- Oct 12, 2010
- 21
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I need advice. Please help if you can. I tried putting 5 Chinese Goose eggs in the incubator, but only two hatched, and only one of those two survived. And I have to stop and say I am in love with the little darling! She's just beautiful and makes us all smile. I raised the parents since they were a week old, so it brings back wonderful memories of them growing up.
But, my female Chinese goose has been dedicatedly sitting on a nest of 5 eggs since April 11. It has now been 36 days. I have been doing a lot of reading and most say it can take up to 28 - 30 days. How long should I let her sit on the nest? Until she gives up on her own? Should I try to interfere and take the eggs? I am reasonably sure that the eggs were fertile. The two that hatched in my incubator needed assistance. I ended up carefully peeling the shells from them after 24 hours of no progress. One gosling was malformed, the other like I said is perfect. I checked the other eggs after a couple more days and found that there was dead goslings. I felt terrible for them. I wondered if they too had not been able to get free of the shells. I read in several forums that that is not uncommon for goose eggs that are hatched in a man made enviroment. Now I worry about hers. I am afraid that perhaps I should have already checked and tried to see if they needed assistance. Or now is it too late? I have not attempted to candle them because I have also read that if you disturb a goose on her nest that she may abandon them.
But, my female Chinese goose has been dedicatedly sitting on a nest of 5 eggs since April 11. It has now been 36 days. I have been doing a lot of reading and most say it can take up to 28 - 30 days. How long should I let her sit on the nest? Until she gives up on her own? Should I try to interfere and take the eggs? I am reasonably sure that the eggs were fertile. The two that hatched in my incubator needed assistance. I ended up carefully peeling the shells from them after 24 hours of no progress. One gosling was malformed, the other like I said is perfect. I checked the other eggs after a couple more days and found that there was dead goslings. I felt terrible for them. I wondered if they too had not been able to get free of the shells. I read in several forums that that is not uncommon for goose eggs that are hatched in a man made enviroment. Now I worry about hers. I am afraid that perhaps I should have already checked and tried to see if they needed assistance. Or now is it too late? I have not attempted to candle them because I have also read that if you disturb a goose on her nest that she may abandon them.
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