Goose laying for a second time this year

[Yadigar]

Hi everyone!

Have y'all ever heard of a goose setting a second clutch in a year? My hen had a successful teeny clutch of 5 that hatched late February/early March. I'd say they hatched a full two months earlier than last year. The goslings are massive and grown now. Two days ago, I noticed a beautiful big goose egg in her pen. It's too big to be from one of the babies. I sniffed it and it smelled fresh. You see, last year, she had an egg stuck inside her throughout the brooding process and as soon as the goslings hatched, she popped out the egg. It was really lightweight, smelled bad and exploded when lightly smacked.

Anyhow, she's protecting this new egg and building a nest around it. I'm totally confused because in all my years raising geese, this has never happened before. I live in So. Cal. and my closest guess is that we had two months that were really dreary this year called "May gray" and "June gloom". Perhaps it triggered her mating cycle again? I haven't seen the deed happening, but every morning around the same time I hear the telltale sound of goose-love, so I know Bill the gander is on board.

She's (Abigail) some sort of mix breed that I have no idea and Bill is an Emden.

That's them from last year with a bunch of ducks we have since eaten.

Anyhow, if anyone has ever heard of a goose laying two clutches in a year, please let me know!

Thanks,
Marisa

 

[mominoz]

My geese had a really weird stretched out, and 2 months later than usual laying season. (we are having some strange weather changes. Solar Minimum has started, El Ninya is over...we have had a really cool spring and summer , much the climate I used live in further north....wouldn't be surprised.

 

[Iain Utah]

It is not unusual at all for production breeds (chinese, toulouse type) to go through laying cycles 2-3 times per year. So far this year, season has been pretty normal at my place. But last year was anything but normal. I even had a buff dewlap go through a laying cycle in November, and I hatched a solo gosling from her on Christmas day.

 

[The Dim Side]

I'm going through this now! My goose (not sure what breed she is, supposed to be Roman Tufted but definitely not or at least a mix) started laying eggs last August or so at 5 months old. She went through it again around March-April and got broody (we let her sit on 2 eggs, but they were duds).

Then we got some ducklings that she thinks she's the mom of. And then the gander and she recently started mating again in the pool.

And yesterday she was panting, built a new nest, and popped out a new egg! I knew she had been acting a little weird lately, too, I was worried she was getting sick. I didn't expect her to be developing eggs again, lol.

This is Tooey. She's goofy and loves jumping on things.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Is she Toulouse? hard to tell in the picture.

 

[The Dim Side]

Is she Toulouse? hard to tell in the picture.

I have no idea! She looks similar in color to a couple different breeds, like Toulouse and Greylag and probably others? But I think she's smaller than those ones, pictures I've seen always seem thicker like in the neck. And she's probably only around 10 pounds or so. (Edit: She might be heavier than that now. I haven't weighed her recently, but when I pick her up, I think she does feel heavier than she used to. Though she had lost quite a bit of weight while she was broody, so I can't remember for sure. Definitely 14 pounds or less though.)

 

[Miss Lydia]

She looks like a Toulouse. Both of yours are very pretty.

 

[The Dim Side]

Thank you! =)