The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: goosepimple on May 12, 2013, 10:50:44 am
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Person looking after my place while we were on holiday brought his dogs and they ate all the pile of goose eggs on the nest ::) , thought they had stopped laying but hey presto, one was laying again yesterday. SO, would like to buy an incubator - won't use it for anything else, just the geese and so just want something cheap but reliable (is that possible?) for doing say 6 or so would be fine.
Anybody out there any recommendations? Thanks in advance.
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Hi I manged to hatch this lot in a brinsea octagon eco 20.You can pick them up second hand for about £90 on ebay with out the turning cradle.I always turn goose eggs by hand any way.Always turn them end over end don't rotate them.
Graham
(http://i1211.photobucket.com/albums/cc431/graham68j/SL380237.jpg) (http://s1211.photobucket.com/user/graham68j/media/SL380237.jpg.html)
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I also used a Brinsea Octagon 20 for my hatch and they seem to do well. Ran it dry which is what I was recommended for Brecon Buffs as losing enough moisture can be a problem apparently. I only got 3 but that has to do with the power cut at a pretty crucial time. Now if there was one with a battery back up I would be very interested.
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Amanda - mine will be lying idle for a few weeks (I have run out of accommodation for any hatches.. ;) ), so if you want to me to put some more eggs in mine I can do that for you. I maybe would prefer to keep it here, as I do rely on it for all my chicken replacements now after the disaster of buying in POL last year. But I would hatch some for you, the two I have got from your previous batch are just the right number for us this year.
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thanks all, lovely pics graham-j I'm quite jealous and I didn't know that about end over rather than rotating - good tip.
thanks Anke, I may do that - am surprised someone is still laying - I've only got 2 eggs so far so will have to wait for a bit to get more or it's not worth it. Will wait to see how many I get - hopefully I could get 8 again and give you a share of the hatchlings if they're successful as yours may not survive - we had 3 deaths last year at about 5 weeks old although I think if they weren't with the parents they would have had a better chance.
will get back to you either way by the weekend, thanks Anke.