My goose just started laying eggs NEED HELP

[gooselover1]

I have 2 white chinese swan geese 1 male 1 female that are about 6 months old and the female just started laying infertile eggs the 1st one was big and had a hard shell but I'm worried because she's laying pink softshelled eggs and she's laid about 2 in one day and the last one was really small

 

[GoldenFlight]

Welcome to BYC! Thank you for joining us, BYC is an amazing community that loves birds and people!

It sounds like she need oyster shell, that will make her eggs hard and strong again.

If you have any more questions don't be afraid to ask!

 

[gooselover1]

Thank you

 

[Pork Pie]

If geese are anything like chickens that are new to laying - what you describe is quite normal. It can take a while for their "egg-laying" machinery to get in sync. I'm sure the geese peeps will be here to help you out - I am merely surmising.

 

[8GeeseALaying]

Hi! First off oyster shell will help with the soft shell. It should be left out for them to get as they please all breeding season.
Second, are you sure that you have a male and a female? The part about infertile eggs and two in one day (regardless of size) makes me think that you have 2 females. Geese lay one egg every other day. So if you get two eggs in one day or an egg every day for more than 2 consecutive days you have 2 females. Chinese geese are a very early maturing & a very productive breed, I have broken the first eggs of my young first time Chinese and found that they were fertile.

 

[gooselover1]

Yes I'm sure i got a male and female i think the 2 in one day was just a fluke and is it normal for the girl to stop laying for awhile is it just seasonal egg laying

 

[Miss Lydia]

Yes I'm sure i got a male and female i think the 2 in one day was just a fluke and is it normal for the girl to stop laying for awhile is it just seasonal egg laying

Usually once they start laying they will lay every other day till breeding season is over or they begin to brood. I would think they could take the occasional few days off. It's usually an egg every other day.

 

[The goose girl]

My late goose, Keld, once laid two soft-shelled eggs within a few hours, so it can happen. She was my only goose, so there was no doubt she laid them both.

Sometimes young geese take their time adjusting to producing eggs. It's not unusual for them to lay a few soft-shelled eggs during their first season or to be less punctual with the timing. Also, in my experience, the soft-shelled eggs just don't play by the rules. I once watched Keld lay one while grazing - she didn't even seem to notice. Most of her soft-shelled eggs were on-the-go: on the lawn, in her bathtub, in the pond, on the porch; whereas all the regular eggs were laid in her nest.

As others have said, let your goose have access to oyster shell. Each goose egg shell contains lots of calcium, and it has to come from somewhere. What comes out must go in. Hopefully, your goose will start laying beautiful hard eggs within a few days of getting the oyster shell, and only rarely (if ever again) lay a soft-shelled egg.