Here we go again - I'm hatching more goslings!!

[CelticOaksFarm]

Iain, glad you have a vet who knows birds, most will not see them, or will see them and not have a clue what they are doing. Spirit does sound like a good name. So she is from the egg that was so all messed up during incubation? That would explain her issues post hatch, and is a shame since you were hoping to build a breeding flock. What did the vet say about her foot issues as she becomes an adult and the weight she will gain?

 

[Iain Utah]

I feel very fortunate to have an experienced bird dvm!! This was actually not one of Carole's eggs, but a random egg from ebay. It was one of those eggs that I wanted to throw away during cooking but embryo was always moving super strong. I never really thought it would make it to hatch, because even though it had lost 16%, half of the inside of the egg was still fluid at lockdown. Then, I swore to not assist unless it externally pipped, and it did, but obviously was stuck because feet were not in hatching position. So, I helped her.

DVM expects Spirit will do ok as a special needs goose (although don't tell Spirit that, because she doesn't think there is anything wrong with herself!). We are supposed to monitor callous building carefully on knuckles. Luckily about half of her feet have uncurled so her base surface is better. Balance is getting there, but has to stay in special box when not supervised, as she still rolls over onto back when she falls down. When full size, if she has issues they can make her custom booties and if she has serious problems, they can amputate feet and put prosthetic feet on her. Vet thinks biggest problem will be arthritis down the road, but again there are tons of stuff to treat arthritis these days.

I already contacted the seller about it, but seller claims I am the first to ever voice issues with her eggs. Needless to say, I would not breed Spirit, but I do have a lovely threesome of healthy grey babies from Carole's eggs. Hopefully, I will have mixed genders. I plan to attempt vent sexing them later today.

 

[CelticOaksFarm]

Iain, sorry the seller didnt want info and to follow up. i cull eggs with bad air cells for this reason, it is usually related to the quality of the egg being incubated not the stock when a foot issue doesnt start self correcting or showing signs of being correctable. it could be genetic, but more likely the "shipped egg factor" at play.

glad the vet has a game plan, we have a special needs call duck who lives with our mandarin ducks, she cant fully extend one leg to the ground. it is in the correct position, foot is good, the hock joint just dont hinge. so she has an odd gate and is kept in an aviary to protect her from the other ducks and predators. Plus she is cute (looks like holstein cow) and likes to build nests.

We have 2 eggs in lockdown out of 6 from Carole, will see how they do hatching. We do have the 1 gander and 3 geese though in the Buff Dewlaps.


Erin..... just had the oddest call from the PO asking for packaging related to a claim on hatching eggs that went missing and then delivered 3 weeks late. I know this call has to be related to you (only eggs this year there was an issue on arriving on time). I dont keep boxes, they hit the trash the same day they arrive around here. You should have mentioned you were going to try and file a claim so i could have kept the box. Sorry, wish you would have communicated on this when it happened, we just dont keep boxes for months.


Been pounding the keyboard working on the farm web site. lots done, with loads more left to do. Did get the photo albums started though. Always something needing done with fencing, housing, web site, and animals. Oh and ITS HOT OUT!

and we have ducks in OUR pool,

as if they dont have enough pools choices.

 

[Iain Utah]

I was disappointed in the seller too. I also think it was a bad shipped egg situation and not the stock. Ah well, she is cutie pie and so far she continues to make progress with her balance.

I knew you'd understand why I plan to keep her. I guess everyone has to have one special needs baby. Got a pic of your call duck?

On your dewlaps eggs, did you see any fluid in egg at lockdown? What was the final % weight loss? My only almost unassisted egg this hatch had good air cell and lost 16%. He only needed help getting the cap off. The other ones lost between 14-15% had varying levels of fluid and stickiness and needed some help unsticking them as they did the work.

Speaking of your website, I got an email from a fellow silver appleyard ebay purchaser, asking if any of the eggs I bought hatched, because none of hers did. I told her that while most were fertile, I tossed them midway because they had bad air cells and I didn't feel like dealing with them. I told her about you having quality eggs and gave her your website. I am pretty sure she will be contacting you.

 

[CelticOaksFarm]

The Dewlaps have 17% loss and 15% loss. both look like they could have handled 17-18% and been better off. I will tinker with that with our own eggs down the road with this breed.

