Sebastopol goose laying full egg and soft egg pair

[schatze]

My goose Babette turns three this week, and she just started laying her first eggs since she was 7 months old.

She's so far laid two eggs, but after each regular egg, which look and feel perfect, there's also a shell-less egg. This has happened with both eggs. A perfect egg, and then about 2-3 hours later there will be a shell-less egg.

Should this be cause for alarm? She's behaving normally.

 

[Goosebaby]

What feed is she on?

Does she have access to oyster shell?

Geese generally lay every other day. Laying twice in a day is not normal. With how quickly she’s laying the second my guess is the second egg is transiting her oviduct immediately rather than absorbing calcium.

It could be because she’s a new layer though, first laying season is weird.

 

[schatze]

What feed is she on?

Does she have access to oyster shell?

Geese generally lay every other day. Laying twice in a day is not normal. With how quickly she’s laying the second my guess is the second egg is transiting her oviduct immediately rather than absorbing calcium.

It could be because she’s a new layer though, first laying season is weird.

I have her on Kalmbach 16% Flock Maintainer, and she also grazes during the day as well as snacking on bok choy about once a week. There has been about three days between each good egg, but it's followed by the soft egg.

I was wondering if it's because she's sort of new. She laid when really young (5 eggs), but then there was nothing for two years, so it's like everything is new.

 

[Goosebaby]

I have her on Kalmbach 16% Flock Maintainer, and she also grazes during the day as well as snacking on bok choy about once a week. There has been about three days between each good egg, but it's followed by the soft egg.

I was wondering if it's because she's sort of new. She laid when really young (5 eggs), but then there was nothing for two years, so it's like everything is new.

Kalmbach flock maintainer doesn’t have a lot of calcium for laying birds, it’s also low in protein. I’m not sure it’s necesarily the root of the problem because it may be because she is a new layer but it can cause problems like poor shell quality and deficiencies. If an egg breaks inside her that can cause infections also.

If you can find a higher protein feed and add oyster shell or broken eggshells free choice that would be a good idea.

Kalmbach is a good feed still, but it’s preferable to use it when they aren’t growing, laying, molting, or under stress. It’s a summer time feed.

 

[schatze]

Kalmbach flock maintainer doesn’t have a lot of calcium for laying birds, it’s also low in protein. I’m not sure it’s necesarily the root of the problem because it may be because she is a new layer but it can cause problems like poor shell quality and deficiencies. If an egg breaks inside her that can cause infections also.

If you can find a higher protein feed and add oyster shell or broken eggshells free choice that would be a good idea.

Kalmbach is a good feed still, but it’s preferable to use it when they aren’t growing, laying, molting, or under stress. It’s a summer time feed.

Ok, thank you. Can she eat a layer pellet? I also have chickens and quail, and they all eat each other's food. I was worried about my gander eating the layer feed and perhaps getting too much calcium.

 

[Goosebaby]

Ok, thank you. Can she eat a layer pellet? I also have chickens and quail, and they all eat each other's food. I was worried about my gander eating the layer feed and perhaps getting too much calcium.

Layer pellets can sometimes be too low in protein and males and non laying females shouldn’t be eating high levels of calcium long term. If you can find nutrena all flock or purina flock raiser those are good options.

 

[JRies]

Let me tell you about my birds, both ducks and geese. There are days I can see them devour a full feeder of oyster shell and a week they dont touch it. Then wow empty. My ducks will stop laying when there bowl is empty. My geese just decide not to lay. I never knew how important it was till this year when the feed store couldn't get 50 pound bags and I was rationing. But with the birds I have when they cant get enough calcium they stop laying or lay rubber eggs.

 

[schatze]

Thank you so much. Does oyster shell go bad? I ask this because I've bought multiple bags of it over the years and have yet to have a single bird ever use it. I still give it a try, and they always completely ignore it. I've put it with food, next to food, randomly in a bowl. They just never touch it. I still have a bag from last year. Would that be ok to try? I hate buying and wasting full bags of it.

 

[JRies]

Thank you so much. Does oyster shell go bad? I ask this because I've bought multiple bags of it over the years and have yet to have a single bird ever use it. I still give it a try, and they always completely ignore it. I've put it with food, next to food, randomly in a bowl. They just never touch it. I still have a bag from last year. Would that be ok to try? I hate buying and wasting full bags of it.

I have 2 baby hog feeders filled with it in there pens when there laying I have to fill it regularly in the rest of the time it just sits there. 19 geese 18 runner ducks this year about 60 pounds consumed. but my geese lay huge eggs with thick shells and ducks just allot of eggs.