Goose Incubation & Hatching Guide - Completed!!!!

[Ren2014]

My gosling finally made it!!!

This afternoon it started trying to push it's way out, but couldn't quite finish the job because the membrane was a little tough and couldn't quite get pushed out, so I grabbed my tweezers and started pulling more shell and pulling the outer membrane back until it was able to push itself free. So far this baby seems to be healthy and is making new friends in the incubator as we speak. Now I'm just hoping my next five go as easy as my first four that hatched and not like this little guy, it's soooo stressful!

YAY, CONGRATS!

for the rest of them

 

[mandarin1]

Thank you so much!!! I can't begin to tell you how excited I was to not lose this gosling!

 

[Chena Farms]

I tried to follow the guide as best I could with four eggs. One broke through the shell and his little beak was completely out and he was chirping at me. I didn't want to assist too soon so Ieft him alone (about 24 hours) hoping he would break through all the way on his own. Sadly, I woke up this morning and he had died. I guess too much stress. I should have helped sooner. I peeled off his shell and he seemed perfectly formed and in good condition. I am guessing it was a humidity issue?

I feel like a murderer because I know this was my fault

On a hopefully positive note: The other three are alive so far. One popped out of his shell on his own and the other two are half out.

Also have two broody moms on nests. I'm hoping the natural way is less stressful than the artificial way. Birthing season = stressful season, but seeing the miracle of life is pretty cool.

 

[chrisngo73]

oh dear... that is so sad to lose one so close to the end. I usually watch mine like a hawk once they pip externally. I write their date/time of pip on the shell so I'll know how far along is each egg. If there's no progress after 16hrs I usually start to peel just a little and if there's any sign of blood or blood vessel, I stop immediately and give it a good few hours. I also soak the eggs in 37.2C water (holding the holes above water line) to soften up the shells. I tried following the humidity method but my embden eggs just seems to lose 8 - 10% weight, I would always panic like mad because the guide says 13 - 15% LOL But after 29 hatched goslings out of 4 batches and 1 stillborn, I m getting a bit calmer

 

[Chena Farms]

It is sad and even worse because I could have helped. I've got the other three still in incubator drying off. I've got temp at 95 but what about humidity? I've got brooder ready but they still aren't dry and fluffy yet. Sure are talking to each other and me, though

 

[mandarin1]

I'm sorry to hear about your loss. When you put your eggs in lockdown minimum humidity that I find works so that the membrane doesn't dry out while hatching is 65%. I put lots of water in mine and let the humidity even get up to 75, 80% and this seems to work well. I had 10 out of 10 goose eggs hatch, but my first batch I lost everyone of them, because my humidity during incubation was 60-65% like I had read so many places and none of them even internally pipped. I now do 45-50% and if I accidentally get too much water and it goes to 55% I just let it ride until it gets back down to ideal humidity and I have had great luck with that setting. I was so worried with my first goose egg that it wasn't going to hatch and after losing my other one's I was a nervous wreck and it got to day 30 without externally pipping and it had been pipped since day 25, so I made an artificial external pip and helped it over the course of 24 hours. I think now I should've just left it alone and it probably would've hatched fine. Once you start helping even if you have your humidity high enough you still need to dampen the membrane because it can dry quickly when you have it out of the incubator working on it. This is the guide I use to help me assist with eggs and I haven't lost one yet doing this. I have assisted my goose and several chicken eggs, hope this helps with future hatches. https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/step-by-step-guide-to-assisted-hatching

 

[Ren2014]

I tried to follow the guide as best I could with four eggs. One broke through the shell and his little beak was completely out and he was chirping at me. I didn't want to assist too soon so Ieft him alone (about 24 hours) hoping he would break through all the way on his own. Sadly, I woke up this morning and he had died. I guess too much stress. I should have helped sooner. I peeled off his shell and he seemed perfectly formed and in good condition. I am guessing it was a humidity issue?

I feel like a murderer because I know this was my fault

On a hopefully positive note: The other three are alive so far. One popped out of his shell on his own and the other two are half out.

Also have two broody moms on nests. I'm hoping the natural way is less stressful than the artificial way. Birthing season = stressful season, but seeing the miracle of life is pretty cool.

Don't beat yourself up about it. If he externally pipped but did not zip and hatch he could have had issues or just a failure to thrive. Did he appear to be shrink wrapped or sticky? Did you see a yellow goo?
Shrink wrapped chicks are stuck--the membrane has dried (and tightened) onto the chick, making it a tight covering. The liquid has evaporated to the point the air cell shrink wrapped around the chick. It prevents any movement at all.

Sticky chick can occur once the chick has pipped, and starts to dry out. The liquids in the egg become like glue at first, then dry out further into concrete.

 

[Red Banks]

Can it take 48 days to hatch a goose egg?

 

[mandarin1]

I have never heard of goose eggs taking 48 days, the most that I've heard for the bigger breeds is 32 days. I incubate standard toulouse geese and the they hatch on days 29 and 30 for me.

 

[chicken hawk 33]

Boy or girl