Help! My Dog brought home a single goose egg!!

[dinahmite89]

Hello All!

So... my dog brought home a goose egg. One single goose egg in his mouth. It was the middle of the night so I just went into the barn and put it under the heat lamp with my chicks until I was able to deal with it further.
I was told by the local wildlife center to just throw it out because it needs lots of care to be viable. I’m a huge animal lover so I can’t throw it out. I can’t do it!

I watched some YouTube videos on how to candle an egg and it is fertile 100%. I’ve identified the air pocket, the embryo, and very apparent veins. (Really cool) I don’t see any movement except for when I turn it and it floats... I will begin to track the growth starting today. But I have not turned it every four hours since he brought it home two nights ago. It’s just been sitting under a heat lamp. But even if it ends up being viable... what the hell am I going to do with one single Canadian goose!? Doesn’t seem like a good idea! Should I take it back down to the river and leave it? Hope a goose will take it? Help!

 

[Jamie Molihan]

Holy crow, tell your dog that he is now a papa and give him the egg. Do you have a broody chicken on hand? Stick it under her if you do, she will do all the work....so I have been told...

 

[Chickkids321]

Awe.... I probably would do the exact same thing. Were the chicks able to bump into the egg, or was it separated.

I have never hatched larger fowl before, so I have no idea for the timelines and humidity levels. But, if it did hatch, I would think it would be lonely. It would probably be best to take it back down to the river. I know that’s easier said then done.

All the best on your decision.

 

[Kessel23]

Well it is illegal to raise Canadian geese without a permit... You are not going to be able to hatch it under a heat lamp. A goose will not come and take it if you leave it by the river. If you could find the nest and return it then the goose would set it with the other eggs, but if this egg is more developed and hatches before the new nest's eggs then they parents will abandon their eggs when your egg hatches. If this egg is not as developed as the other eggs then it will be abandoned when they hatch. Is there any other way you could incubate it? Broody birds or an incubator?

 

[Rondack]

Great! I have hatched a wild partridge before.... Sadly it died when it was still a chick... I hope you succeed in hatching and raising the goose, do you have a pond? When it grows up you could release it. If it is really illegal then you could probably hand it over to DEC (department of environmental conservation). Still, I think you should keep it if you can.....

 

[dinahmite89]

Thank you all so much for the information. I live close to the river so there are many geese on it at this time laying and raising their goslings! I guess I’ll need to take a walk down to the river and see if there are any nests? My dog always wonders to the same neighbors that live right on the river so it’s a good bet that it’s where it came from. It’s under a heat lamp now with the chicks. I turn it when I’m in there which is often since I’m checking on the chicks.