Is the goose eating the babies before they hatch??

[elmacri]

I have a goose who is sitting on 8 goose eggs and 7 duck eggs,
Today i saw half a shell that had been opened lengthways and had blood etc like from a newborn. I got reall excited as they are due this week. However i couldn´t see any little ones. We lifted her up and to my horror she only had the goose eggs left. About a week ago i saw she still had them all.
IS SHE EATING THE DUCKLINGS?? and WHY!! ,
She has food and water next to her ......does she know that the duck eggs were not hers or is she just working her way through and is going to eat the lot.
OH please help some one. It was such a shock.

 

[The goose girl]

As geese are vegetarians, it seems very unlikely that she's been eating the ducklings.

It seems much more likely that some other animal has found the nest and is regularly scouting it for new hatchlings and/or the eggs. Maybe a rat or a member of the weasel family like a ferret, a polecat, a marten, or a mink? Minks love waterfowl eggs and babies.

 

[CelticOaksFarm]

Crows will steal new babies and eggs too. A goose is rather large to sit duck eggs and can easily step on one and break it open.

 

[zazouse]

Skunks will run her off the nest at night and eat the inside of her eggs i have seen it happen at my place before.
Once an egg is broken in or near a nest every critter around can smell it and find the nest.

 

[elmacri]

We are in Spain so don´t get things like ferrets, polecats, martens,or minks. We do however get Rats. I just find it very strange that the duck eggs went yet the gooses eggs are all still there.
A Muscovy has a nest less then a meter away that she is making but not yet set fully and she still has all her eggs. I am very confused now.

 

[RHRanch]

Predators are attracted by the sounds of the newborns pipping in their shells and the smells from hatching. Sadly I have had predators come and take eggs and hatched babies out from under mothers. Rats can do that, I bet.

 

[The goose girl]

We are in Spain so don´t get things like ferrets, polecats, martens,or minks.

You do have polecats (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_polecat), beech martens (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beech_marten) and minks in Spain. The polecats and the martens are native species; the minks are mostly American Minks escaped from mink farms (http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neovison_vison). Those are not native to Spain, but they have invaded most of Europe - and actually made the native European Mink an endangered species as they compete for the same food. They thrive in a colder climate, so if you're in the southern regions, minks are not your problem.

 

[oberhaslikid]

I have seen my ducks do this but not the geese.
They know the egg is bad they will carry it off away from the nest and eat it to deture any invaders.
I agree with the geese too heavy for duck eggs.

 

[elmacri]

I can promise you we don´t. Even if Wiki says we do. lol, In this part the closest you can get to them is looking them up on line or there are some polecats at a Zoo in Malaga city. . Sorry but i live here and its just not true. I am in southern Spain. However the duck eggs went but the goose eggs have started to hatch today. No signs of predators and also i have a ducks nest right next to hers and no eggs have disappeared.
<i am coming round to the idea that she did leave being vegetarian for a while in order to consume the duck eggs .

Who knows.
My neighbour has geese and ducks and he always puts duck eggs under his geese and he has never had a problem with them vanishing or breaking. Who knows ? not me but at least i have some little goslings

<Thanks for everyones help.

You do have polecats (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_polecat), beech martens (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beech_marten) and minks in Spain. The polecats and the martens are native species; the minks are mostly American Minks escaped from mink farms (http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neovison_vison). Those are not native to Spain, but they have invaded most of Europe - and actually made the native European Mink an endangered species as they compete for the same food. They thrive in a colder climate, so if you're in the southern regions, minks are not your problem.