Sebastopol crossed

[JRies]

Well that settles it...back to basics. Since there is no way I will visually inspect goose private parts and I'm not going to send off for a blood feather test...I will be 100% certain that I have a female goose when I find an egg!!!!!
I now do a quick wellness check of the geese in the morning to identify problems early. Had a problem with toe sores the other month. I thought one of the geese was being mean when it was biting feet of other geese in the kiddie pool until I caught that same goose biting its own foot under water. Went through a month of foot baths, covering with antibiotic cream, wrapping the foot every night, even administering oral antibiotics when the sores were really infected. Thankfully, they are better and they have moved on from biting toes. It would have been a lot easier if I caught that problem earlier.
It is amazing what trouble they can get into.

Its ok first year eggs are a blessing when there fertile ... 2nd year eggs from true adults. are well a bigger blessing... So happy for you! Deep breath first year eggs dont always make full turm so dont get discouraged remember there still fine tuning and teenagers. But you now know there girls. Yaaa

 

[Goosey Girl]

Its ok first year eggs are a blessing when there fertile ... 2nd year eggs from true adults. are well a bigger blessing... So happy for you! Deep breath first year eggs dont always make full turm so dont get discouraged remember there still fine tuning and teenagers. But you now know there girls. Yaaa

Every Saturday I am placing my goose eggs of the week into the incubator and the infertile eggs come out. I have a separate incubator set up for lockdown and hatching. I figure that this process will assure I have time to clean the hatching incubator out before the next group are ready for hatching.

As far as losses are concerned, I came across this quote recently and I think it is a great mindset to have:

 

[JRies]

Every Saturday I am placing my goose eggs of the week into the incubator and the infertile eggs come out. I have a separate incubator set up for lockdown and hatching. I figure that this process will assure I have time to clean the hatching incubator out before the next group are ready for hatching.

As far as losses are concerned, I came across this quote recently and I think it is a great mindset to have:

View attachment 3019914

You have a good track. Yes but dont give up on the week sometimes there your strongest. Know what you want to do for farther generations. Your doing great!!!
By the way 4 of my birds are direct from David Holderread.

 

[Goosey Girl]

You have a good track. Yes but dont give up on the week sometimes there your strongest. Know what you want to do for farther generations. Your doing great!!!
By the way 4 of my birds are direct from Dave.

Thanks for the encouragement, it means a lot to me. All life is from God and is precious to me.

Your birds and mine are then very distantly related!!!! My ganders are from Moonlight Valley and some of hers are also from Dave!!! How cool!

 

[JRies]

Thanks for the encouragement, it means a lot to me. All life is from God and is precious to me.

Your birds and mine are then very distantly related!!!! My ganders are from Moonlight Valley and some of hers are also from Dave!!! How cool!

Totally get it. My Buffs are from Johnsons all there stock came from Dave. My browns are from the Houlderreds last spring.
But its first year and our expectations need to be low for results in hatching, Mostly because of there age. First year is about tweaking they systems. Funny things play in. Weather, Pond Time. Direction (yep the boys miss the mark allot) Which girl is going to get the attention (yep if she wants the boys attention she will pretend breed another girl). The social dynamics of geese in there teen years is only like looking back to middle school.
So next year we got this this year were getting our feet wet.
And so our our babies

 

[Goosey Girl]

Totally get it. My Buffs are from Johnsons all there stock came from Dave. My browns are from the Houlderreds last spring.
But its first year and our expectations need to be low for results in hatching, Mostly because of there age. First year is about tweaking they systems. Funny things play in. Weather, Pond Time. Direction (yep the boys miss the mark allot) Which girl is going to get the attention (yep if she wants the boys attention she will pretend breed another girl). The social dynamics of geese in there teen years is only like looking back to middle school.
So next year we got this this year were getting our feet wet.
And so our our babies

Every day I learn something new about my geese. They are always surprising me with their antics. One day they like a particular goose, next day they hate her. You are absolutely right...middle school.

 

[JRies]

You are the perfect Mama Goose....You love them... And enjoy all the crazy they give you. But most of all they will always know you love them!!!!

 

[Goosey Girl]

Looks like my 10 month old geese and 9 month old ganders are not making good eggs. The eggs from one female were fertile, looked good the first week in the incubator but, by 14 days they aren't developing. The 7 runner duck eggs I have in the incubator are alive and kicking, so I don't think it is something I am doing wrong with them.

I'll keep trying to incubate as long as they keep trying to make fertile eggs. Good practice for next year, I guess. Rather have them quit early than make it full term and have problems! Fascinating process raising these two-legged dinosaurs!!!

 

[JRies]

Looks like my 10 month old geese and 9 month old ganders are not making good eggs. The eggs from one female were fertile, looked good the first week in the incubator but, by 14 days they aren't developing. The 7 runner duck eggs I have in the incubator are alive and kicking, so I don't think it is something I am doing wrong with them.

I'll keep trying to incubate as long as they keep trying to make fertile eggs. Good practice for next year, I guess. Rather have them quit early than make it full term and have problems! Fascinating process raising these two-legged dinosaurs!!!

Thats kinda normal for first year geese. Fertility is hit and miss early die off on development happens allot in they first eggs also. My girl that is 2 years now are most of the eggs that are making full term. If your girls keep laying late season eggs have the best chance. Hang in there and know your doing a good job. Your kids will be adults next year. Iv been setting about 15 eggs a week a average of 3 make it to the embryo stage one usually hits early die off by the 15th day. and since all my first year geese are still laying smaller eggs with imperfections in the shells with big babies inside there not completing on the hatch. So far I have one baby from my first year girls and 4 still developing in different stages.

 

[Goosey Girl]

Thats kinda normal for first year geese. Fertility is hit and miss early die off on development happens allot in they first eggs also. My girl that is 2 years now are most of the eggs that are making full term. If your girls keep laying late season eggs have the best chance. Hang in there and know your doing a good job. Your kids will be adults next year. Iv been setting about 15 eggs a week a average of 3 make it to the embryo stage one usually hits early die off by the 15th day. and since all my first year geese are still laying smaller eggs with imperfections in the shells with big babies inside there not completing on the hatch. So far I have one baby from my first year girls and 4 still developing in different stages.

So I guess my lack of misting and cooling of eggs every day was probably not the reason for the early embryo die off.