Goose egg hatching question

[Sierra G]

The rolling wouldn't have hurt them and I think they're still alive.

What was your humidity during incubation and are the air cells more than, less than, or approximately 20% of the total egg volume?

 

[Poultry Chick]

Humidity prior to lockdown was anywhere between 50-58%. I’d say they are right at 20% of the egg volume, they air sacs are definitely not small.

 

[Poultry Chick]

The rolling wouldn't have hurt them and I think they're still alive.

What was your humidity during incubation and are the air cells more than, less than, or approximately 20% of the total egg volume?

Humidity prior to lockdown was anywhere between 50-58%. I’d say they are right at 20% of the egg volume, they air sacs are definitely not small.

 

[Sierra G]

Well maybe they just got scared. It sounds like they've lost enough weight.

Do you know how to put in a safety hole and do you have something you can do it with safely?

 

[Poultry Chick]

Well maybe they just got scared. It sounds like they've lost enough weight.

Do you know how to put in a safety hole and do you have something you can do it with safely?

Not something I’ve ever tried, would you do that if they haven’t pipped internally?

 

[Sierra G]

Not something I’ve ever tried, would you do that if they haven’t pipped internally?

Intervening is always a personal decision and it's always situational.

Rolling would not have physically damaged them but it might have disoriented them. Even if they probably haven't pipped internally their metabolic clocks are ticking and they are going to need more air soon.

A safety hole is about the least intrusive assistance you can offer, which doesn't mean it can't be screwed up. You're basically externally piping to increase available oxygen to prevent suffocation. It's necessary if the gosling is running out of air and redundant if he's not. Higher CO2 levels do help to trigger yolk sac absorption, but aren't essential for it to happen. The deciding factor for me is that you're coming coming up on day 32.

The safety hole is a small hole into the airsac at the point you'd expect the bird to pip. It's best created by slowly abrading small amounts of shell material away while firmly supporting the egg. You don't want to use lots of pressure because that can generate cracks and possibly damage the gosling if your tool punches through. The pressure you do use should be side to side and light enough to control, but firm enough to remove some shell. Most people use a small drill bit. I prefer a small ball rasp from a dremel set. I've also known of people who use nail scissors, a small sharp knife or a jewelers file.

The main thing is to create a small hole without stabbing the bird to make sure it doesn't suffocate. It doesn't need to be pretty. Once you have an air hole it just goes back in the incubator/hatcher.