(New Goose Owner) My Two Female Geese Have Gone Broody. HELP!!!

[Sapphire Valeran]

Hello!
I have three American Buff Geese, two females and a male. The females just went broody and there are 23 eggs under them. I know for sure that one of them (Lola) went broody, but I'm not sure about the other one (Lillith) yet. They have two nests, but they are smushed together. I've been reading a bunch of stories about geese stealing and crushing the eggs and now I'm paranoid. So... Here are my questions:

1. Because there is no divider between their nests, the eggs go back and forth between the two. The total of eggs is 23. Should I let them lay on all of them?

2. Should I put a divider between the two nests, such as a piece of plywood?

3. Should I just remove the eggs altogether and get an incubator?

P.S The nest looks like its only one, but it's not. I had moved it around a little bit before I took the picture.
Plz help me. I'm up for any suggestions!
Thank you,
Sapphire

 

[Sapphire Valeran]

0505191716a (4)

• Sapphire Valeran
• May 5, 2019

My geese's nest

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

I haven't encountered this issue with geese, but did have something similar occur with ducks...and they crushed eggs while fighting over them. I ended up giving all the eggs to one broody, but it was less than a dozen total. In your case, 23 would be too many for a single goose to cover.

If these were my girls, I'd give half to the goose that seems most likely to go the distance, separate her so the other can't interfere, and put the rest in the incubator. Of course, if you do, your challenge will be not knowing exactly how old the eggs are and when to lock down.

Best of luck!

 

[Percheron chick]

My gooses do the same thing. Just leave it be. The eggs are already mixed up. Some might be a week along and others are newly laid. You will end up with a staggered hatch. Not a bad idea to have an incubator on standby to finish up any eggs they abandon. Once the bulk of the eggs hatch, the girls will focus on the hatchlings on often push out the remaining eggs even though they are viable.

 

[Sapphire Valeran]

UPDATE: I candled the eggs and took out several that were either new or had nothing in them. There are about 18 eggs now. Both geese have descided to go broody and they don't seem to be fighting over them at all. They seem to be taking turns. For example: Throughout the day while Lola is on the nest, Lillith will be drinking, eating, or bathing. Then when the Lola wants a break, Lillith will go and lay on the eggs.
Idk if this is good, but I havnt had any eggs bust, so I'm just going to leave them alone. Also, I checked to see if all the eggs fit under them, and surprisingly, they do.


Thanks everyone

 

[Sapphire Valeran]

UPDATE: I candled the eggs and took out several that were either new or had nothing in them. There are about 18 eggs now. Both geese have descided to go broody and they don't seem to be fighting over them at all. They seem to be taking turns. For example: Throughout the day while Lola is on the nest, Lillith will be drinking, eating, or bathing. Then when the Lola wants a break, Lillith will go and lay on the eggs.
Idk if this is good, but I havnt had any eggs bust, so I'm just going to leave them alone. Also, I checked to see if all the eggs fit under them, and surprisingly, they do.


Thanks everyone