The cold and trying to hatch eggs.

[Sylviaanne]

I have some geese who are laying eggs but the eggs I brought in and put in the incubator don't seem to be any good. Today is day 38 and I have already had to dispose of 3 of 5 eggs. I have also found some green eggs laying on the ground, very, very cold and put them in the incubator, after letting them warm up. They didn't seem to be developing when I last checked them.

If eggs are laid in the cold and stay out over night with below 0 temps, are they hatch-able? Or am I wasting electricity?

I brought in some goose eggs and left some out there when Mama Goose became broody. I have felt of them several times and although they are not cold, they don't feel warm enough to hatch. Do you think they are ok? That they might hatch?

She was sitting on 4 eggs, 3 of them hers and 2 of them disappeared but 2 smaller goose eggs showed up and a chicken egg. Today there are 6 eggs in the nest and I don't know what to do with her.

 

[Bryam]

Well, if you candles them, by day 6 you should be able to see development. If you see no development in all of them, yes you are waiting your time.

It is not recommended to hatch goose eggs in the dead of winter. Better to wait till late FEBRUARY to start incubating eggs.

 

[Sylviaanne]

Well, if you candles them, by day 6 you should be able to see development. If you see no development in all of them, yes you are waiting your time.

It is not recommended to hatch goose eggs in the dead of winter. Better to wait till late FEBRUARY to start incubating eggs.

We have a darn raccoon now and it is scaring them into not laying. I don't have a good count of how many chickens, guineas, ducks and geese I have but I am lucky to get 5 eggs a week. It is easier to count the ducks and geese, I have fewer of them but I wanted to incubate the earliest eggs to see what I would get. I have a pair of American Buffs, 6 Sebastopols, 2 Chinese and one Toulouse. The American Buff hen is the one who is laying the very large eggs and after she went broody, at least one of the other hens started to lay. These eggs are bigger than the duck eggs but smaller than the AB eggs.

 

[Bryam]

Candling is my best recommendation, eggs that are in below 0 temps are probably not going to hatch. Heat the area they are in. Good luck!