Goslings of 2014 Hatch-a-long

[flockman]

I am hoping for anniversary babies. My broody goose is due to have hers hatch the 9thish. Don't know when she went broody. I was on vacation. Judging by the number of eggs in both nests she must have started about the 8th-10th. She was broody when I returned on the 11th.

Side note the duck eggs in my classroom are due in 22 days!

 

[bibkel]

So, I have a frizzle bantam that got picked on so much that she was generally unfriendly. I finally pulled her from the group, because she looked awful. I gave her a nice warm bath, blow-dry, and a box of shavings. I thought she was egg bound because of how she was walking. She laid an egg, so that was not it. Her bum was red, raw looking, her neck same thing. She is the first picture here, and this shows her good side. Not sure if ya'll wanna see her rump. ick.

So, not being egg bound, I figured she seems content it the box, and it will give her feathers a chance to grow back. A few eggs later, she started to be broody. So I swapped out some eggs that had more of a chance of being fertile (slipped a duck egg in there too). I continued to bathe her at least once a week, cuz she managed to get poopy. smelly!

This morning, I heard a high pitched cheep that did not sound like the goslings. I finally got up to investigate, thinking is that the distressed sound of a gosling being eaten by a cat? Kinda panicking and planning how to shoot the cat!

Nope, they were fine, wee wee wee-ing away at me as soon as they saw me, but the cheep sounded again! I looked and there was a just hatched wet baby! So my first hatch of the season seems to be a silkie that may have grey white and a bit of brown....She (I hope) is so TINY!!!!

Enjoy!





One more to come in a minute


I almost forgot to remember1 It is Bonnie and Clyde's first birthday!!

 

[psue]

ok byc buds ive awsome news out of my 4 African eggs ive 3 pipped so far! And two black beaked and one BUFF!!!!! my first buff african ever!!! (hope its male). The other two africans are also special but this buff one is extra ! Oh and its peeping a lot! This made my day Yessss! IT MUST BE NAMED!

We don't have much of a selection in the way of foods where I am. And thankfully I figured that out long before I got my goose eggs, MUCH less the goslings themselves! So I made a plan.

Essentially, my geese are going to be grass-raised from Day 1 (or 2). That is just their main source of food, period. We have a yard big enough to feed them in right now, and my brother is clearing out more of the woods behind us as time goes on, so we'll be getting more access to grass as they grow. But I'm going to supplement everything during the different seasons, based on the various chicken food these stores keep in stock.

During their growing months, it's chick starter. Once they are fully feathered, I'm switching to scratch grains and grit as their primary supplement (although there is already PLENTY of grit available in the yard for them anyway). And then during laying season, I'll stick with the layer crumbles or pellets (we have layer feed in both textures here) with maybe some barn lime added in for extra calcium if I notice thin shells. But their main feed will still be grass. Of course fresh fruits and veggies will be added about once a month when I do my grocery shopping, and once the garden picks up and starts growing some as well. But they will always have access to grass. In the days when they may stay penned up, I'll have my nephew mow it with the grass catcher bag on, and dump the cuttings into their pen.

I might even have him freeze some. Maybe that's something you seasonal lawn people should think about - literally bagging up the grass cuttings, and freezing them for the winter months, if you have freezer space. Grass doesn't turn brown here, but it does almost stop growing during Winter. So I'm pretty sure they'll always have access to grass. But just in case, there's no harm in freezing it for later, like we already do with fruits and veggies...

Anyway, short answer is, as long as they are getting their nutrients, yes, the layer feed could help them during breeding season with it's extra calcium.

Mine are out on grass whenever possible.. never thought about freezing grass. I have thought about sprouting grains in the winter but have yet to try it.

 

[Starfire669]

Mine are out on grass whenever possible.. never thought about freezing grass. I have thought about sprouting grains in the winter but have yet to try it.

Mine are out on grass soon as well, no later than a week old depending on weather. If I can't take them to grass I bring grass to them lol. Sprouting is awesome even in summer. It relieves boredom in the coop, provides nutrition, and I get a 1 pound of seed to 4/6 pounds of sprout conversion using deer feed seed, not planting seed. It truely does make the chickens and geese happy to see me coming with sprouts. I'm surprised the neighbor hasn't complained about their calls when I bring their sprouts, lol.

 

[livininbrazil]

Im back to 6 geese laying. Im getting 3 eggs a day now i had been down to 1 a day.
I still only have one external pip in the bator. They aren due tomorrow though so it will probably be the weekend before they are out and ready for pics.

One of my lavender Africans








Here are two of my female goslings and my lavender in the sun (pics very bad! Sun was bright

 

[Miss Lydia]

So, I have a frizzle bantam that got picked on so much that she was generally unfriendly. I finally pulled her from the group, because she looked awful. I gave her a nice warm bath, blow-dry, and a box of shavings. I thought she was egg bound because of how she was walking. She laid an egg, so that was not it. Her bum was red, raw looking, her neck same thing. She is the first picture here, and this shows her good side. Not sure if ya'll wanna see her rump. ick.

