Please help me have a lower mortality rate on my next batch of Chinese goslings.

[FutureMillionaire]

I am thriving with Muscovies. They are kinda invasive and they breed like rabbits. But I am failing with Geese. All of my 6 geese got broody but out of 5 of them only 1 successfully hatches eggs because the other moms thought the gosling is theirs they abandon their eggs. 3 goslings are born but after the storm only 1 survive. I am crossing my finger the surviving gosling is male because I have a feeling that the gander is monogamous.

I think the next laying season of my geese will be in March. I cant have incubator option because my town have a lot of blackouts. As in every 3 days. But I think a brooder may work.

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I have an old indoor pig pen with no more pigs living on it. I was thinking that every time a goose gets broody, I will catch her and gather her eggs and isolate her on the pig pen. So the mom can hatch her eggs away from the flock and just focus on her babies. I will set her free and her babies once the babies have feathers.For sure the mom will become outcast to her old flock but her babies will be her new flock.

The other option I was thinking is buy this rechargeable brooder and hand raise the goslings myself. The negative thing about handraising goslings is they turn into outcasts of the flock when they grow up.

The other option I was thinking is once the moms gets broody I will isolate the male and the non mother females so the moms will focus on their babies.

Please help me. I am failing with geese.

 

[DiYMama540]

I like your idea of isolating the broody with her eggs to the pig pen. You wouldn't have to keep them separated for too long, maybe a week after the babies all hatch. The geese are pretty welcoming of little ones into the established flocks.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I brought home 2 day old goslings and I brooded them for almost 3 weeks myself.[mainly because my female goose lost her only gosling at hatch] and she mourned for a week afterward. Also my gander is a clutch and I was worried he'd see treats and trample the little ones. He's been known to step on ducks and chickens. So anyway I would bring the goslings out daily 2-3 times just to hang out when mama goose was holed up in her house and where the rest of the birds could get use to them. After a week mama was interested in the 2 goslings and when we'd go for a walk mama would follow and papa would follow mama. I was mainly there just to bring the goslings back inside after play time. Well at close to 3 weeks and both geese especially mama was always hanging with the goslings that evening when time to go to bed mama and papa goose went inside and the 2 gosling followed. I watched through the window Missy[mama] laid down and the 2 gosling went and laid next to her. Sam stood watch over them. I could have cried it was such a precious sight. So geese are very accepting of new babies my goose loves any ducklings that hatch here. Except Muscovy. Neither of my geese like my Muscovy. Never hurt any of their ducklings but just ignore them. But the Runners Missy loves.
I would isolate mama goose with her eggs but I'd keep it where they can all still see each other. Especially papa.

 

[DiYMama540]

That is such a sweet story @Miss Lydia !! I would have loved to see that!!

 

[Gray Farms]

You could try giving the goose eggs to the muscovy hens that are setting. They will likely accept them and hatch and raise them.

 

[Miss Lydia]

My Muscovy would probably hatch snake eggs, of course they'd eat them after.

 

[DiYMama540]

Yours will hatch anything, mine will hatch nothing!! My runner girl had a hidden nest of close to 30 eggs, with the chickens help, and still didn't sit on them at all! I finally found them all when I was moving a straw bale to use. If she was ever going to go broody, that would have been the perfect opportunity!

 

[Miss Lydia]

My Runners can’t be bothered either just too busy.

 

[Gray Farms]

Yours will hatch anything, mine will hatch nothing!! My runner girl had a hidden nest of close to 30 eggs, with the chickens help, and still didn't sit on them at all! I finally found them all when I was moving a straw bale to use. If she was ever going to go broody, that would have been the perfect opportunity!

Runners aren't really know for going broody. They were bred for egg production kinda like Leghorn chickens.

 

[DiYMama540]

Luckily, I don't really need any broodies to deal with here...all my birds are on birth control! But yes, that was a prime example to me that she wouldn't do it even if I wanted her to.