Goose Incubation & Hatching Guide - Completed!!!!

[pete55]

Just to add further about the reproduction of diagrams and text from the Incubation Guide. I did actually PM the person responsible and received back a very humble apology and the person's extremely upset that it offended me and made me so angry.

Heavens above I'm not wanting to upset the person but I hope it serves as a lesson not to reproduce without permission or giving the author due credit. As the person is so upset and was prompt with their apology I have decided to leave the matter and not pursue it further. There's nothing to be gained and I don't wish to cause more upset or stress to the person concerned. As far as I'm concerned the matter is closed and done with.

Pete

 

[tdhenson86]

I have a goose egg hatching question. I've set about 15 of my Pilgrim Goose eggs. I am dry incubating and doing it around 99 degrees in a forced air cabinet incubator with autoturners. I've had all of them but 2 develop, but then they seem to die maybe halfway through development. I have one out of all of them that has made it full term. Any suggestions?

Thanks so much!!!

 

[pete55]

Hi Tim.

A little baffling but I'll try to give you a few suggestions some of which are simple but so important.

1. Collect eggs daily, wash in cold running water or better still use an egg disinfectant.

2. STORE EGGS IN COOL AIRY ROOM AND TURN DAILY.

3. DO NOT STORE EGGS OVER 10 DAYS.

4. Check your temperature of the incubator with a GOOD QUALITY THERMOMETER. Then CHECK AGAIN!

5. Once you're certain the incubator is accurate then set it at 37.4C / 99.3F.

6. Weigh your eggs when laid and then weekly to check they're at correct humidity for 15% weight loss.


Hope that changes things for you. As a final bit of advice clean your incubator in case of habouring harmful bacteria.


Pete

 

[tdhenson86]

Hi Tim.

A little baffling but I'll try to give you a few suggestions some of which are simple but so important.

1. Collect eggs daily, wash in cold running water or better still use an egg disinfectant.

2. STORE EGGS IN COOL AIRY ROOM AND TURN DAILY.

3. DO NOT STORE EGGS OVER 10 DAYS.

4. Check your temperature of the incubator with a GOOD QUALITY THERMOMETER. Then CHECK AGAIN!

5. Once you're certain the incubator is accurate then set it at 37.4C / 99.3F.

6. Weigh your eggs when laid and then weekly to check they're at correct humidity for 15% weight loss.


Hope that changes things for you. As a final bit of advice clean your incubator in case of habouring harmful bacteria.


Pete

Thanks so much, Pete! I haven't been cleaning the eggs since I read somewhere that eggs should not be cleaned as it washes off the beneficial layer. That is the one thing I should probably do.

Thank you!!!!!

 

[littlenell1]

Hi Pete,
Is it possible to get permission to post your incubating info on a forum for pilgrim geese? Many thanks

 

[pete55]

LittleNell

If you can give me a link to the Pilgrim Forum so I know where you're wanting to use the information please.

The main guide was published last year in one of the UK Poultry Magazines and in the USA so I have to protect the diagrams and pictures.

Thanks

Pete

 

[littlenell1]

Have sent you a PM

 

[loopy12]

Hi
Fantastic guide - wish I'd known about it three weeks ago :/
In particular I like how you;ve covered in some detail what is going on inside to trigger each stage - changes in CO2 levels etc.

Two little questions...
Not having read this 3 weeks ago, I didn't realize I should be incubating my goose eggs on their sides. I always did duck like chicken, pointy end down until lockdown, and didn't think to question whether that should vary between waterfowl species. The eggs are from my own grey back geese so I was perhaps more casual than I would've been if I'd bought them, I just put them in with my duck eggs simply because I had them and thought it might be interesting to give them a try! When I read this guide a week ago I moved them onto their sides. Is it a disaster that they weren't like that for the first 3 weeks? Is it because the aim is to replicate the natural position in the nest as much as possible?

The aircells weren't big enough 4 days ago, though my ducks were right on track, by weight, so I pulled all the water out and 3 days of dry incubation has pulled up their weight loss significantly, just in time for lockdown, but still more like 13-14% not 16%, but I'll take that over the 10% they were at 4 days ago.

Secondly, when the internal pip occurs, can you always see it like a shadowy mountain as it is in your photo? I can see lots of shadows dancing at the periphery in the aircells, but no prominent beak shape. Could they have pipped internally and its just I can't see well enough? They are in lockdown now so I can't get them out to check for the clicking.

(P.S. Am using your guide here in Italy, but am English and lived in the US for a while until 2 years ago...so you're now being read, at least geographically, in the sunny climes of bella Italia )

 

[cpac123]

I just wanted to say I did this this morning, opened the top of the shell for a baby goose, it's my first time hatching and one internally pipped but after nearly 2 days there was no external pip so I made a hole as you said, then I ended up removing the top of the shell and lifting out its head as you have shown, my first ever goose to hatch, my nerves were fraught but my gut feeling was correct as he had absorbed his yolk sac and was in trouble, thank you so much, if he had died I would have been heartbroken

 

[adorable]

I am on day 14 with my eggs.. I had to put more water as the eggs were losing to much moisture.. Thats to this post... I wouldnt of know that.. Thanks pete.