Goose Hatching Eggs

[Dinos_rock]

So I want to hatch some geese...

This would be my first time hatching anything, so maybe I should try chicken eggs first to practice before I get the geese eggs? I'll be hatching in a homemade styrofoam incubator. I don't know if I can hatch any goose eggs yet, my mom said maybe depending on how expensive it is; so its not final.

So what would the price be for about 12 (maybe less) goose hatching eggs (and where to get them)? I don't care what breed, although I prefer pilgrims. Oh, and I don't know if some breeds are friendlier than others, but I would definetly prefer nice and friendly geese to mean ones....The main reason we want them is to protect our chickens from neighborhood dogs and to keep the weeds down.

Also, I don't know anything about geese. What do they eat when they are babies and what do they eat as adults?
Thanks.

 

[Leslie In North Pole]

Geese are outside of their laying season. It is pretty short, from late Feb. to the beginning of June. All of the eggs should be goslings by now or refrigerated too long to be hatcheable. You will have to wait until next year.

Geese can be difficult to hatch. You would be better off buying goslings unless you like the challenge or are only trying for a couple of geese. If you have never hatched before, google incubating, hatching, and other key words and read everything. I would then try my hand at chicken or quail eggs.

 

[Dinos_rock]

OK, Thanks. I had no idea that they have a laying season, I thought they just layed year round like chickens....

I was wondering why every hatchery I look at have no geese available until next year. Well, I guess I'll just wait until next year because the only reason I wanted to hatch some, was because I didn't want to wait. I still want to incubate some chickens though....

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

Next year you should try to hatch goose eggs. Good Luck.

What type of chicken eggs do you want to hatch?

 

[Dinos_rock]

Not sure. I haven't decided yet...

Maybe I will try some goose eggs after I incubate some chicken eggs first. Are they hard to incubate? I just don't want to spend a fortune to have a hatch fail....

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

Chicken eggs are so easy to incubate.

Goose eggs are also easy too. You have to make sure to cool the eggs for 15 min a day, and spray them with warm water sometime during the cooling period. You do that from day 4-till they pip the shell.

 

[Dinos_rock]

OK, Thanks. Maybe I'll try it....

 

[SterlingAcres]

I'd like to hatch some geese next year too

Good luck!!

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

What kind of goose would you want?

I breed Toulouse.

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

Here is a couple pictures of Toulouse geese: