Gosling hatch troubles Please advise

[Plain_View_Farm]

Hi all, David here. First time poster on this forum but have read lots.
I posted on one of the sticky posts in the beginning on helping hatch but I'm uncertain how many peruse that post each day. If anyone has time to read my long help request there I'd appreciate it.

The link is (hope this works)
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=478252#p478252

Thanks for all the advice I've read thus far here.
David & Ann

 

[AussieSharon]

Welcome. Maybe MissPrissy will see this and can help. She recently hatched goslings and is incubating more.

Greyfields knows a ton about geese too. Maybe PM either one of them.

 

[greyfields]

Quote:
Waterfowl are not like chickens. A less than 50% hatching rate is considered normal. Now I've had over 80% of ducks work out this year, but am under 50% on the geese as well. You should never expect or assume 100% hatching on waterfowl, which is sad.


Quote:
Sounds like you did everything right there. It's generally too low of humidity during the hatch which causes the most problems. It is OK to unzip the egg after they have pipped. The issue is usually with the membrane. If the blood is bright red, go no further. If it's gummy and dark red/purple, then it's OK to peel.

A goose hatch can take up to 2-1/2 days and be considered normal.


Quote:
You assisted a bit too early. If the cord is still wet and pliable, then the gosling is still absorbing the yolk into its abdomen. Realize even if they've pipped, it could be another 48 hours until the sack is totally absorbed.


Quote:
Never cut. Leave it in the incubator and let it dry out. It will then naturally desicate and crack off on it's own.

Quote:
After every hatch I find fully formed embyros in my eggs which simply didn't pip. It's frustrating. Here is the only reliable troubleshooting guide I know of:

http://www.msstate.edu/dept/poultry/trouble.htm

However, too high/too low humidity is the problem with almost everything and it's hard to know which you have. I recommend getting a good hygrometer from Fluker's Farm (reptile grade) and The Book of Geese by David Holderread:

http://www.amazon.com/Book-Geese-Complete-Guide-Raising/dp/0931342023

 

[MissPrissy]

I can't add anything that Greyfields hasn't already said. It is hard to know when to help and when to sit back and let nature finish the course. Helping too soon causes death. Helping too late causes death. All I know is to follow my gut and go with it. My first hatch was 75% (3 of 4 eggs). My second was 67% (2 of 3 eggs). Not too shabby but I sure wish I hadn't lost those 2 goslings.

 

[Plain_View_Farm]

Thanks all for the advice.
The little guy was still kicking when I got home. It had removed the umbilical itself but it's belly is still a little bulged where it attached. I removed it from the incubator and put it in a small cage with a temp of 90-92 degrees on a towel. It doesn't like the light as we have found in most. I used a new hypodermic with no needle to give it a few drops of water by placing it at the edge of it's bill and it seemed to drink a little. It hasn't stood yet but kicks like crazy trying. It seems to have the will to live so I don't want to cull just yet. I tried offering it some chick starter which it refused. I had read somewhere that hard boiled egg was high in protein and could be given to
nursing birds. I tried a little mashed up poached egg and it seemed to eat a few tiny pieces.

I'm not giving up just yet unless I would see that it is suffering, then I couldn't allow that.
Thanks all for your help, I'll let you know how it makes out.

David & Ann

PS You can't poach an egg in the microwave by placing it in a bowl of water and cooking on high for 2 min.
It was real ugly when the egg exploded.

 

[MissPrissy]

After a hatch I do offer food and water but with a properly absorbed yolk they will mostly sleep and rest for a day or two before trying to eat and drink. If you use a red light and not a bright white light you won't assault the senses of the gosling so much. They do require warmth but not as intensly warm as chicks. Make sure the gosling can at least crawl away from the heat of the light if needed. Put something warm and fuzzy, even a feather duster or small fluffy stuffed animal in there to give it something to cuddle up with.

Something to know if you don't already - geese cannot eat medicated chick feed. The meds build up in their system and become toxic quick. Offer only plain starter crumbles. Geese are herbivores and do not eat bugs and insects like chicks. They feed well being able to graze. When the little gosling gets its feet under it and moving around wait about a week and start offering fresh cool grass clippings. It is really good for them.

Good luck.

My 2nd batch of babies are getting their first trip outside today and tons of fresh grass to eat.

