Someone wants to incubate my goose eggs

[Shiloh Acres]

I was checking around since I don't have an incubator. I found someone who wants geese, and said he'd do it for half the hatch.

To me that's a high price, considering what I paid for my goslings. On top of that, he has never incubated goose eggs before, and wants to put them in an incubator with other eggs. I told him they need higher humidity than chicken eggs, and he said he didn't know about that but that he kept the humidity high to make it easy for chicks to hatch.

I dunno ... I kinda feel like I'd be throwing away any eggs I take him.

I also discussed cleanliness with him and he said he'd wipe them off. These are WATERFOWL eggs ... Some of them are nice and white but some are caked. As far as age, my oldest are over two weeks and he said to bring them all and he'd set them.

Any opinions?

I sure wish I had options.

 

[Cowgirl71]

Not that I'm an expert by any means, but waterfowl eggs NEED to be incubated separately from other eggs (such as chickens). Different incubation lengths, and waterfowl eggs need a higher humidity through out incubation, and even higher at lockdown.

Also, don't clean the eggs with a damp rag, or anything wet. Chip off the manure. The idea is not to get it in the pores of the egg.

Good luck!

 

[JordanFamily]

Just make him pay for the eggs... And try it out to see how his hatch rate is the first time... If your not impressed just don't use him again... If you don't trust him 100% then don't do it... I have two friends that on occassion I buy eggs from that sell them for $6 each to me and some that will send me their eggs and I keep half of what hatches out... Note that these are Sebastopol eggs and other geese eggs might need to go for less... Just remember if you hold onto them you wont get anything, besides goose eggs do take more work.... I have heard of people incubating them just like chicken eggs and some have good hatches that way... So you never know until you try... but don't do it if you don't trust him 100% because he could be dishonest and tell you less hatched out to keep the difference for himself.... Just my two cents.... Just buy an incubator!!! Look on craigslist for a used one, that would solve all your problems....

 

[ThebigE]

Recommend to him just using a little water and using a spray bottle directly on the goose eggs and have the 'dry birds' on the other side

 

[crazy goose lover]

Sometimes school ag teachers will do a hatch for you or loan out an incubator.

 

[ThebigE]

Recommend to him just using a little water and using a spray bottle directly on the goose eggs and have the 'dry birds' on the other side thats what i am doing, and I just set them a few days ago but eggs from both kinds have growing embryos

 

[adrian]

Invest in an incubator. Seriously, in the long-term... This is a far better idea. I wouldn't let someone like this guy, from the sounds of him, incubate my eggs. I sometimes do incubation for people and to be honest, they're always surprised by how many babies I manage to hatch out (sometimes they don't like the fact that I hatch out most of them, actually). But I'm not a novice... It sounds like he is if he's planning on incubating goose eggs with other species. I've done it before but then I move to a hatcher when the time arrives, and I only did this with ducks and chickens. I compromised with humidity and they were all fine. But goose eggs, I like to do separately. Ask him about his history with incubating, how many batches he's done, what kinds of eggs he's hatched, and ask about his equipment. To be honest, this is just another way diseases are spread and you lose babies to someone you can't totally trust, so I'd be cautious. (Then again, I am paranoid...)

 

[chickenX]

OMG that's exactly what happened to my main squeeze.
there he was, a man with a basket of eggs and no where to put 'em, but with a mean hankerin' to hatch.
well, sure enough, along comes a woman with a pretty good lookin' incubator and she starts talkin' to him about how she'd just love to hatch some "goose eggs" for him.
he had qualms.
but like i said, she had a pretty good lookin' incubator with all the right bells n whistles.
so does he do? he loads those eggs up in that 'bator just as fast as fast can!

so now it's 12 years down the road and what we got is these two little goslings honking exclusively at us day in and day out about how they need video games, jeans, computers, school supplies, private school tuition, cell phones, designer tennis shoes, i pods, braces, help with their homework, cold cash and so on and so forth . . . honk honk honk . . . and as for that original incubator? well despite the originally stated terms of the deal, she has, for almost any real intent or purpose, flown the coop.

so let his misadventure be a lesson to you there missy shiloh and don't go incubating your goose eggs with the first fella to offer you his services unless you feel good about it. i mean DARN good . . .

 

[toadbriar]

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[JROOSTER]

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