Is this goose going to lay?

[greathorse]

I have a gaggle of four geese one gander and three females. The have always hung out together but now one of the females is hanging by herself mostly and appears to have built a crude, somewhat happless nest. It is kind of pitiful but clearly a ring of leaves grass and sticks. I have not seen her sit in it but sort of seems to be hanging around it.

The geese are all about 10 months old and were to be Dewlap Toulouse, but don't show a lot of traits we shall see I suppose, different story altogether.

Is she about to begin laying? Is she likely already laying and now getting ready to start a clutch? This is my first experience with geese.

I am considering stacking some bales of straw around her nesting spot as I think some of her materiel seems to blow away. She of course built this nesting site right outside my basement door so I will need to walk around it until she finishes with it.

 

[newduckie]

mine layed here there and anywhere till she got ready to start a clutch. then she built the nest up and started laying in it only.. good luck.

 

[greathorse]

Hey thanks, it sounds like I should be looking for eggs. They have the run of the place so they could be anywhere.

 

[newduckie]

It is an egg hunt every day for me. Who needs Easter!!!! lol

 

[greathorse]

She is now solidly nested in a box stall in the barn brand new nest with lots of straw. Not sure where the eggs would come from as there were none there this morning. I have not seen the gander breed any of these females I do not have a pool for them to breed in as it is still very cold here. I am not so sure these would need it as they dont seem to be the big bodied Dewlaps I had hoped for.

Shouldn't ten month old Dewlaps look like Dewlaps? They are not very deep bodied and only the mail displays a distinct dewlap/

If I manage to hatch some of these I dont think I can represent them as Dewlap Toulouse.

 

[goosedragon]

Quote:
Give them some time! They are not fully mature at 10 months if they really are the large Toulouse their body & Dewlap will continue to fill out to about 18 months even longer under less that ideal conditions. Don't be too upset if the eggs are not yet fertile, the gander takes longer to mature than the geese. Frankly if I were looking for goslings I would be stealing eggs trying to keep the goose laying longer in the hopes that the gander catches up to them. Leave at least 2 eggs in the nest so she doesn't give up hope, incubate the eggs until you get to the fertile eggs and then decide if you want to incubate them or let the goose do it. I votet or let the goose do it myself but that is just my opinion.