So, not being egg bound, I figured she seems content it the box, and it will give her feathers a chance to grow back. A few eggs later, she started to be broody. So I swapped out some eggs that had more of a chance of being fertile (slipped a duck egg in there too). I continued to bathe her at least once a week, cuz she managed to get poopy. smelly!

This morning, I heard a high pitched cheep that did not sound like the goslings. I finally got up to investigate, thinking is that the distressed sound of a gosling being eaten by a cat? Kinda panicking and planning how to shoot the cat!

Nope, they were fine, wee wee wee-ing away at me as soon as they saw me, but the cheep sounded again! I looked and there was a just hatched wet baby! So my first hatch of the season seems to be a silkie that may have grey white and a bit of brown....She (I hope) is so TINY!!!!

Enjoy!





One more to come in a minute


I almost forgot to remember1 It is Bonnie and Clyde's first birthday!!

What a sweet lil chick Congrats!!. My lil frizzle was almost killed by some RIR before i got her, my friend owned her then when i first saw her i thought there was no way she'd live, well she did and is in her 6th yrs I've had her almost 5 she is one fiesty lil bantam doesn't take anything off the LF girls at all her best friend is a Brahma hen. I hope your lil frizzle makes a full recovery love her coloring.

 

[Miss Lydia]

X2

 

[Starfire669]

I come back from town after taking my son to get a chipped tooth fixed and everyone is having babies! Congrats all!
Yay for fuzzy butts!

 

[livininbrazil]

We don't have much of a selection in the way of foods where I am. And thankfully I figured that out long before I got my goose eggs, MUCH less the goslings themselves! So I made a plan.

Essentially, my geese are going to be grass-raised from Day 1 (or 2). That is just their main source of food, period. We have a yard big enough to feed them in right now, and my brother is clearing out more of the woods behind us as time goes on, so we'll be getting more access to grass as they grow. But I'm going to supplement everything during the different seasons, based on the various chicken food these stores keep in stock.

During their growing months, it's chick starter. Once they are fully feathered, I'm switching to scratch grains and grit as their primary supplement (although there is already PLENTY of grit available in the yard for them anyway). And then during laying season, I'll stick with the layer crumbles or pellets (we have layer feed in both textures here) with maybe some barn lime added in for extra calcium if I notice thin shells. But their main feed will still be grass. Of course fresh fruits and veggies will be added about once a month when I do my grocery shopping, and once the garden picks up and starts growing some as well. But they will always have access to grass. In the days when they may stay penned up, I'll have my nephew mow it with the grass catcher bag on, and dump the cuttings into their pen.

I might even have him freeze some. Maybe that's something you seasonal lawn people should think about - literally bagging up the grass cuttings, and freezing them for the winter months, if you have freezer space. Grass doesn't turn brown here, but it does almost stop growing during Winter. So I'm pretty sure they'll always have access to grass. But just in case, there's no harm in freezing it for later, like we already do with fruits and veggies...

Anyway, short answer is, as long as they are getting their nutrients, yes, the layer feed could help them during breeding season with it's extra calcium.

Very much like my situation. No flock raiser here, just chicken feed for chicks, and layers. Period. so, my geese are free-ranging, so get loads of grass year-round, although in the winter growth slows. They get all manner of bits chucked in there too. Oranges as well which they love to strip out. I have to sneak the layers mash in for the chickens when the geese are distracted, or they´ll scoff the lot. they always finish up what´s left. And they absolutely love chick crumb. It´s like a treat for them all. I f I want to move some geese, I just turn up with the chick-crumb and they follow like puppies.

 

[livininbrazil]

So, I have a frizzle bantam that got picked on so much that she was generally unfriendly. I finally pulled her from the group, because she looked awful. I gave her a nice warm bath, blow-dry, and a box of shavings. I thought she was egg bound because of how she was walking. She laid an egg, so that was not it. Her bum was red, raw looking, her neck same thing. She is the first picture here, and this shows her good side. Not sure if ya'll wanna see her rump. ick.

So, not being egg bound, I figured she seems content it the box, and it will give her feathers a chance to grow back. A few eggs later, she started to be broody. So I swapped out some eggs that had more of a chance of being fertile (slipped a duck egg in there too). I continued to bathe her at least once a week, cuz she managed to get poopy. smelly!

This morning, I heard a high pitched cheep that did not sound like the goslings. I finally got up to investigate, thinking is that the distressed sound of a gosling being eaten by a cat? Kinda panicking and planning how to shoot the cat!

Nope, they were fine, wee wee wee-ing away at me as soon as they saw me, but the cheep sounded again! I looked and there was a just hatched wet baby! So my first hatch of the season seems to be a silkie that may have grey white and a bit of brown....She (I hope) is so TINY!!!!

Enjoy!





One more to come in a minute


I almost forgot to remember1 It is Bonnie and Clyde's first birthday!!

Well, that hen isn´t going to win any beauty contest, eh? But good on her to hatch that tiny little bit of fluff! Nice surprise.