Incubated egg under yearling goose?

[Christopher1399]

I have searched but not finding info that exactly fits my situation.

I have (2) one year year old Toulouse Geese. I have been pulling eggs and we currently have "day 16" viable eggs in the incubator. I'd like to keep one of their offspring on the farm and sell the rest of the goslings. The female has had "cycles" of broody and cycles where she is not. She's not much of a consistent daytime sitter but we also have not exclusively closed her inside her run where her nest is 24/7. When she is closed at night in she mostly is on the nest.

I realize based on my experience with chickens that a momma is ideal to raise their own, and I wondered if anyone has tried placing an incubated egg under a broody goose.

I had considered the following:

-Close them into their pen 24/7
-Place a few infertile eggs or let her build a clutch near the end of incubation
-place a pipped egg under her with the clutch of infertile her so she can hear it, and adapt as it comes out of the egg
-hopefully she raises it

My girlfriend wanted to try placing a hatched chick under her which to me seems way to abrupt of change from sitting on eggs to having a chick already there, especially for a first timer.

Both options maybe be way to risky or not possible but finding info seems difficult so I was hoping someone with more experience may have thoughts.

Thank you

 

[Goosebaby]

First years aren’t always the best parents in my own expierience, they’re like teenagers so they haven’t always figured out that they have to stay on the nest to actually hatch babies, she’ll be better next year.

If you give her a chick she might not recognize it as a baby and attack it, or she’ll go full momma and start parenting it and abandon her nest to parent it.

 

[Christopher1399]

Thank you! Do you think there is any value in closing her in where her nest is.. which she does sit well when on lock down.. with a hatching egg? So she will have time to recognize what's happening rather than just placing a chick there?

 

[Goosebaby]

She will stay on the nest if locked in, there’s really nothing else for her to do, but make sure she gets out off the nest for 10 minutes a day to get a drink, something to eat, and a bath if she wants.