Let's have a gosling hatchalong!

[Iain Utah]

Hi Iain

More Buffs from another pair - I don't believe it. Its time you got out your mat and prayed harder to the Goose Gods for Buffs

You asked about a pairing but I think you've got a little mixed up.

Chicory is a grey split to buff gander, and if I understand correctly, there is a 25% chance to get a buff girl. Pete, is that correct??

So of course you'd hatch a buff girl.

she hatches ok!

Chicory cannot be a Split as females do not carry the Buff gene as it is sex linked recessive. If they have the gene then they're visual Buffs. Only the Ganders can carry the gene (Split for Buff). However if she is a Grey and you've paired her to a Buff Gander then all the daughters will be Buff and all sons will be Splits. Therefore your odds for a Buff are 50%.

This year we've had Buffs from the following matings;

Grey Gander (split for buff) to Buff Goose. In theory produces 50% Greys males and females (males all split for Buff) and 50% Buffs (males and females).

Grey Gander (split for buff) to Grey Goose. In theory produces 75% Greys (males and females) and 25% Buff females.

Hope that helps and your babies are looking great. RG is also having a terrific season and so many hatchlings

Thanks for the compliments. I'm very happy with how robust the babies are, especially since they eat very little grain. Also, thanks for the explanation.

Chicory is a boy (grey split to buff).... mated to a grey girl, Beignet (who RG calls Fritter). So... as I was saying... of course RG would hatch yet another buff girl.

I've got the mat out and am praying to the buff gods! Surely with another 12+ eggs developing in my bator, I'll beat the odds eventually for one. 4 more days until my next pair of eggs from my trio is scheduled to hatch.

 

[Iain Utah]

Thanks for the hug J right back at you.

It was a super surprise let me tell you. My blood pressure was way up today for some reason 220 over 122 and pulse 116. I had to try and get that down A.S.A.P. So I took a clonidine and went and laid down for the day. I missed out on this beautiful day almost totally. I almost had my husband take me to the hospital but my chest did stop hurting. Every now and then my blood pressure goes wacko like that and it makes my chest hurt so badly. But I have the meds needed to stop the high BP and know to lay down do NOTHING.

Scary! Are you feeling better today???

As always Pete, very grateful. I'll keep your figures in mind, if there are any other eggs layed. It strikes me there are two pressure points in this process. the hacthing and then the introducing of the young ones to their elders. Who seem very disturbed that these pesky youngsters should want any of their turf!!. It is these very two issues that I find my self facing this week. Must review my management plan.

Another picy of the little ones:

Beautiful picture!! When I introduce goslings to adults, I put the babies in a pen inside the adults' yard for a few days until I see the adult coo-ing at the babies and becoming protective of them. Then, I release the babies to the foster parents. So far, it has worked really well.

 

[pete55]

Oh I see now. In an earlier post you wrote Chicory was paired to a Buff Gander!!! A typo that had me confused. I thought - Good grief now RG is hatching from 2 males and even then its a Buff!!!!!

There's enough of gay behaviour here and we don't wish to extend that trait to the livestock

In answer to your question Chicory is a split and as he's paired to a Grey Goose (B) then it'll be 25% Grey Split sons, 25% Grey sons, 25% Grey daughters and 25% Buff daughters.

I'm sure out of your eggs there'll be some Buff females for you

Yes the babies are doing very well and filling out lovely. If I remember ours started filling in the keels about 4-6 months old. I'll be running our Buffs on for assessing but the 4 from the Split to Buff will have to be DNA sexed. Hopefully we'll have some Buff males so its fingers crossed as only another 3 eggs to go from that pairing and they've stopped laying.

 

[pete55]

As always Pete, very grateful. I'll keep your figures in mind, if there are any other eggs layed. It strikes me there are two pressure points in this process. the hacthing and then the introducing of the young ones to their elders. Who seem very disturbed that these pesky youngsters should want any of their turf!!. It is these very two issues that I find my self facing this week. Must review my management plan.

Another picy of the little ones:

Great picture of the parents and their babies Paul

Might be tricky introducing more babies as they're an established group and the parents will be extra protective.

Iain has given you a great management tip in running them side by side for a while before considering merging the groups.

 

[Iain Utah]

Oopsie! I didn't mean to confuse you with a typo. While I do have a buff gander with gay tendencies (who I am trying to hatch the buff girl for), Chicory is all about the ladies. lol

How many eggs total do you have left in your bator? Do you have anyone still laying? I think Shimmer is done. She laid 33 eggs! Slate has laid 30 eggs and I think she has another 2-3 left to lay. For the most part, all of my girls are winding down, but I still get a few eggs a day. RG will be getting another package later this week because I think I'm done setting eggs this year. With the ones I just set, my last hatch date isn't until the 3rd week of June. I don't need to be hatching into July!

By the way, my broody grey dewlap FINALLY is showing signs of leaving nest for good. She hears the goslings and calls for them. I tried to give her a gosling (her baby, in fact) the other day. As soon as I set baby down, she was thrilled. But when I went to pick baby up, she literally flew at me biting, wings beating. It was impressive, but I realized that if I let her have any babies, I'd never be able to get near them and it may make things worse for her if I gave her some and then had to take them away from her.

 

[paul tennant]

Great picture of the parents and their babies Paul

Might be tricky introducing more babies as they're an established group and the parents will be extra protective.

Iain has given you a great management tip in running them side by side for a while before considering merging the groups.

Appreciated:
Just to clarify, re the pic, they are all goslings, except the brown Mallards. The three larger are 8 weeks and the three smaller are 5 -6 weeks. Mallards 6 weeks.

 

[pete55]

In total I have 15 eggs from my Grey Split to Grey female so hoping for 2 or 3 more Buff daughters from them though she is still laying. I suspect she's coming to the end of her laying season.

Then I have 3 eggs left in the incubator from my best pair which is Grey Split to Buff female and again hoping for another Buff there.

A total of 18 in all which is more than enough as it'll take us into the end of June.

However our Buff females are both mating again so we're not sure if we're going to get a late second clutch from them. They did last year but only 6 eggs.

If we don't hatch anymore we're happy with the results we have with the Buffs.

We've still got our parrots and tortoises yet to breed but don't think we'll be hand rearing any parrots this year as its so time consuming and tiring.

Pete

 

[pete55]

Aprreciated:
Just to clarify, re the pic, they are all goslings, except the brown Mallards. The three larger are 8 weeks and the three smaller are 5 -6 weeks. Mallards 6 weeks.

Thanks for clearing that up Paul. Are your Embdens the larger show type?

 

[Miss Lydia]

Since I am in a short break between hatches, I have been enjoying the ones remaining on property and got a few pics.
This is PJ:


These are the boys getting shipped out tomorrow.


This is the dewlap baby that I assisted hatch because he was drowning in his own fluid. He has a head wobble when he stands still, but is otherwise a very fat, healthy and happy boy. He is probably going to remain here. I named him Bobble Head.


And finally.... my first baby from one of my white African girls.

Their beautiful J.

 

[psue]

Has anyone heard from Marty or RURU today??? We had really bad storms roll through with tornadoes last night. We are fine here as are QJ and JulieNKC.