were doing the first 8. I started the incubation with our incubator we bought two weeks ago. However I wanted to make sure we have the right humidity because I mainly watched the temp during the testing time. Temp stayed in the range I read was best.

Anyways. I double checked and looked up humidity.. It's an issue I can't get over by reading articles... Where is the humidity range for Toulouse/Buff American eggs? I've read humidity ranges from 40-80% Thats a huge difference. Some seem to say between 55-65 though. But I have noooo idea so many say different ranges are being said! Our incubator isn't up to temp yet as it was just started but I will update later when it gets up to temp and see what the humidity is reading. I didn't fill the water meter up all the way only 25% I worry to much water will shoot the humidity up to high..

This is our incubator we bought. We struggled cause most incubators didn't show goose eggs or if they did they didn't have auto turners. But upon arrival we learned the temp is a liar. Its only in Celsius not Fahrenheit. Oh well makes my job a little more interesting.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C7ZVKPP...sw_r_cso_em_apan_dp_XRX01J7MDFVZB9W89RFA&th=1

 

[Goose Smith]

So there's a great article on here that's a sticky on the Goose forum page. I've been using it for two seasons with great results. I'm not using the same incubator as the author either... And he explains the temps in Celsius

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/goose-incubation-hatching-guide-completed.491013/

Generally, the humidity depends on the species and even sometimes the breed of bird eggs being incubated. I have been running the humidity low (45%) in my incubators that have settings for humidity. In the others I just run a completely dry incubator. After about the first 6-8 days I start a daily cooling/misting regiment that probably adds some humidity inside the incubator for some time although I have not measured it. The only time I add water to the humidity reservoir and keep that full is during the lockdown once internal pips have been made as I believe that the goslings being too dry during hatching can be detrimental. I have hatched African, Chinese, Tolouse, Embden, and American Buff geese with these conditions.

Hope this helps some. Geese are tough and the eggs are no exception. There is some wiggle room with incubating and there's more than one way to be successful at it.

 

[PhantomSlayer]

So there's a great article on here that's a sticky on the Goose forum page. I've been using it for two seasons with great results. I'm not using the same incubator as the author either... And he explains the temps in Celsius

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/goose-incubation-hatching-guide-completed.491013/

Generally, the humidity depends on the species and even sometimes the breed of bird eggs being incubated. I have been running the humidity low (45%) in my incubators that have settings for humidity. In the others I just run a completely dry incubator. After about the first 6-8 days I start a daily cooling/misting regiment that probably adds some humidity inside the incubator for some time although I have not measured it. The only time I add water to the humidity reservoir and keep that full is during the lockdown once internal pips have been made as I believe that the goslings being too dry during hatching can be detrimental. I have hatched African, Chinese, Tolouse, Embden, and American Buff geese with these conditions.

Hope this helps some. Geese are tough and the eggs are no exception. There is some wiggle room with incubating and there's more than one way to be successful at it.

Thats a relief. I can't just mist them as our incubator has a alarm because of water level so I have to keep a certain amount in there to keep it quiet lol.

 

[Goose Smith]

Thats a relief. I can't just mist them as our incubator has an alarm because of water level so I have to keep a certain amount in there to keep it quiet lol.

I experimented giving four goose eggs to a broody hen, they never get off and go swimming like mother geese do, so those eggs weren’t cooled or misted and I still got 3/4 goslings. You may not have 100% but you will probably still have goslings.

 

[PhantomSlayer]

I experimented giving four goose eggs to a broody hen, they never get off and go swimming like mother geese do, so those eggs weren’t cooled or misted and I still got 3/4 goslings. You may not have 100% but you will probably still have goslings.

Sadly none of our 9 girls have gone broody since we got them last year XD I would have given them an egg or two lol I would love our Buff Orpington Rosemary to go broody. Shes such a sweet girl and she was the only chicken to not pick on our goose pair when they were goslings lol. Shes the only one our gander tolerates eating with them as well.

I don't have much hope for the first 3 eggs since our goose is a first year layer but the other 5 look great from what I can tell. I'll find out in a week or so I guess lol. Were probably not going to keep any goslings because we have a few close friends and family that want some if they do hatch.

