Moving a broody goose?

[Fernleaf]

I have a bit of a pickle here, and hoping perhaps for some more experienced goose-people to see what they think.

I have a pair of American Buff geese that are nesting, and everything is going perfectly well except the timing. We're in the middle of moving to a new house and need to be out before her eggs are due to hatch.

The move is lengthy, about 45 min from our current location.

My geese currently live in a small pallet shed that is locked up at night, and my goose (Gwen) has a nest box inside where she built her nest and has 8 eggs.

The problems are that we can't move the whole house even if it wouldn't scare the heck out of the geese, and her nest 'box' is actually a frame with no bottom, so we can't just pick up the nest itself either. She's been sitting for about two weeks so far.

I was trying to think of ways that we could possibly move them and the nest to the new house, and I'm just not sure what would be a good approach. My best idea so far is to get a bottom on the nest (husband and I should be able to manage that if we can catch her off the nest, they take a promenade around the house so she wouldn't see) and then on the night we move them, go out in the dark, take her eggs (so they don't break in transit or if she panics) and give her maybe some duck eggs to keep her company. Then drape a towel over the nest box, put her DH (Gandalf) in a dog crate, put them both in the car and away we go. I don't have an incubator now, but would be willing to buy one for the occasion. My biggest hurdle is how to keep the eggs warm during the drive? I'd be worried that she's break them or not sit on them during the trip. Our best solution so far (we'd need to a do a trial run or two first) would be to heat up our dutch oven, wrap it in a towel with a damp washcloth or some-such for humidity, and keep the eggs in that until we get to the pre-heated incubator...

This conundrum is driving me nuts... I wish we could just leave her here, but doubt the next renters would really want a pair of geese for a week.

Has anyone every had a similar problem? Any advice, suggestions, or wisdom would be greatly appreciated!

 

[aaajjss1]

make rice bags and heat in microwave to keep eggs warm for that short period i wouldn't worry about humidity.I run my bator dry, i have never moved a goose but it seems like putting a bottom in the box and moving it would be the best thing so she will be in a familiar box. just jar the eggs as little as possible. I'm kinda new but maybe some ofthe more experienced breeders will have ideas for you. good luck!

 

[wcbpolish]

I'm hijacking this old thread.

We have a goose that is trying to go broody where all the ducks lay their eggs. Basically, she can't brood there, it's too high traffic and the ducks would probably keep slipping new eggs under her.

Any advice on how to get her to brood somewhere else? I'd like to let her sit, but her location is not going to work. With chickens I just move them to a cage somewhere, and most of the time they stay broody. I can't stick her in a cage, because her boyfriend might try to kill me, plus I can't really handle the geese anyway... they don't let me touch them.

She jumps off the nest and runs away every time I collect duck eggs.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I'm hijacking this old thread.

We have a goose that is trying to go broody where all the ducks lay their eggs. Basically, she can't brood there, it's too high traffic and the ducks would probably keep slipping new eggs under her.

Any advice on how to get her to brood somewhere else? I'd like to let her sit, but her location is not going to work. With chickens I just move them to a cage somewhere, and most of the time they stay broody. I can't stick her in a cage, because her boyfriend might try to kill me, plus I can't really handle the geese anyway... they don't let me touch them.

She jumps off the nest and runs away every time I collect duck eggs.

Do they have their own place? if so make her get up and move the eggs you want her to sit on to her house with plenty of the nesting material as you can get. Then close off the area she was just on break up the nest and put something over top to keep her from coming back. Possibly she'll take up where you placed her eggs. I've never had to move my goose once she's gone broody but I have done ducks and chickens before, and I can pick my goose up when she is broody because they are in such a trance so you might can move her and her eggs at the same time and place her back on the eggs. My goose does not like to be touched or held either but when she is broody I can go into her house and pick her up and check the eggs. You have to make sure she cannot get back to where she is now and collect all eggs as soon as they are laid so she doesn't see them.

 

[wcbpolish]

Do they have their own place? if so make her get up and move the eggs you want her to sit on to her house with plenty of the nesting material as you can get. Then close off the area she was just on break up the nest and put something over top to keep her from coming back. Possibly she'll take up where you placed her eggs. I've never had to move my goose once she's gone broody but I have done ducks and chickens before, and I can pick my goose up when she is broody because they are in such a trance so you might can move her and her eggs at the same time and place her back on the eggs. My goose does not like to be touched or held either but when she is broody I can go into her house and pick her up and check the eggs. You have to make sure she cannot get back to where she is now and collect all eggs as soon as they are laid so she doesn't see them.

Thanks for the advice... the problem is that this is where all the ducks lay their eggs... blocking it off leaves around 15 hen ducks laying eggs all over the large pen for me to look for.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Thanks for the advice... the problem is that this is where all the ducks lay their eggs... blocking it off leaves around 15 hen ducks laying eggs all over the large pen for me to look for.

Well hunting eggs isn't so bad is it? lol
Only other thing I can suggest is keeping the geese out of that area period. This breeding season my goose starts just like every year going in the other houses looking for a nice place to lay her eggs, so the last couple years I made her her own lil private compartment inside the goose house and put some fake goose eggs in it. Now she is very happy with her house and isn't thinking of laying anywhere else.