GOOSE BREEDING THREAD - for breeding, incubating, hatching and rearing.

[Miss Lydia]

So I took one of the eggs last night. I broke it open and there was a formed goose but it had stopped. the gosling had probably stopped at around week three from the growth. I have left the other three. hoping for a miracle at this point. she has two more days and then I will take them all and she can get off the nest. she is so thin, she is a dewlap Toulouse and might weigh 6 pounds at the moment

thank you for your suggestions. on a positive side, I know that my gander is still fertile but I will still probably break the pair this winter, at least until she sets and then let him take over being super gander!!

we have a local flea market that sales almost every animal. I am hoping to go Wednesday and maybe find a few goslings to give her.

Sorry about the gosling. I hope the other too will hatch, bless her heart. I'd diff get her off soon and get some good poultry vitamins to add to her drinking water to help get her back into shape. I make sure mine come off the nest at least 1X a day but they still lose alot of weight.

Glad to hear your gander is still fertile, mine is too but of the 8 eggs my goose sat on last year only one made it to hatch and it died in the shell trying to hatch.

Hopefully you'll be able to find her a couple gosling for all her hard work. Let us know.

 

[bloonskiller911]

sad news. I took the other three eggs out, she was staying off the next for more extended periods of time, I think she knew. All three were rotten. I am hoping to go to our local flea market this Wednesday and buy a few baby geese and give them to her and her mate. at least I know she is a good sitter and I will just have to switch her mate next spring and my old gander can be the protector once she is sitting. That should make him happy!!!

 

[Miss Lydia]

sad news. I took the other three eggs out, she was staying off the next for more extended periods of time, I think she knew. All three were rotten. I am hoping to go to our local flea market this Wednesday and buy a few baby geese and give them to her and her mate. at least I know she is a good sitter and I will just have to switch her mate next spring and my old gander can be the protector once she is sitting. That should make him happy!!!

Good plan, hope you can find them some gosling. let us know. and sorry about the eggs.

 

[Fowl Menagerie]

I always candle eggs to eliminate the possibility of them exploding. I am not sure if gas given off by a bad eggs could hurt viable eggs or not. Your goose probably knew that eggs were rotten when she quit. Either by smell or bad eggs do not hold heat like growing eggs. Many times when I candle eggs, I have noticed that eggs not developing are cooler than live eggs that are being sat on. My geese that I have now allow me access to their nests with very little objection. This has not always been the case and may not be the case depending on what goose is incubating. The pair of pilgrim geese I had a few years ago were probably 10 to 15 years and were never successful in hatching goslings. My current geese , Saddleback Poms are completely the opposite but are young geese.

 

[KWSRetMSgt]

Yes geese can be a challenge, in more ways then one. Two of my girls have been sitting now for what seems forever, i finally got a chance to look at the eggs yesterday, 34 eggs between the two nest. I didnt want them to have that many but i guess they figured, if im stting, i'll sit on the amount i choose. The thing i've noticed is the few times the want-to-be momma's got off the nest one of their sisters would go and sit on the nest for them. And at times there will be two geese sitting on the same nest at the same time. I dont know but i'm thinking with the temps dropping and with all the rain we've been getting they believe it's necessary. I'm hoping it's not much longer before we see some lil ones cherping and running around. In fact because of them sitting i had to post pone moving the pen. With all the rain this year their pen is always a sloppy mess. Was hoping to move them tonthe other side of the yard, where it's dryer.

 

[KWSRetMSgt]

Anyone's opinion what's the best goose?

Well i have Embdens and they are fairly easy to get along with as long as they know your the Alpha. I have read and been told American Buffs are really nice as well. Embdens are considered CALM geese, while the Buffs are considered VERY CALM. My wife used to hate having to feed and make sure the Embdens were put up at night, because they gave her a hard time. Now though she gets along with them, and vise versa. Just have to make sure they understand your in charge.

 

[cajunfowl0]

Had a Muscovy hatch a gosling for me yesterday and have eggs due to hatch in the incubator in 4 days! Fertility is killing me this year. Almost half of the eggs I've set or incubated this year went fertile. Mine are first year birds so I'm expecting better next year

 

[donkeydew2farms]

OK guys my goose got the laying part down the protecting her nest down but not the sitting part. this has been going on about two months now. I don't no if she is going to sit. it is getting alittle smelly in there. she goes in there for awhile then comes out. some of the eggs are probably bad. I did take some in and as of today it will be 26 days so when I get home I will lock them down. Should I give her more time or clean her nest out. do you think the ducks are distracting them . they the geese hate the ducks and my dogs. I don't want the goose to run her self down. need advice. thanks.

 

[Miss Lydia]

OK guys my goose got the laying part down the protecting her nest down but not the sitting part. this has been going on about two months now. I don't no if she is going to sit. it is getting alittle smelly in there. she goes in there for awhile then comes out. some of the eggs are probably bad. I did take some in and as of today it will be 26 days so when I get home I will lock them down. Should I give her more time or clean her nest out. do you think the ducks are distracting them . they the geese hate the ducks and my dogs. I don't want the goose to run her self down. need advice. thanks.

I don't believe I'd lock her down before you check those eggs if some are smeely they will contaminate any that may hatch so you need to do a through investigation of the nest smell, candle what ever. If hse hasn't been sitting 24/7 for those 26 days I doubt you'll have goslings hatching. Sorry. Ducks and dogs are very annoying to geese especially when they are brooding might be one reason she has fully committed

 

[RowJimmy1868]

This is a little off topic but how many different breeds of geese can actually breed with each other? I know white and brown can cross but could an Embden and a white chinese cross?