Goose hatching duck eggs?

[nchls school]

I have never had young fowl out there. In my limited experience I have kept them indoors and it was chicks, not ducklings. I had one chick killed by a snake last year when I put them into the coop a bit too young and small.

Thanks for the advice. I'm hoping the eggs I'm getting are fertile.

You're welcome and good luck.

 

[moodybubbles]

So the goose did finally go broody. Has 20-30 eggs rolling around in the coop but she was sitting on one best the majority of the day. She gets off for what I feel is too long but there are 3 eggs developing.

I have 2 just hatched ducklings still in the brooder. Can I switch them out? Can I fool her this way and take the developing ones to hatch myself? Let her raise the current ones? Or just wait to see if she does hatch this small handful under her now?

She was sitting on the wrong nest this morning. This is why I ask about switching them.

 

[lina500]

My goose just hatched a duck egg and she's never hatched a goose egg, so I guess it's possible. She also spent much more time off the nest than I would have thought reasonable, but it seems to have worked!

 

[nchls school]

My goose just hatched a duck egg and she's never hatched a goose egg, so I guess it's possible. She also spent much more time off the nest than I would have thought reasonable, but it seems to have worked!

 

[moodybubbles]

Okay I will leave them with her

There are just so many eggs under her. Should I remove a few to lessen chance of breakage?

I have never had a broody bird so I don't know how this whole letting them take care of it works

 

[lina500]

Candle them and see which ones are fertile and remove the others. I put an X on the ones that stay, to make sure that if the ducks lay new eggs in the nest the goose won't sit on them as well. I wouldn't leave more than 10 or 15 under her in total, personally. Too many to handle.