Goslings of 2014 Hatch-a-long

[livininbrazil]

livin last serv chimed in he was uncertain about the Toulouse but either way I love them. As far as babies well unless I hit the jack pot and can fence in more property I don't see that happening.

Well, no matter. Your geese are beautiful.

 

[Iain Utah]

I may have done a pretty good job exercising birth control with my geese, but hubby's ducks are on a roll this year. Our latest broody hatched two babies last night with more possibly on the way today, bringing his 2014 duckling numbers to 17 so far. We still have not sold any from the last hatch and at this point hubby's duck numbers are almost as high as my geese numbers. He better get a move on before he ends up with a bunch of unruly juvenile drakes to deal with.

 

[livininbrazil]

I may have done a pretty good job exercising birth control with my geese, but hubby's ducks are on a roll this year. Our latest broody hatched two babies last night with more possibly on the way today, bringing his 2014 duckling numbers to 17 so far. We still have not sold any from the last hatch and at this point hubby's duck numbers are almost as high as my geese numbers. He better get a move on before he ends up with a bunch of unruly juvenile drakes to deal with.

Oh, joy! Let´s hope they´re mostly females!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Well, no matter. Your geese are beautiful.

Thanks livin I think the same of yours. gorgeous.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I may have done a pretty good job exercising birth control with my geese, but hubby's ducks are on a roll this year. Our latest broody hatched two babies last night with more possibly on the way today, bringing his 2014 duckling numbers to 17 so far. We still have not sold any from the last hatch and at this point hubby's duck numbers are almost as high as my geese numbers. He better get a move on before he ends up with a bunch of unruly juvenile drakes to deal with.

At least he won't have to worry about that till next spring, but having a mess of drakes that are hormonal is not fun I can vouch for that.

 

[livininbrazil]

Thanks livin I think the same of yours. gorgeous.

So far I have 18 goslings: 6 Pilgrim-type, 9 PilgrimxNormandy-type, all of these appear to be auto-sexing, so that experiment worked out well, and 3 little mixes.
I´m now waiting for 4 more mixed-breed geese to hatch out 11 more eggs. 4 of those eggs are with 2 yearlings that I just left them to brood to keep them occupied. Appear to still be viable, much to my surprise, due to hatch later this week, into next. We´ll see how it goes. Already have one survivor from a yearling.
The other 2 geese with eggs are older ones, reared goslings successfully in their 2nd breeding season last year, so one of them has just 2 eggs to keep her happy, and the other one that didn´t have a successful hatch last year is sitting on 5 eggs. This is the last one to sit, she´s the mixed-breed pied that bred with her pied 'nephew' so I´m hoping for success there, to see if I get more pieds. I should do, but the nephew is also half auto-sexing, so that could mess it all up, I don´t know. All interesting stuff anyway. Having lots of fun.

My yearling goose who adopted the 2 that hatched indoors is doing really well with her little brood. Only one is actually hers, all the others are adopted, but she´s doing great. Today I let her out of her pen with her little ones to go to the stream and find gravel and grass and things, and mix with the other geese for a while. It´s funny because the imprinted babies follow me, then she follows them as she´s adopted them, then the other tiny ones follow on behind, allo of them shouting as they go... She doesn´t have a gander yet that´s adopted the family, so she feels a bit vulnerable out with the others. I stick nearby to sort out any disputes as the babies are so tiny. So, after half and hour they were all tired so back they went to their little pen. I just called the older babies, which were followed by the goose, and the others babies in turn. so sweet.

When I go into the field, I get greeted now by all the muscovies and their ducklings, the adult geese, and now 12 goslings that are big enough to free-range, all trying to get into the feeding pots before I can even shut the gate! And you should see them when they spot I have a lettuce! Even if they´re down in the marsh, they come shouting up the hill. They make quite a flock now.

blah, blah.....

