Goose sitting on eggs for over four weeks.

[NevadaEmma]

Tilly, an Embden goose, has been sitting on her eggs for about 5 weeks. I took them all out when she was off the nest and candled them briefly. There is a air pocket on the large end of the each egg, and a cohesive dark area above which takes up about 2/3 of the egg shell. That seemed a big large to me, but I have not candled many goose eggs.

One egg was broken in the nest a couple of weeks ago. Not much was left of the egg, but I could smell it. Tilly would stand on her eggs when I would come into give her treats in the morning almost like she wanted me to help her get rid of the residue. Since I cleaned it up she has not been standing on her eggs most of the time when I check on her.

She has always allowed me to give her treats, talk to her, stroke her feathers and handle her eggs. From my point of view, she seems to be worried about the eggs. She is again standing on them more often, but then it has been very hot here lately.

Any thoughts?

 

[Jenbirdee]

She is beautiful. forgive me for asking a dumb question, but do you have a gander that has been mating with her? (or eggs cant be fertile) Im surprized he lets you near her. ...

 

[NevadaEmma]

I am really surprised as well. She lets my husband near her as well. But she does not tolerate the other geese, even sometimes her mate, when they came near her nest. Soon after she started regularly sitting on her nest, she would not let her mate, Leonard, stay in the coop with her at night most evenings.

She really hisses after the chickens when they come into her coop. Although she has seemed to tolerate a few of them lately.

I know she is fertile as I have successfully incubated at least 8 of her eggs. I did have another male her first year that was mating with her, but she did not want to sit on any of her eggs, and she laid about 40 over a few months. (I did take them out after they were over several days old and often tried to incubate them myself.

I have two males this year that could have been mating with her, Leonard and Curley. Leonard primarily. I am not sure if Curley ever successfully mated with her.

So, I guess I will wait a bit more. Today could be only day 35, but it could be a few days more.

 

[NevadaEmma]

I am really surprised as well. She lets my husband near her as well. But she does not tolerate the other geese, even sometimes her mate, when they came near her nest. Soon after she started regularly sitting on her nest, she would not let her mate, Leonard, stay in the coop with her at night most evenings.

She really hisses after the chickens when they come into her coop. Although she has seemed to tolerate a few of them lately.

I know she is fertile as I have successfully incubated at least 8 of her eggs. I did have another male her first year that was mating with her, but she did not want to sit on any of her eggs, and she laid about 40 over a few months. (I did take them out after they were over several days old and often tried to incubate them myself.

I have two males this year that could have been mating with her, Leonard and Curley. Leonard primarily. I am not sure if Curley ever successfully mated with her.

So, I guess I will wait a bit more. Today could be only day 35, but it could be a few days more.

BTY, Leonard is a Pilgrim and Curley is a Sebastopol. They were all raised together.

 

[Jenbirdee]

@Goosebaby

 

[Jenbirdee]

good idea, I hear that waterfowl seem to take forever... while you are waiting, this is a good read if you have seen it yet or no? I think you already have more experience with hatching geese than I do, here I am just trying to be supportive . I love geese. and goslings are the best thing ever.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/goose-incubation-hatching-guide-completed.491013/

 

[NevadaEmma]

good idea, I hear that waterfowl seem to take forever... while you are waiting, this is a good read if you have seen it yet or no? I think you already have more experience with hatching geese than I do, here I am just trying to be supportive . I love geese. and goslings are the best thing ever.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/goose-incubation-hatching-guide-completed.491013/

Thanks! I would bet they will be piping tonight. I hope so. I agree, I love goslings much more than chicks, not that I do not love chicks. But they are so entertaining and loving. I prefer that at least goslings hatch, but if only one hatches in the incubator then we get to spend lots of quality time with the little bird. This is of Tillytwo, daughter to Tilly. She is one day old, possibly two. She loved to stick her beak in my husbands ear and trill softly.

 

[Jenbirdee]

Thanks! I would bet they will be piping tonight. I hope so. I agree, I love goslings much more than chicks, not that I do not love chicks. But they are so entertaining and loving. I prefer that at least goslings hatch, but if only one hatches in the incubator then we get to spend lots of quality time with the little bird. This is of Tillytwo, daughter to Tilly. She is one day old, possibly two. She loved to stick her beak in my husbands ear and trill softly.

i love it so much.
If I had more land, I would probably have so many geese.. it could get ridiculous...

 

[NevadaEmma]

Sad day for us. I went to look in on Tilly and saw egg yolk on her face and body. And it smelled horrible. I was able to get her up and took all her eggs out and cleaned out the broken egg.

She did not seem to be concerned, maybe she realized that they were all bad. Which they were. I cracked all of them open. The first I opened all the way through the membrane and out oozed yolk and reddish fluid. The rest I just opened the outer shell and all were reddish brown inside the membrane.

So sad, now I have to check her daughters nest.

I wonder why she stayed on them so long, or would she have abandoned the nest at some point. Her mate, Leonard is clearly upset with me and agitated with the situation.

 

[AKMommaF8]

Sad day for us. I went to look in on Tilly and saw egg yolk on her face and body. And it smelled horrible. I was able to get her up and took all her eggs out and cleaned out the broken egg.

She did not seem to be concerned, maybe she realized that they were all bad. Which they were. I cracked all of them open. The first I opened all the way through the membrane and out oozed yolk and reddish fluid. The rest I just opened the outer shell and all were reddish brown inside the membrane.

So sad, now I have to check her daughters nest.

I wonder why she stayed on them so long, or would she have abandoned the nest at some point. Her mate, Leonard is clearly upset with me and agitated with the situation.

I'm so sorry! I had my Pilgrim hen do the same thing...sit on dud eggs! Her first real attempt at hatching any. (I don't even believe any of them were fertile!) I finally get a gander (the last one we had ended up being a white female of some mixed breed, though we were told it was a Pilgrim gosling when we bought it!) I felt sorry for her.