Got a goose egg today

[zooweemama]

Got another one today. The first was laid Thursday and we found it Friday. She laid another today covered in some blood. She walks a little funny since she started laying them. I hope she is ok. They are from my goose and they are about 115 grams right now. I couldn't weigh the one we found today because my 6 year old dropped it. I almost wept.

 

[Iain Utah]

Awww, how cute! I don't think I've seen a goose egg that small. Congrats!

 

[zooweemama]

Got another one today. The first was laid Thursday and we found it Friday. She laid another today covered in some blood. She walks a little funny since she started laying them. I hope she is ok. They are from my goose and they are about 115 grams right now. I couldn't weigh the one we found today because my 6 year old dropped it. I almost wept.

Her vent actually looks a little...red. I saw her poop earlier today and her vent just looked abnormally tender and red. Do you think she is ok? I don't think her egg laying mechanisms are ready for egg laying or something. Should I leave her alone or put something soothing on her vent?

 

[zooweemama]

Awww, how cute! I don't think I've seen a goose egg that small. Congrats!

Thanks!

They are much bigger than my duck eggs but I have bought goose eggs form the farmers market and I know they get bigger than this. It reminds me of chicken eggs. Like my Leghorn just started laying and her eggs are 40 grams. They are adorable and tiny. But I know they get bigger. All my birds seem to start out laying small eggs and then slowly they get bigger. I assumed geese were the same but maybe most geese lay big eggs right up front?

 

[Iain Utah]

Geese are the same as ducks in that their first egg is smaller and they get bigger until they reach the average standard size for that particular layer. I am told that for geese, 2nd year eggs are bigger than 1st year (and the goslings will also be larger).

I also got my very first ever goose egg (from my own gaggle) today. She is an 8mo dewlap Toulouse and her egg was 136 grams. It was also bloody, but I've had first eggs from ducks that were bloody and that went away after a few days, so I'm not concerned about my girl at this point. My girl hatched from a 150 gram egg and is fairly petite for a dewlap. My biggest geese hatched from 185-210gram eggs. My smallest geese (hatchery Africans) hatched from eggs that ranged in the 130s.

 

[zooweemama]

Geese are the same as ducks in that their first egg is smaller and they get bigger until they reach the average standard size for that particular layer. I am told that for geese, 2nd year eggs are bigger than 1st year (and the goslings will also be larger).

I also got my very first ever goose egg (from my own gaggle) today. She is an 8mo dewlap Toulouse and her egg was 136 grams. It was also bloody, but I've had first eggs from ducks that were bloody and that went away after a few days, so I'm not concerned about my girl at this point. My girl hatched from a 150 gram egg and is fairly petite for a dewlap. My biggest geese hatched from 185-210gram eggs. My smallest geese (hatchery Africans) hatched from eggs that ranged in the 130s.

Thank you. I will just watch her then for now. Poor thing lol. Are your Toulouse pretty good foragers/rangers?

 

[Iain Utah]

Production Toulouse are good, but dewlap Toulouse are not so good. While they love to graze on the lawn, my dewlaps prefer the quiet life in a fenced yard.

 

[zooweemama]

Production Toulouse are good, but dewlap Toulouse are not so good. While they love to graze on the lawn, my dewlaps prefer the quiet life in a fenced yard.

oh na haha! Those Dewlaps prefer the good life of food in a bowl and sweet naps eh? haha! My hatchery Africans are go getters and forage (with the ducks the eat bugs and stuff) and also graze some. I love the Dewlaps but I prefer to have go getters here to help off set feed costs so maybe not Dewlaps for me huh? Do you find the Toulouse much quieter than your Africans?

 

[Iain Utah]

My Africans are the same way. They love to free range over many acres and eat very little grain. When I had my dewlaps over on my horse pasture, they hung out in one small area by where I fed them and refused to wander around beyond at most an acre. They waited for feeding time and expected a kiddy pool, even though there was a pond and stream nearby. They were not happy at all with my Africans either. They are much calmer since I moved them over to my front yard. They do love their food being served to them and long naps!

Noise level between the two breeds is night and day!! My Africans can be really loud.

 

[flockman]

Congrats!