Pilgrim goose question on breeding & fertility

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keeperofthehearth

keeperofthehearth

Songster
12 Years
Nov 3, 2007
2,190
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podunk... I mean Wabash, IN
I have a pair of Pilgrim geese, Issac & Lily. This is their second yr and early this spring...more like late winter actually, Lily laid about 24 eggs. I brought them in since it continued to freeze, turned them, checked for fertility on the first half dozen then gave Lily back 10 of the newest eggs when she was ready to sit since again.... it was freezing weather still. She hatched out 7 of the 10 w/one loss. So six robust, healthy goslings. :) She and Issac went thru a molt shortly after and she began laying again in May. Laid 11 eggs and began sitting. I left all 11 since it was warm & didn't check for fertility since we had a pretty good hatch earlier. Hatch was due on July 5/6th and one did hatch out.... beautiful daughter we've named, Grace. 10 didn't hatch even though Lily continued to sit faithfully till we reached day 34....yesterday... and when Issac and Lily took Grace out for her first walk outside. I scooped them all up and outwardly they looked good but of course they had all gone bad. None had been viable...doesn't look as if any of them had even begun to develop. I saw Issac breeding Lily regularly during the course of her egg laying so I didn't think there was an issure there. Issac was just coming out of a molt....could that have dropped his fertility down? Any ideas???? Tks!
Here is the happy family on their first walk out into the critter yard. Grace is going to be one spoiled little gosling... lol!
 
keeperofthehearth said:
I have a pair of Pilgrim geese, Issac & Lily. This is their second yr and early this spring...more like late winter actually, Lily laid about 24 eggs. I brought them in since it continued to freeze, turned them, checked for fertility on the first half dozen then gave Lily back 10 of the newest eggs when she was ready to sit since again.... it was freezing weather still. She hatched out 7 of the 10 w/one loss. So six robust, healthy goslings. :) She and Issac went thru a molt shortly after and she began laying again in May. Laid 11 eggs and began sitting. I left all 11 since it was warm & didn't check for fertility since we had a pretty good hatch earlier. Hatch was due on July 5/6th and one did hatch out.... beautiful daughter we've named, Grace. 10 didn't hatch even though Lily continued to sit faithfully till we reached day 34....yesterday... and when Issac and Lily took Grace out for her first walk outside. I scooped them all up and outwardly they looked good but of course they had all gone bad. None had been viable...doesn't look as if any of them had even begun to develop. I saw Issac breeding Lily regularly during the course of her egg laying so I didn't think there was an issure there. Issac was just coming out of a molt....could that have dropped his fertility down? Any ideas???? Tks!
Here is the happy family on their first walk out into the critter yard. Grace is going to be one spoiled little gosling... lol!
Click to expand...
That is adorable.
love.gif
 
I'm actually a bit surprised one egg was fertile. Usually, fertility drops and doesn't resume until the start of the next breeing season.

Clint
 
Yes, it'd be the gander. If she continues to lay, I probably would try to hatch them (hard for me not too), but I'd be sure to candle so you don't end up with exploders in the higher temps.

Clint
 
This is something you've probably already considered, but do they have water deep enough that they can swim? Fertility tends to be a lot higher when they can mate in water, and if there's not enough deep water or something's keeping them from it, then fertility can drop markedly.
 
Quarrystone said:
This is something you've probably already considered, but do they have water deep enough that they can swim? Fertility tends to be a lot higher when they can mate in water, and if there's not enough deep water or something's keeping them from it, then fertility can drop markedly.
Click to expand...
I had considered that. They have a kiddie pool, a couple of smaller black approx 16gl tubs and a large deep 100+ gl stock tank. Lily & Issac almost always mated in the smaller black tubs though they could go to any of them....it's what Lily prefers and they are only about 6" deep. I recently dug a mini pond that is 6 X 4 and about a foot deep that they seem to enjoy quite a bit so next yr.... if it isn't frozen .... they will have access to that. I've been contemplating a larger kiddie pool but again..... when they started breeding this winter/spring...the bigger the kiddie pool the more difficult it is to dump out... esp. when it freezes. They were breeding in the larger stock tank ....heated... w/her first clutch in March but abandoned it for the smaller tubs the second time around. Guess we will see how it goes again next year. Tks for the feedback!
 

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