When is lockdown for goose eggs?

[happydog]

I can't seem to find this anywhere. And is there anything different I need to know about incubating or hatching them? Do I just keep them on their side like they are in the turner?

I have Roman geese if the breed makes any difference.

Thanks!!

 

[jvls1942]

Quote:
I don't know where to start.. I don't know how much you DO know.. I am going to assume that you do not know anything, just to make it easier for me..

First off I do not know how long that particular goose egg takes to incubate.. You can check that out..

you turn them just like any other egg every day except the last 3 days..

they are fine on their sides..

temperature, 99.5F still air or fan..
humidity 40% until the last 3 days.. then raise the humidity at least to 60% or much higher if you can.
I have read higher humidities, but this is what I use..

 

[shelleyd2008]

Just keep them on their sides. Generally, goose eggs take 28-32 days to hatch, though sometimes they can take longer. Set them to hatch (stop turning) on day 26 and do not move them!! This is very important, once you set them to hatch, do not roll them or move them. The gosling's neck is so long that it takes a while for it to get into position. If you move the egg you could kill it.

They can take up to 48 hours or more to hatch after first pip, so don't freak if they're pipped for more than a few hours.

My BYC page is devoted entirely to hatching goose eggs, it is also in the stickies list in the incubating eggs forum

 

[happydog]

Thanks a bunch, both of you! My goose is laying big fat eggs, I've had them in the incubator with the chicken eggs, but I got a sudden panic when I realized I didn't know when to put them in lockdown or anything special I needed to know for them.

I should've read the stickies BEFORE I started this adventure.

doh!

Shelley, I love your page, I'm going to sit down with a cup of coffee and study it carefully. Thanks so much!

 

[jvls1942]

it sounds like you are in good hands with shelly..
often the very first one or two eggs might not be fertile.. not always..

I have 2 toulouse eggs in my bator.. they lay one or two and then it gets cold again and they quit.. soon spring will come.

last year they began in Feb and kept right on laying.. but this year it has stayed very cold..

I also have first season Sebastopols.. they layed on Thanksgiving day and I hatched all 3 eggs on Christmas day.
the seb were also hatched on Christmas last year..
I have two pairs of each..

 

[happydog]

I love Sebastopols! They were my first choice until I read they don't do as well in the cold because of those gorgeous curly feathers.

One more question about the humidity. Because I'm only getting a handful of goose eggs I'm incubating them along with my chicken and ducks. (My ducks are egg laying machines.) To raise the humidity enough for the geese would it work to drape a damp cotton sock over them? They're in goose turners and it would be easy to just wring out a clean sock and lay over them. Rather like a damp mother goose...

 

[jvls1942]

Quote:
I don't know about laying a sock on the goose eggs.. you could spray them with a fine mist from a spritzer bottle.. either way, the overall humidity in the incubator will rise..

It is mythe that sebs are not cold hardy.. the adults that I have were hatched by a mother goose on Christmas, 2009.. at 3 days old she had them running alongs side of her in foot deep snow..

people mistake the curly feathers as not being warm because they are not tight to the body like other geese.. those feathers have nothing to do with warmth.. all geese have down feathers. that is where they get their warmth from... all of my geese take baths almost daily.. whenever I take the time to knock the ice out of their pool and put water in. even in minus 20F.. I have watched the water freeze on their backs and roll off like BB"s.

 

[happydog]

Oh my gosh - if you can raise them in -20, I'm sure gonna get me some!!!

I've been collecting my goose eggs to incubate but I'm beginning to think I might just have better luck if I left all of them in the nest and waited for her to set them herself.

Thank you so much for the help!

 

[jvls1942]

Quote:
I think goose eggs are the most difficult to hatch.. I am giving it one more try this year and if I cannot do better than 40% I am letting the geese have at it from now on..

I usually let them have the last half dozen eggs anyhow..

sebs in the catalog are $52,oo for day old goslings.. I would look for some from another source.. I found mine on craigs list at 4 months old for $7.oo each.. they are from Holerud's stock..

 

[FeatheredDinos]

Quote:

I don't know about laying a sock on the goose eggs.. you could spray them with a fine mist from a spritzer bottle.. either way, the overall humidity in the incubator will rise..

It is mythe that sebs are not cold hardy.. the adults that I have were hatched by a mother goose on Christmas, 2009.. at 3 days old she had them running alongs side of her in foot deep snow..

people mistake the curly feathers as not being warm because they are not tight to the body like other geese.. those feathers have nothing to do with warmth.. all geese have down feathers. that is where they get their warmth from... all of my geese take baths almost daily.. whenever I take the time to knock the ice out of their pool and put water in. even in minus 20F.. I have watched the water freeze on their backs and roll off like BB"s.