Silkie Orpington Mix brooding over Goose Egg

[Fisherfarmspraz]

So, I have a little Silkie/Orpington hybrid hen that has become broody this week. I ordinarily let my hens go broody, but right now we are without roosters, so I know there's no baby in her eggs. But a friend did recently gift me fertilized goose eggs, so I slipped one under her this morning. What are the chances a little silkie can hatch a goose egg?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I've hatched goose eggs under my bantams hens. I usually give them 2. I've had good hatch rates.

 

[Slothinc]

So, I have a little Silkie/Orpington hybrid hen that has become broody this week. I ordinarily let my hens go broody, but right now we are without roosters, so I know there's no baby in her eggs. But a friend did recently gift me fertilized goose eggs, so I slipped one under her this morning. What are the chances a little silkie can hatch a goose egg?

I don’t think she will have a problem hatching the egg! It will be kind of funny to see a hen raising babies that quickly are much larger than her. But I think she would do great!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

The only problem with letting a chicken raise a single goose egg is if it turns out to be male and there are no other actual geese it may try to mate chickens because it will believe it's a chicken. It's best to pull it at hatch so it doesn't imprint on chickens. That being said I did let a bantam hen raise a gosling that ended up being male. Thankfully he discovered eventually he was a goose and became a part of my goose flock. He did chase chickens for his first year, but it has stopped mostly. Geese can be aggressive with other poultry species, especially during the breeding season.

I don’t think she will have a problem hatching the egg! It will be kind of funny to see a hen raising babies that quickly are much larger than her. But I think she would do great!

 

[Ridgerunner]

Depending in breed, goose eggs can typically take 28 to 35 days to hatch. That should not be a problem for your hen. Just be patient.

Not all eggs hatch for different reasons. Your odds of getting at least one to hatch would be much greater if she had two eggs instead of one but if the one egg is fertile I think her chances are pretty good.

 

[sourland]

It is very likely that she will set long enough to hatch the goose egg if it is viable.

 

[Slothinc]

The only problem with letting a chicken raise a single goose egg is if it turns out to be male and there are no other actual geese it may try to mate chickens because it will believe it's a chicken. It's best to pull it at hatch so it doesn't imprint on chickens. That being said I did let a bantam hen raise a gosling that ended up being male. Thankfully he discovered eventually he was a goose and became a part of my goose flock. He did chase chickens for his first year, but it has stopped mostly. Geese can be aggressive with other poultry species, especially during the breeding season.

Oh that is a great point!! I’ve never had geese so that didn’t even occur to me!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Oh that is a great point!! I’ve never had geese so that didn’t even occur to me!

I didn't know it either until I got some geese. They are my favorite species now, but there is a learning curve mixing them with other species.

 

[Slothinc]

This is what a 2 week old gosling looks like compare to a bantam hen. She wasn't sitting on him to keep him warm anymore even though they both tried.

View attachment 4069415

Oh my goodness that is too cute! Did you have to supply some extra heat for him or was it warm enough outside without?

I would suggest to the OP that if you pull the gosling at hatch, I would replace with a couple of day old chicks, since your girl would have been sitting for so long at that point and ready to mother babies!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Oh my goodness that is too cute! Did you have to supply some extra heat for him or was it warm enough outside without?

I would suggest to the OP that if you pull the gosling at hatch, I would replace with a couple of day old chicks, since your girl would have been sitting for so long at that point and ready to mother babies!

It was at the end of June. The geese hatched some eggs and abandoned one egg. I stuck it under the chicken to finish hatching thinking I could just give it back to the geese. It took 6 days to hatch, and by that time the geese were already moving the brood off the nest and didn't want it, so I finally gave it back to the chicken hen who was happy to have it back.

Goslings don't require a lot of heat because of how thick their down is. By two weeks they don't go under the goose, and only sit close. So by the time the gosling outgrew the hen he didn't really need extra heat in the same way chicks do.

I was prepared to put him in the freezer if he became trouble, but now is a lovely addition to my flock, so I'm glad it worked out. I've let chicken hens raise muscovy and that didn't turn out well as they become chicken aggressive when they mature. Same with turkeys. I like to experiment.