Pilgrims hatched!

[daydreamer92]

All three goslings have hatched. I fussed about membranes and did end up chipping shells and carefully peeling back membranes that seemed dry but they have all come out.

Gosling #1 hatched around 4am last night.

Gosling #2 hatched about 12 hours later.

Gosling #3 hatched about 5 hours after that.

I believe I have one boy and two girls if I am doing the sexing Pilgrim things right.

This forum has been great for this first time hatcher! Never hatched anything before these geese! They are drying off and fluffing up well in a homemade bator that is working out great for the purpose. The yellowish one (#1) is chatty and nibbling everything, and #2 started nibbling even quicker. We'll transfer them into a proper brooder in the morning and start offering food and water (I used a syringe to offer some dribbles of water + electrolytes so far).

Now I have 17 duck eggs, 10 with internal pipping, 5 that aren't makign noise yet but some movement and 2 with small aircells and very weird candling results. I think I'll post about them in duck forum.

 

[Balbinka]

Awe!

Brand new babies <3 Congrats!

 

[bookerdog]

Very nice. The one on top sure looks like a boy. I have a couple more days to go and my pilgrims should be hatching.

 

[daydreamer92]

The other two are much darker (even when dried) and have darker bills. I'm assuming that makes 'em girls. So of 4 original eggs, shipped, three hatched. Not bad for a newbie! I think the ratio is good too, would rather have 2 girls and a boy than the other way around.

 

[pete55]

Congratulations - they look a lovely little trio. Thats an excellent an hatch rate and then there'sthe fact they were shipped!!! You should feel very proud.

Pete

 

[daydreamer92]

Here's everyone all dried and moved to a laundry basket.

All of them are trying out their legs (wobbly! And momentum doesn't seem to be their friend). All have sampled the water and nibbled at crumbles. There's been preening and nibbling and stumbling and a lot of sleeping.

How warm do you guys keep your brooders? I'm used to chicks and their very obvious peeping if they are cold. Do goslings let you know if they are chilly?

 

[Urbanfarmerkc]

Has anyone ever hatched under a Pilgrim mamma? I left mine to tend her own and she ended up laying about 20 eggs then is sometimes on but mostly off. I didn't know if she just hasn't figured out how to go broody or what the deal is.

Advice?

 

[countrychix]

Congrats, daydreamer92. Those goslings are adorable. I'm a newbie to the world of goslings but I'm keeping my brooder at approximately 90 degrees right now. My sebbies are just 2 days old. They were outside yesterday as we had temps in the mid 70s and they seemed fine. I read reduce brooder temperatures by 5-10 degrees per week until you are down to 70 degrees and that heat is not usually necessary after they are 5-6 weeks old. Of course that would depend on your weather conditions if they are brooded outside. Hope this helps and enjoy those babies.

 

[Balbinka]

Quote:
They look good! Good job

I don't have a thermometer in my brooder. Binka and Briz let me know if the temperature needs adjusting.
They will gather under the light and topple around if they are cold. They will move to the far corner if it is hot.

I've got it just where it needs to be now. The first day was challenging finding the right temperature for the babies (this is only my second time brooding anything).
I did not want a thermometer. I didn't want to read my chick's comfort out of a book. I wanted them to let me know what made them most comfortable!

I think it's around 85 degrees (F)

Waterfowl certainly don't need as much supplementary heat as chickens do.