 

[Miss Lydia]

So far I have 18 goslings: 6 Pilgrim-type, 9 PilgrimxNormandy-type, all of these appear to be auto-sexing, so that experiment worked out well, and 3 little mixes.
I´m now waiting for 4 more mixed-breed geese to hatch out 11 more eggs. 4 of those eggs are with 2 yearlings that I just left them to brood to keep them occupied. Appear to still be viable, much to my surprise, due to hatch later this week, into next. We´ll see how it goes. Already have one survivor from a yearling.
The other 2 geese with eggs are older ones, reared goslings successfully in their 2nd breeding season last year, so one of them has just 2 eggs to keep her happy, and the other one that didn´t have a successful hatch last year is sitting on 5 eggs. This is the last one to sit, she´s the mixed-breed pied that bred with her pied 'nephew' so I´m hoping for success there, to see if I get more pieds. I should do, but the nephew is also half auto-sexing, so that could mess it all up, I don´t know. All interesting stuff anyway. Having lots of fun.

My yearling goose who adopted the 2 that hatched indoors is doing really well with her little brood. Only one is actually hers, all the others are adopted, but she´s doing great. Today I let her out of her pen with her little ones to go to the stream and find gravel and grass and things, and mix with the other geese for a while. It´s funny because the imprinted babies follow me, then she follows them as she´s adopted them, then the other tiny ones follow on behind, allo of them shouting as they go... She doesn´t have a gander yet that´s adopted the family, so she feels a bit vulnerable out with the others. I stick nearby to sort out any disputes as the babies are so tiny. So, after half and hour they were all tired so back they went to their little pen. I just called the older babies, which were followed by the goose, and the others babies in turn. so sweet.

When I go into the field, I get greeted now by all the muscovies and their ducklings, the adult geese, and now 12 goslings that are big enough to free-range, all trying to get into the feeding pots before I can even shut the gate! And you should see them when they spot I have a lettuce! Even if they´re down in the marsh, they come shouting up the hill. They make quite a flock now.

blah, blah.....

I love it, sounds like so much fun, okay where are more pics you have to remember we're all suffering from fall/winter heading fast our way we need to see tiny glimpses of spring in the form of goslings and ducklings.

You've had a great laying season. look forward to seeing new babies.

 

[livininbrazil]

I love it, sounds like so much fun, okay where are more pics you have to remember we're all suffering from fall/winter heading fast our way we need to see tiny glimpses of spring in the form of goslings and ducklings.

You've had a great laying season. look forward to seeing new babies.

I´ll take some more in the next few days to put on here. The older goslings are about a month old now, and are so forward. Their mom stays behind them hissing because she´s so wary, but they just ignore her and come right up to get the goodies! Little guzzlers!

 

[Iain Utah]

LB, that's a lot of goslings! Glad that they are all doing well.

Over this way, there are now 5 ducklings... and not ready to declare that the final hatch count yet. Sheesh!

 

[livininbrazil]

LB, that's a lot of goslings! Glad that they are all doing well.

Over this way, there are now 5 ducklings... and not ready to declare that the final hatch count yet. Sheesh!

Last year I had a total of 19, this year it should be over 20, but it´s mainly because I wanted to see what I have here, and that´ll show in the offspring. Next year I shall be putting false eggs under some of them, and others I´ll leave with a couple of eggs.
Yesterday I went to the feed store again, and saw a man there for the second time in a week who´s looking for a muscovy drake and can´t find one!! He´s asked me twice if I´ll sell mine, but I said no, as he´s a nice drake. But I do have 13 of his ducklings coming along, so next time I see him I´ll say he can have him. He just wants a calm drake to go with a solitary duck he has, and mine is about 5 years old, so he´ll be fine. But then I´ll have no older drake here to teach the juvenile males to behave themselves... horror! I just hope they inherit their parents´ calmness a bit. I think one of the young drakes is a blue or similar, as he has grey fluff, I´m hoping.......