Where in central Va? I am in the triagle of Fredericksburg, Culpeper and Charlottesville.

 

[Plain_View_Farm]

Missy,
We are located in Louisa County about half way from Charlottesville to Richmond.
We did know about medicated vs non medicated feed. The Turkey Poults get medicated but the ducklings and Goslings do not. They get Purina Chick Starter (I believe)
We did roll up a sock for him to snuggle against as it is alone in the nursing unit at the moment.
In reading more here on BYC I'm seeing other potential problems we may be inducing.

First, we don't have automatic turners. For one reason I don't think Goose eggs would fit in them. This requires having to open the bater 3 times/day for a few minutes to turn. Were still having an above average hatch rate but still a potential cause of our problems.

Second and another reason we don't use an automatic turner is we have been hatching different species together. Turkey, Duck and Geese. All are different sizes and require different humidity rates. (I did order 3 Fluker's Hygrometers Greyfields, thanks for that tip)

So, without an automatic turner how do you place eggs in the bater small end down? We have just been laying them on their side which may explain why the last 2, including the nursing one now, pipped the small end of the egg.

David

 

[MissPrissy]

I got my puppy from a breeder in Louisa. I am less than 20 miles away.

I have a goose egg turner that fits in my hovabator. Even in it the eggs do not stand up, they lay on the side. The turner holds 16 goose eggs. If you have an incubator that the turner will fit in I recommend you buy one if you plan to hatch many goose eggs each season. The only thing I did was open the bator for 15 minutes each day for the cool down and spray the eggs with warm water. While the bator was open I took the time to run the surefire over them to watch for signs of movement every day. I have also read that some people open theirs for 30 minutes every day for the cool down. I paid $47 for my turner but I see now the price has gone up to $50. If you have a chicken egg turner you can modify it for goose eggs. You loose one rack and can only put 4 in a row. Any more and the weight is too much for the little turner motor.

I know people do try to hatch different types of eggs together and generally with poor success. I know some people think that even 1 hatch is a success but in the long run it really isn't if you loose the rest at the same time. They each need something different. Perhaps you will have better success if you stick with one kind at a time?? I don't understand why so many have various species hatching together in the same place. The rate of water and gas exchange is differnent and other variables are unique to each type.

Then it again just might be me.

I don't even brood the different fowl together. To me it is just against nature to mix them all up. You know - bird of a feather flock together. You don't see geese and turkeys living together in the wild.

For both hatches I candled every day. When I saw the 2nd hatch had pipped the air cell but after a day with no external pips my gut told me to pip the outer shell so they could breath. In my previous hatch 1 egg had inner pipped and suffocated the next day. The inner membrane was like shrink wrap and I am sure it died from suffocation.

With all of these problems plus the fact that goose eggs are known to promote and grow bacteria I wouldn't even try to incubate them together with other eggs. Not even after disinfectioning them. Too much opening the bator and changes in the environment endangers all of the developing eggs.

As you can see there are so many factors to consider when you through all the eggs in together it is a wonder we are able to hatch anything at all without a brooding female to do it for us.

 

[Plain_View_Farm]

As most and especially myself expected, the little one didn't make it.
I wish now I had found the post on the subject why are people so eager to help I found a few days after I helped this little one.
It just seemed to me that after 36 hours being pipped it should have made some progress.
Well, lesson learned.

In the next bater.
We have 2 Black Spanish Turkeys found pipped at 3:30PM yesterday. This AM they had only zipped slightly and not peeping very much. One Bourbon Red Turkey moving around un-pipped, but peeping like crazy last night but this AM no sounds.
I'm torn now what the best thing is to do.

We have had 90% success rate on Bourbon Red Turkeys. These are the first Black's we have done.
White Chinese Geese we have had around 50% success rate which I have read here is average.

David

 

[rodandbrandy]

Sorry about your goose, I just hatched ducks and went through the very same thing, going with your gut is always good and your probably did what needed to be done. I just had to help all of my ducks hatch and we did lose 1, my only advice would be to leave them in the bator a bit longer than you might otherwise, make sure there is good air circulation but still nice and warm. I am far from an expert but it worked for me, the last one to come out was in there for 48 hours after hatching, I also gave it drops of sugar water on it's beak every 2-3 hours (not sure if it was needed) and in the end she is healthy and waddling around the brooder. Good luck!