I think we have a few of spot from awhile ago. if not will take some since she is nibby and watches everything. I wish we didnt have a special needs, but she is so darn funny. Hubby will house her on our pool deck part of the summer and she dives into our pool and suns on the steps.

Thanks for the referral, we are adding a number of new SA to the flock from two different sources too.

 

[Iain Utah]

I completely agree with the dewlaps needing a 17+% weight loss to get rid of the yucky sticky gunk. Hope they hatch unassisted for you, but if not, they are not too hard to assist.

 

[bayyjayy]

Bayjay, 4 weeks will fly by, but if you want a couple of juvenile age geese to get you by, I can help you out.

You are a funny one, aren't you?

 

[erijn5]

The Dewlaps have 17% loss and 15% loss. both look like they could have handled 17-18% and been better off. I will tinker with that with our own eggs down the road with this breed.

I think we have a few of spot from awhile ago. if not will take some since she is nibby and watches everything. I wish we didnt have a special needs, but she is so darn funny. Hubby will house her on our pool deck part of the summer and she dives into our pool and suns on the steps.

Thanks for the referral, we are adding a number of new SA to the flock from two different sources too.

Iain, sorry the seller didnt want info and to follow up. i cull eggs with bad air cells for this reason, it is usually related to the quality of the egg being incubated not the stock when a foot issue doesnt start self correcting or showing signs of being correctable. it could be genetic, but more likely the "shipped egg factor" at play.

glad the vet has a game plan, we have a special needs call duck who lives with our mandarin ducks, she cant fully extend one leg to the ground. it is in the correct position, foot is good, the hock joint just dont hinge. so she has an odd gate and is kept in an aviary to protect her from the other ducks and predators. Plus she is cute (looks like holstein cow) and likes to build nests.

We have 2 eggs in lockdown out of 6 from Carole, will see how they do hatching. We do have the 1 gander and 3 geese though in the Buff Dewlaps.


Erin..... just had the oddest call from the PO asking for packaging related to a claim on hatching eggs that went missing and then delivered 3 weeks late. I know this call has to be related to you (only eggs this year there was an issue on arriving on time). I dont keep boxes, they hit the trash the same day they arrive around here. You should have mentioned you were going to try and file a claim so i could have kept the box. Sorry, wish you would have communicated on this when it happened, we just dont keep boxes for months.


Been pounding the keyboard working on the farm web site. lots done, with loads more left to do. Did get the photo albums started though. Always something needing done with fencing, housing, web site, and animals. Oh and ITS HOT OUT!

and we have ducks in

OMG!!! The usps is killing me!!!! I filed that claim 3/27/2012, I called them Friday to check the status, they said they had to call the PO's to verify that they were lost in transit. Because I told them I didn't have everyone's numbers on all 7 boxes that were lost. So they were suppose to call the PO to confirm. geeezzzz

I told them no one was going to save boxes of rotten eggs and they agreed saying that was fine just need to confirm, they would call all the PO's. I love how they will take your money but you have to be right on them every step of the way to recieve packages or to get a refund... Well I reckon I will call them again tomorrow, I'm to tired this evening to argue with them today..

Did they think I lied on the paperwork? All they have to do is look up ya'lls tracking numbers and see when you recieved them....uuhhhhh they were not 2-3 day...more like 1-2 wks???

Thanks for the update though...everyone else with the delayed shipment issues from March You may get a random call from the USPS!

 

[aaajjss1]

when do the waiting lists start for next year sebastopol babies because even if the 1 I have now hatches I know I will need more. this poor baby will have to live with the ducks until I can find more geese.

 

[Marty1876]

Well, I'm tickled to report that I've come home today to 3 more buffs and 1 gray dewlap. Everyone who made it too lockdown hatched, and I had to help only a little. The last three were the assisted bunch, and they are in 4 x 4 boxes under heat until they've got their feet under them good. They don't seem to be flippers, but they are still under observation until they are a day old.

So, out of the 11 goose eggs I was hatching, 7 made it. Now, I've got 3 sebbies in the bator, and 2 show spiders, so I'm almost done with my hatches. Thank goodness! And, the 4 that hatched today, are sort of going to be hubbies, since ITS HIS BIRTHDAY and he dug up the pond again for the dewlaps, so I'll at least give him the lone gray. Luna (Erins gray) is a girl, so if the other is a boy, he'll have a toulouse pair, even though not pure dewlap. I don't really want to give up my buffs!

Glad to see how much you've gotten done on the farm, celtic.