REMOVE THEM OR NOT...This is the hardest decision!!!

[Truffle]

My Abigail has been sitting on her nest of eggs since July 19. Two hatched on 8/18 and I brought them inside. They are doing great! Today has been the 34th day and no more eggs have hatched

yet she still sits there...patiently waiting

. I want to return the 2 goslings to her before it's too late too! Is there any chance that anymore will hatch? Should I take the 5 eggs under her away and replace them with the 2 babies?
I hope someone with more experience gives me advice. PLEASE!!!PLEASE!!!

truffle

 

[spectrumranch]

Candle or float the eggs to see if they are good.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Quote:
Truffle, did you remove the eggs?

 

[Truffle]

I just exchanged Abigail's 2 beautiful 5 day old goslings ( I had been caring for in the house) for the last 5 unhatched eggs she had been sitting on for almost 35 days! I tried candling them and could not see through them. I put them in a bowl of warm water and they sank... I'm no expert, and it was hard tapping a small hole in each egg just to prove to myself they were no good. Each one had a thick almost cooked looking yolk with runny yellow yolk in middle. They smelled like old hard boiled eggs. Not anything like a chicken's rotten egg smell. Abigail took to her 5 day old babies

right away! I was so happy for her. She kept trying to get them to stay under her, but they wanted to explore. She walked her 2 babies around the pen... she even tried to get them to get into her wading pool for a swim! I was so glad they did'nt as it is really cool and breezy today! The proud father Gideon, walked out in front of them as if he was introducing his new family to the world. Mommy then walked her little ones back to the nest. I could tell by the sounds they were making that they were tired. Now all this time I had been watching from a distance as not to distract the goslings. A few times they saw me and I felt they were thinking, now who do we follow? They couldn't get underneath her ,so I intervened and put them under her in the nest. Then I left. that was over an hour ago and I just noticed their all out in the yard again foraging

I think they will be fine!

I'm just a worry wort. The hard part will be tonight! I will worry if they will be warm enough?

 

[Miss Lydia]

Quote:
I am so glad you got these 2 goslings, and that Abigail took them back with out incidence. I'm sure they will be fine and they will evendually figure out how to get under mama. I bet Gideon is very proud papa.

 

[jojo@rolling acres farm]

Excellent news! I would watch the pool thing for the next couple of weeks. I would take the pool away until the babies are a little older and can hold their own in the water.

Glad you waited it out on the other eggs and so happy that she accepted her babies so well. If my geese don't have successful hatches - I always get them babies each Spring. They've adopted them right away - it is so neat to see. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

Good Luck and keep us posted!

Joni

 

[Truffle]

It's soooo dark

out! I hope Abigail and Gideon don't skip out for a swim and abandon their two 5 day old babies! They wouldn't do that, would they?

 

[Miss Lydia]

Quote:
you could always go out with a flash light and look

from all I've read geese are great parents and hopefully they are taking excellent care of their kids... how are they this morning?

 

[kuntrygirl]

Quote:
you could always go out with a flash light and look

from all I've read geese are great parents and hopefully they are taking excellent care of their kids... how are they this morning?

I agree. My geese are excellent parents. Even I can't get close to the babies. They will attack even me.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Quote:
you could always go out with a flash light and look

from all I've read geese are great parents and hopefully they are taking excellent care of their kids... how are they this morning?

I agree. My geese are excellent parents. Even I can't get close to the babies. They will attack even me.

My gander doesn't even like anyone near his mate and she is a duck

can't imagine how'd he'd be if he had kids..