Newbie in many ways!

[Numero182]

Hi all me AGAIN,

Bit more advice needed please.

Our goose stopped laying early May, think we had just over twenty delicious eggs from her, what a good girl!

During laying my wife was bitten more than once by the gander, I couldn't find him hilarious while he was being so protective, my wife less so but he's calmed and quietened down again now and will take lettuce from our hands again.

Problem now is that since we had the last egg the goose has been spending more time than normal in the house and now for the last four days has not budged an inch from the nest, is there an egg under her? What do I do? We've been giving her lettuce to sustain her as otherwise she's not eating or drinking.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Hi all me AGAIN,

Bit more advice needed please.

Our goose stopped laying early May, think we had just over twenty delicious eggs from her, what a good girl!

During laying my wife was bitten more than once by the gander, I couldn't find him hilarious while he was being so protective, my wife less so but he's calmed and quietened down again now and will take lettuce from our hands again.

Problem now is that since we had the last egg the goose has been spending more time than normal in the house and now for the last four days has not budged an inch from the nest, is there an egg under her? What do I do? We've been giving her lettuce to sustain her as otherwise she's not eating or drinking.

Sounds like you need to do an egg hunt or she has gone broody or is sick. Sounds alot like broodiness but you might ought to give a good check up make sure her weight is good not bony in the breast area which could be a sign of sickness. How does she look is her eyes bright no drainage or discharge from nares or eyes. When she walks is she strong or wobbly? Take her outside and close the door so she has to walk around some get some exercise. Then you go in and look around for a missing egg she may have hidden. If you find an egg dispose of what ever then clean out their house put down new bedding, that may get her motivated to get on with life if the original nesting material isn't there.

 

[Numero182]

Thanks Miss Lydia,

So, a bit of an update for you, it turns out my wife found an egg in the nest two weeks ago, quite sometime after we thought she'd stopped laying and as she didn't know how long it had been there decided she would leave it in the hope we would have a little gosling running around!

Anyway, like I said four days ago she stopped coming out of the house altogether so we started to be concerned hence my earlier post.

I just went up to change their pond water and get her off the nest to grab this pesky egg only to find she's been laying again and is sitting on 6 or 7!!

She had definitely stopped at one point some weeks and Mr goose has calmed right down again, are we in for some goslings?

 

[Miss Lydia]

Thanks Miss Lydia,

So, a bit of an update for you, it turns out my wife found an egg in the nest two weeks ago, quite sometime after we thought she'd stopped laying and as she didn't know how long it had been there decided she would leave it in the hope we would have a little gosling running around!

Anyway, like I said four days ago she stopped coming out of the house altogether so we started to be concerned hence my earlier post.

I just went up to change their pond water and get her off the nest to grab this pesky egg only to find she's been laying again and is sitting on 6 or 7!!

She had definitely stopped at one point some weeks and Mr goose has calmed right down again, are we in for some goslings?

I'd say there is a big chance you might. Do you ever see them mating just wondering when the last time was? so probably 4 days ago she committed full time to the nest so you have 24-26 days left to find out. Put food and water close by but not too close you want her getting up and moving around eating, drinking and bathing I don't know maybe you have these things already close by but make sure she comes out at least 1X a day most do but others can get really run down and can actually die from not taking proper care of themselves. I just made a Muscovy duck get off her brooding [she was on fake ceramic eggs] just to let her go through the brooding process, but she would not come out daily after i went in and made her come off for 2 weeks I decided to make her get off so I took her eggs, I would not let her brood real eggs acting like this. They have to take care of themselves.

Keep us updated. and what a nice surprise eh?

 

[Numero182]

A nice surprise indeed if she survives then!

We put a feeder in the house now but the water bowl is just outside so they don't make a mess but think maybe we'll put water in there too, not so close that she can drink from her nest and I'll go up and coerce her off the nest once a day, I did yesterday although she didn't stay off it for long and when I went back she hissed at me, she never normally hisses!

We never see them mating so they must do that in the privacy of their house? No idea how that bit works for geese.

Thanks for the advice Miss Lydia

 

[Miss Lydia]

A nice surprise indeed if she survives then!

We put a feeder in the house now but the water bowl is just outside so they don't make a mess but think maybe we'll put water in there too, not so close that she can drink from her nest and I'll go up and coerce her off the nest once a day, I did yesterday although she didn't stay off it for long and when I went back she hissed at me, she never normally hisses!

We never see them mating so they must do that in the privacy of their house? No idea how that bit works for geese.

Thanks for the advice Miss Lydia

If you get her off and out of the house then just keep food and water right outside of their house. You can even close her door for about 30min maybe that way she'd eat a bite and bathe, Hissing is very normal.

 

[Numero182]

OK, so I've just got her off the eggs, food and water just outside now, she went and had a good drink of water and is now looking confused at why the door is closed but I'll leave it half hour and let her back in, seemed to take her a little while to get her legs going to start with.

 

[Numero182]

 

[Miss Lydia]

That is a great pic and shows just what geese do protect those they care about. If you find it stresses her out too much to have the door closed don't but I did this with my goose I'd get her out then clean up any soiled bedding around her nest, she would poop right off the nest

and she would go and eat and get in the pool and walk around about 20-30 min before she would get back on the eggs. At least it gets them up and walking around gets the circulation going.
If you keep doing this you'll need to stop about 4 days before hatch she won't want to leave the eggs at all when she goes into lock down. Good luck and keep us up to date.

 

[Numero182]

Great advice thanks!

Just went back out to open up for her and found her having a real good bath in the pond

Will keep you posted.