Geese started their nest already but it is cold out. Will the eggs survive?

[newgoosegal]

I appreciate reading through the dialouge here- propagating any animal, pet or livestock (or BOTH) is a tremendous responsibility. We are raising geese for meat, and I know some folks on this forum are not super comfortable with this, and some are totally fine with it. I wanted to ask a question to folks who raise geese for marketing the offspring, what do you do with the older breeders when their laying/productivity ends? From what I understand, older goose is really tough. Anyone have an opinion on this? Goose rillettes? Goose confit? Would these fat preservation/slow cook methods work for older goose, or are they really too tough to be edible? I would hate to sell them to be pets somewhere else, not knowing how their later years might go under someone else's care (or lack of care.)

 

[Haunted55]

I can't help you with the older geese as I am just about a year into it myself. I am going to be raising some offspring for food. That was the original plan and I will stay with it. It will be hard for me as I have really come to love the geese and ducks I now have, but it has to be done and so it will be. I doubt I could take these original birds and ask them to the table. Ummm, that would be extremely hard for me to do. If it came down to not being able to keep them anymore for whatever reason...then yes, I could do that, but not just say pick one out for culling. Raising them from the start for food is something I can wrap my head around. Lol, seems silly but it's how it is for me.

 

[Haunted55]

Thank you very much Haunted55, you are right. I would like a few more geese here so I think I will make omlets out of the eggs and order some geese this spring. I hate when people have litters of kittens and puppies they don't want but I wasn't associating this with my poultry. Sorry to those I jumped to the conclusion at, I was taking it as an insult about my mixed birds but I think you are all just trying to keep the surplus population of unwanted birds in check. So yes haunted55 lets move forward, I am thinking of added a couple pomeranians and tufted romans. I find goose eggs to be delicious anyway!

I am curious on how things are going. I have another nest here I am going to be candleing and probably cleaning out today. I am going to start taking the eggs as I said before and try to get a few hatched to raise for food. They are trying but it's just been too cold for things to work and they are young geese.

 

[Haunted55]

Well candled and had to get rid of quite a few eggs from the nest. My goose had already cleaned out a few of them herself, but I have her down to 4 now and one of them I could actually see a little goose moving around in the egg!!! I am going to have to watch for this hatch as it is the only egg this far along. I think the ducks and other geese are laying and giving them to Angela to hatch, silly buggers! Not sure what will happen if this one hatches.

 

[RURU]

I have found if any eggs get frozen they do not develope in the incubator. I am not sure on eggs that just get super cold. I do believe they will develope in the incubator.
I gathered eggs when it was super cold out and they are developing. Now to see I any deformaties??? I believe our geese do know a whole lot more that we do about eggs and the cold weather.

 

[Haunted55]

I have found if any eggs get frozen they do not develope in the incubator. I am not sure on eggs that just get super cold. I do believe they will develope in the incubator.
I gathered eggs when it was super cold out and they are developing. Now to see I any deformaties??? I believe our geese do know a whole lot more that we do about eggs and the cold weather.

To be honest, I had done a candle of these eggs a couple of weeks back. I saw maybe 2 duck eggs and 1 goose egg that showed signs of blood vessels. The nest had 23 eggs at one point and I really figured it was kaput. I was very surprised with this find today.

 

[Buxton Ducks]

I hatch a couple duck eggs each year underneath my trusty silkie cross hen. She has two veiny ones under her right now! I haven't tried to hatch any goose eggs, I have been bringing them in for breakfast. Weather has been in the high 30s/lower 40s during the day now so it isn't quite that extreme anymore.

 

[Haunted55]

I hatch a couple duck eggs each year underneath my trusty silkie cross hen. She has two veiny ones under her right now! I haven't tried to hatch any goose eggs, I have been bringing them in for breakfast. Weather has been in the high 30s/lower 40s during the day now so it isn't quite that extreme anymore.

I know!!! Almost makes you believe Spring just might come this year doesn't it? Lol, oh wait, it's going back down into the teens and twenties for the next few days. We can't win can we?

 

[Buxton Ducks]

How was that Haunted55? It was almost 50 degrees and then we get a foot of snow! Gotta love our state..... Didn't stop all my birds from setting however!

 

[Haunted55]

How was that Haunted55? It was almost 50 degrees and then we get a foot of snow! Gotta love our state..... Didn't stop all my birds from setting however!

Ya know...it almost seems like spring has been canceled for lack of interest. I still have a couple of girls setting. It's a real pain! someone is still laying in these nest and I have to keep candling and getting rid of the bad ones. I also have to kick the girls off of the nests at least once a day so I know they'll eat and drink. They will not allow me to put food and water near their nests. It's a trip, but they're happy, lol.