Natural incubation or incubator

[burntkiwis]

Hello
We will have had geese about a year in the spring and they will be about a year old in spring. We would like to hatch a few geese off to fatten up for the table. I'm not sure which road to go down, the natural route or use a incubator. I have a book on keeping geese and that makes using incubator sound the best way because the geese are then tamer. The geese we have at the moment are not really tame and have never had to much contact with us and I think they are perfect for what we want, but would the next generation be more vicious? Knowing how terrertoral geese, how would the older geese take to the new flock being put with them? Also we have many chickens and have tried both natural and the incubator and I would use a broody hen every day of the week as I think its far easier and lots of less hassle. I would like to here your experiences and any advice you can give would be very helpful.
Cheers James

 

[Oregon Blues]

If you want a lot of goslings, take the eggs and hatch in an incubator. Once your goose hatches a clutch she will stop laying for the year.

I like to let the goose hatch and care for the goslings. Another option is to incubate the first eggs and then allow her to build a clutch and set.

The geese are going to be territorial during breeding season whether you let the goose set or not. I suspect that they might be more agitated if you take the eggs. They are protective of the eggs and they will know that it is you who is stealing them.

If you let teh goose set, stay back from the nest and train your gander to behave himself. Goose behavior is about training for good behavior.

 

[flaming007]

I have hatch goslings in an incubater and let birds hatch them. My hand raised birds are a lot more calmer then the the birds raised by other geese. Its a lot less work 2 let the birds raise their own goslings. They should act like the adults as long as u have some interaction with them.

 

[burntkiwis]

So do I do the same as with chickens and once she is broody? Take her away from the rest of the flock and set her in her own hut with a little ru,n or do I leave her to nest in the there hut and shut the rest of the flock up with her every night as normal.