We have goslings!! Need answer please¡

[Sheilastiles91]

Hi! My hubby had 10 eggs in his incubator. (1st time) 4 have hatched. There are several eggs that are pipped. My question is: the first baby born is now 24 hours old... is it safe for the unhatched eggs to lift the lid and remove the 4 ducklings? They will need to drink and eat soon. I don't want to jeopardize the ones still hatching...

 

[KatAndTree]

Hi! My hubby had 10 eggs in his incubator. (1st time) 4 have hatched. There are several eggs that are pipped. My question is: the first baby born is now 24 hours old... is it safe for the unhatched eggs to lift the lid and remove the 4 ducklings? They will need to drink and eat soon. I don't want to jeopardize the ones still hatching...

If the others are pipped I would wait, if not you can probably be quick and remove the 4 hatched ones. If the pipped ones are taking long enough that you’re worried about the 4 hatched ones, you can try being quick as well. Hatched one’s should be good for 72 hours.

 

[Sheilastiles91]

Hi, i hate to wait any longer, as the very first baby is over 24 hours old. They are hatching rather quickly and one after another... but that first one is probably getting thirsty and hungry. It's the only one I'm concerned about right now, as the others aren't 24 hours old yet.

 

[Sheilastiles91]

Are you saying a newborn gosling can go 72 hours without food or water? Because I read 24 hours...

 

[KatAndTree]

Are you saying a newborn gosling can go 72 hours without food or water? Because I read 24 hours...

As far as I’m aware, 72 hours is the general guideline for hatched poultry like ducks, geese, and chickens. This is why they are able to be shipped without too much worry, they’re still working off the absorbed nutrients. I have had zero problems with goslings that were in the incubator for 48 hours, on the other hand, opening the incubator while some were pipped has cost me those. I’ll admit this year has been my first for hatching goslings (done ducks and chicks for a while now), and it has been a steep learning curve. They are much more sensitive to humidity than the other poultry. You can absolutely try to grab them quickly, maybe mist the incubator before you leave it, but I’ve had 3 goslings this year die from getting shrink wrapped unfortunately, and more didn’t make it due to too high humidity, so it’s a balance for sure. Good luck, but I will say that personally I’ve left them in for 48 hours without problems and the general rule of thumb is up to 72 hours (though I understand the nervousness)

 

[KatAndTree]

I’m not an expert, so definitely do what you feel is right and watch the goslings for behavior if you’re worried.

 

[Sheilastiles91]

As far as I’m aware, 72 hours is the general guideline for hatched poultry like ducks, geese, and chickens. This is why they are able to be shipped without too much worry, they’re still working off the absorbed nutrients. I have had zero problems with goslings that were in the incubator for 48 hours, on the other hand, opening the incubator while some were pipped has cost me those. I’ll admit this year has been my first for hatching goslings (done ducks and chicks for a while now), and it has been a steep learning curve. They are much more sensitive to humidity than the other poultry. You can absolutely try to grab them quickly, maybe mist the incubator before you leave it, but I’ve had 3 goslings this year die from getting shrink wrapped unfortunately, and more didn’t make it due to too high humidity, so it’s a balance for sure. Good luck, but I will say that personally I’ve left them in for 48 hours without problems and the general rule of thumb is up to 72 hours (though I understand the nervousness)

Hi, there were 3 of us, one took the lid off incubator, one grabbed the 5 babies, and I put them in the brooder. LOL. The temp and humidity went right back up within seconds.... so I hope the other pipped eggs will be OK. (Fingers crossed). The 5 are drinking and sun bathing! So darn cute! We have 5 mature ducks and one was setting, but she'd get off the nest for a while day. Even if it was raining! She's young, so we didn't want to take a chance. Swipped her eggs for duds.

 

[KatAndTree]

Hi, there were 3 of us, one took the lid off incubator, one grabbed the 5 babies, and I put them in the brooder. LOL. The temp and humidity went right back up within seconds.... so I hope the other pipped eggs will be OK. (Fingers crossed). The 5 are drinking and sun bathing! So darn cute! We have 5 mature ducks and one was setting, but she'd get off the nest for a while day. Even if it was raining! She's young, so we didn't want to take a chance. Swipped her eggs for duds.

That’s hilarious! I think at that speed you’re probably fine, but I’d love to know how the rest of the hatch goes!

 

[Sheilastiles91]

That’s hilarious! I think at that speed you’re probably fine, but I’d love to know how the rest of the hatch goes!

All 10 hatched and are doing great!!!

 

[johnschickenfarm]

So here’s the deal: it’s usually best to leave the lid closed until everyone’s done hatching, mainly to keep that humidity steady — opening the incubator too early can shrink wrap the ones still working their way out, especially if they’ve just pipped.


That said, if the 4 that hatched are dry, fluffy, and zipping around like little maniacs, and it’s been a good 24+ hours, you can do a quick grab. Just be super fast about it — I like to run a hot shower in the bathroom and bring the incubator in there real quick so the room is nice and humid when I open it. That way you don’t lose too much moisture while scooping them out.


Also, don't stress too much about food and water just yet — ducklings (like chicks) can go about 48–72 hours without eating or drinking after hatch, since they absorb that yolk before they pop out. Nature gives you a little wiggle room!


So if you’re confident and careful, a quick snatch-and-go is doable — but if you’re unsure, letting them hang tight for a bit longer won't hurt either. You’ve got this!