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

[CelticOaksFarm]

Lovely geese. It is my understanding Pilgrims are auto sexing so you have a same sex couple. Did you hatch them, or buy them as goslings or adults? The one to the rear also appears to have angel wing.

Adult ganders [males] are mostly white, usually with gray rumps (which are covered by the wings) and traces of color in the tail and wings. Mature geese [females] are soft dove-gray with varying amounts of white in their faces. Bills and legs are orange in both sexes, while the eyes are blue in ganders and dark brown in geese." (Holderread, 1981).

 

[Iain Utah]

I purchased equine stall pellets today for the goslings (who will be 2 weeks old tomorrow). I plan to line bottom with a sheet, then add 1-2" layer of pellets. Do you think this will be ok?

Also, I want to state again... the picture of the toulouse geese are the parents of the eggs I purchased, but they are not my geese. These are my guys:

 

[psue]

Peeppeep here is a picture of my pilgrims... Fred is White, Ethel is the one without white on the back (they are bonded) and Lucy has the white spot on her back.... Ethel took exception to Lucy about a week ago after being raised together... so now I have a pair and a loney goose that talks to my Lab.

 

[CelticOaksFarm]

They should be fine Iain, we use the pellets in the new brooders we built similar to yours. The ducklings are on them and Milo the new Sebastopol is out there tonight with them too.

 

[r4eboxer]

Boy there were a lot of posts for me to catch up on. I have added a new animal to my place. I found out that I am dairy and gluten intolerant and I went out and bought a 2 year old milk goat Saturday that had just come fresh the week before. She has kept me busy. I had to check all of the pasture fence, build a stanchen to milk her, round up the stuff to milk in and to strain the milk and store it, get her feed, pans etc. I am also still building my Chicken coop (I have the roof left) and I am incubating two incubators of goose eggs.

I weighed my eggs and after 10 days they had lost 5% of their weight. Tonight I am going to candle them to check on how they are progressing. My humidity has been fluctuating between 35 to 45%. It is pouring down rain today and so the humidity is up. It sounds like everyone has eggs started.

Question unrelated to geese here. I am also lactose intolerant. Do you find you can tolerate goat milk well? I have had goat cheese and had some problems with it. I'm going to get a dairy cow for the family and grass feed but I also am considering a dairy goat. I know everyone has different levels of lactose they can tolerate but I'm curious how goat milk treat you. TIA

 

[Iain Utah]

Time for my day 7 candling/weighing in report!!! Are my results good??

Toulouse:
Egg 1. I think it is alive and there appears to be a touch of veining, but no defined spider. It has a slightly damaged air cell. Weight: 165 to 160.
Egg 2. It has a well defined spider! Weight 219 to 211.
Egg 3. This one is questionable. It has a red glow, but no evidence of veining. It was also has a damaged air cell. Weight: 170 to 162.
Egg 4. It has a well defined spider! Weight 196 to 188.
Egg 5. It has a well defined spider! Weight 196 to 188.

Africans:
Egg 1. I don't think it is developing. It has a badly damaged air cell too. Weight 150 to 146.
Egg 2. This one is questionable. It has a damaged air cell. Weight 153 to 149.
Egg 3. It has a well defined spider! It also has a damaged air cell. Weight 153-149.
Egg 4. It has a well defined spider! Weight 153 to 148.
Egg 5. It has a well defined spider! Weight 149 to 144.

 

[psue]

here's my 7 day report:
Embden
Egg 1. Not fertile
Egg 2 .Nice spider Weight 179 to 170

Pilgrim
Egg 1. Not fertile
Egg 2 .Nice spider Weight 126 to 121
Egg 3. Nice spider Weight 120 to 115


I also have:

Squishy (Embden) day 29 shadowing and gently rockin

Embden
egg 16 nice dark baby area with movement day 20 weight on day 8 183 to 171
egg 17 nice dark baby area with movement day 20 weight on day 8 182 to 171
egg18 nice dark baby area with movement day 20 weight on day 8 182 to 170
egg 19 nice dark baby area with movement day 20 weight on day 8 181 to 169

egg 23 nice movement and veining day 14 weight on day 2 187 to 172

 

[pete55]

Hi Everyone - Im very impressed with all your monitoring of your eggs and watching your humidity levels. Dont be too disappointed if some eggs fail as its all a learning curve and for those with shipped eggs the job is even harder as there's often air cell damage.

Oregon mentioned bedding and using a non-slip puzzle mat - great advice. We use a similar material thats slightly perforated but it gives great traction for the goslings feet and reduces any possibility of spraddle leg. I think its a silicone material. We simply wash it and replace as required in the first week and after that the goslings go onto standard bedding.

With the Dewlaps its best to look for size and vigour. They should be deep in the body and show good keel and dewlap development, However young birds need three years to achieve their final size and shape but the potential should be there from an early age. I have always liked Holderread's Dewlaps and our own Greys are decended from these lines. Our best Dewlap is pure Holderread and I love his type. Next year we plan to combine this bloodline with the Buffs.

Our own start has been somewhat shaky - you see even we get mixed results as its not always plain sailing. Out of the 6 eggs we set (3 Dewlap and 3 Buff African) only one African has develped but these are maiden eggs. Hopefully the rate will improve as more geese are now laying and another we set another 6 Africans and 3 Dewlaps last night. I think the Buff Africans may perform the best this year and we're very pleased that our Gander is now proven.

Good luck everyone and I'll try to keep up with questions but a busy time as I've also got my own 2 youngsters to see to who are both a handful at 2 and 6 years old!

Pete

 

[animaladdictions]

Kawonu.... Those buff Poms are beautiful, beautiful, did I say beautiful....BEAUTIFUL!!! I'm in love! How much are the eggs?

 

[pete55]

They are lovely and now you're tempted