How to promote mating?

[EmAbTo48]

My Sebasotopl pair I have only seen mate a handful of times (I know they could be doing it more of course) but I am getting about 75% unfertile eggs.

My goose laid 10 eggs I left one egg in the nest to keep her laying. I took 7 to incubate and cracked 2 of the eggs to check for fertilization out. One of the cracked eggs was fertilized the other not at all. I incubated and checked at day 10 none were a live so I cracked them all open to see what was fertile only 3 eggs were even fertile the rest not at all..

Out of the 10 eggs she has laid only 4 were even fertile is this normal behavior?

She stopped laying for about a week and is now back at it again.... I am worried I am not going to get any goslings out of her since I thought they only laid about 30 eggs total and were done?

She has one new egg she laid today and the "fooler" egg that I left in the nest. I am thinking of just leaving this batch to her since she is super broody. She has been sitting almost all day long. The male wonders the pen all day or goes in the pool and she just sits... I never see her out of the nest box so how are they even mating lol!!!!

My question though is if she broods again 10 eggs on her own and nothing hatches for her. Will she even lay another batch or once they brood they are done?

Thanks!

 

[CelticOaksFarm]

its early for you up there, but leaving an egg in the nest is not required at all. They need water (or should have water) for good breeding behavior. They do lay a limited number of eggs each year, so letting her sit now may end the eggs for the year all together. There is a chance she could lay a new clutch after, but be ready for her not to. Ferilitiy issues can be related to all sorts of things from bloodline known fertility issues to age to weather to feed. All sorts of things can be the cause.

 

[RURU]

What did you feed during this winter??? Last year I feed an 18% waterfowl feed and the results was not good. I had 85 to 90 eggs laid and of everything I took and tried to incubate died in the incubator or were unfertile. It was not my year. One gosling hatched. YEP, I said one!!!
This year for the winter I had Multiflock mixed with whole oats to a 15% protien mixture and the majority of our eggs are fertile that I have been checking.
I have one females that has been laying eggs off an on since November and none of them are fertile because none of our gander are breeding her.
I went and raided the nest and brought in 7 eggs last week. 5 of the 7 are fertile and goslings growing in them.
Just pulled 13 eggs today will see later on if any of those are fertile....

Like Celtic said it can be all kinds of things where your geese fertility can be off tract........

 

[EmAbTo48]

Thanks! It is really early that she has already laid 10 eggs.. They do have a kiddie pool with a deicer so its being used all the time. But I don't see them mate.

I think she is starting her second clutch of eggs right now. I guess I will have to decide if I take them or let her see if maybe she can get a few babies out of them. At least not all the eggs were infertile!

I have them on a mix our ag store does and romaine lettuce they get daily. The mix is layer, cracked corn (small amount) and whole oats. They have acces to hay but don't eat it at all. Her eggs are healthy looking all the same size clean etc...

 

[EmAbTo48]

What did you feed during this winter??? Last year I feed an 18% waterfowl feed and the results was not good. I had 85 to 90 eggs laid and of everything I took and tried to incubate died in the incubator or were unfertile. It was not my year. One gosling hatched. YEP, I said one!!!
This year for the winter I had Multiflock mixed with whle oats to a 15% protien mixture and the majority of our eggs are fertile that i have been checking.
I have one females that has been laying eggs off an on since November and none of them are fertile because none of oour gander are breeding her.
I went and raided the nest and brought in 7 eggs last week. 5 of the 7 are fertile and goslings growing in them.
Just pulled 13 eggs today will see later on if any of those are fertile....

Like Celtic said it can be all kinds of things where your geese fertility can be off tract........

Thanks RURU

Hmm.... I will have to talk to the AG store about the level of protein in the mix. They highly recomend the mix to everyone. The geese love it and they always have such great feathering so I assumed we were doing good on it lol!


Could you let her sit and then candle the eggs at day 10 see what is going on if they are all duds take them from her? Or is that a bad idea?!

 

[RURU]

All I can say is do you know how mean a goose can be if you try to look or take their eggs away from them? When they go broody they will fight you to the death to protect their eggs! Right now Sarina has went broody because of the fact she has laid eggs since November. I am not sure who's eggs she is sitting on but do know some of the otther girsl like that nest too and were going in and laying an egg here and there. Boy when Sarina went broody I could not pry her off that nest for anything. So locked her into the pen and said sit on them then.

Have food and water in with her and will see the results in 30 days??
What is funny is when the goose is on the nest yelling at you the gander comes running in and starts attacking your other end while you are in there trying to do what you can.

I have been bitten in the butt more than I like to have been!!!! Plus they have bitten my legs and have had hematomas on my legs from the brats.......

 

[EmAbTo48]

I can get her off she gets upset but she doesn't attack me. And the gander hasn't tried attacking me either... They both are mad but never have they came running at me to bite me.

I haven't had this pair lay for me before just got them last year after breeding season. I however had a pair before I raised that I also never had a issue getting them off the nest for a few mintues just to see how many eggs etc but I also had fertile eggs from them....

My set up is a 10X12 shed that has nesting boxes on one side and the door ways out for them into their pens... Hard to explain Heres a picture.

Heres the inside of the coop theres 2 nesting boxes they come into for each of my pairs (well one pair right now as we lost our CP gander)


This is the outside however the fartherest opening to the right is closed and we now have a opening on the other side of the shed and they are in split pens.



I can get her off and out into the outside pen and block the entrance. Yes she does stand at the door hissing and they make a rackett but if its not going to hurt her to going back to the nest I might just do that since then she won't have blown up eggs all over her body LOL!

 

[destinduck]

CelticOaksFarm nailed it. Too many factors.Sounds like you are doing them right on your end.

Your best case is they are just young birds and figure it all out next year. Thats what Im hoping for this year myself on a certain pair. Good luck!