Either way I hope we atleast get one or two to hatch! Two pics of our goose Gizzy and our gander Gus.

Any other eggs will either be left to be sat on by Gizzy or one of the chickens or we'll see if my sister in law will hatch them out.

 

[Goose Smith]

Sadly none of our 9 girls have gone broody since we got them last year XD I would have given them an egg or two lol I would love our Buff Orpington Rosemary to go broody. Shes such a sweet girl and she was the only chicken to not pick on our goose pair when they were goslings lol. Shes the only one our gander tolerates eating with them as well.

I don't have much hope for the first 3 eggs since our goose is a first year layer but the other 5 look great from what I can tell. I'll find out in a week or so I guess lol. Were probably not going to keep any goslings because we have a few close friends and family that want some if they do hatch.

Either way I hope we atleast get one or two to hatch! Two pics of our goose Gizzy and our gander Gus.

Any other eggs will either be left to be sat on by Gizzy or one of the chickens or we'll see if my sister in law will hatch them out.

Nice geese! I really like the buff with the white on belly.

You never know with first year layers. I had a first year African layer give me 40 eggs, I ate many of the first of season, but then incubated some and also gave some to her and got 24 geese from her that year. They were Tolouse gander over African.

This year I put Embden Gander with Buffs.
My luck may not be great this year… I couldn’t give the mating group more access to the pond because of other waterfowl. I think that’s messed up my fertility rates significantly. I’m loosing a few eggs each cycle in the incubator.

 

[JRies]

Humidity is always a issue. Allot depends on the humidity in the place you are hatching In other words if it has wet a raining spring You may have enough If its a dry winter not enough. Most important thing is there air cells or if your really diligent with a small hatch there weight loss. 55 to 15 percent works with folks that do dry hatch. But lock down when there actually hatching they need high humidity that's when you want to gear up the humility. If your eggs are developing large air sacks early they need more humidity If there not then less.

 

[PhantomSlayer]

Nice geese! I really like the buff with the white on belly.

You never know with first year layers. I had a first year African layer give me 40 eggs, I ate many of the first of season, but then incubated some and also gave some to her and got 24 geese from her that year. They were Tolouse gander over African.

This year I put Embden Gander with Buffs.
My luck may not be great this year… I couldn’t give the mating group more access to the pond because of other waterfowl. I think that’s messed up my fertility rates significantly. I’m loosing a few eggs each cycle in the incubator.

Thats our girl Gizzy XD I would love a few more females for our gander Gus but my moms not to keen on Gus anymore since he charges at her.

We had a freeze these past two days and today it was finally a bit warmer so I used the hose and filled their kiddie pool and their bathing bowl plus the chickens water bowl. As I was emptying the hose to make sure water wouldn't freeze in it I got half way and I could hear them mating lol I was like "well that didn't take long"

 

[PhantomSlayer]

Humidity is always a issue. Allot depends on the humidity in the place you are hatching In other words if it has wet a raining spring You may have enough If its a dry winter not enough. Most important thing is there air cells or if your really diligent with a small hatch there weight loss. 55 to 15 percent works with folks that do dry hatch. But lock down when there actually hatching they need high humidity that's when you want to gear up the humility. If your eggs are developing large air sacks early they need more humidity If there not then less.

The incubator is in my parents bathroom. It's the least frequented room in the house. Ontop of that its not used as a smoking room. I checked right as my mother was going to bed and temp was 37.5c and the humidity was 64% I really would like it down lower I wish there was a way to turn off the low water alarm. During the test run one of my parents unplugged it instead of adding water. Hopefully they don't do that with the eggs in there.

 

[PhantomSlayer]

I'm realizing a hard lesson. It's hard being patient when it comes to incubating eggs lol Every morning and night I go in. Add water and because for some reason as the rollers turn the eggs the eggs are moving up the rollers to the top so I slide them back down.

Still not finding any new goose eggs so maybe shes done laying? I dunno. I just know multiple times a day I'm like "has it been a week yet" even though I know its not lol.