[Carey boy]

Hi,

My first year trying to breed geese has been a disaster. Two Embden geese and a gander all about three years old, 80 to 85 eggs and only eight gosling's that were hatched in an incubator. The geese never did sit on any of the eggs.

I would like to try again next year. What would be the best breed of goose to go with for
Self-hatching  and to make good table birds?

Any help please

David

[hughesy]

Our Embdens have always successfully hatched their own. As long as the fox has stayed away from the nests anyway.

[Womble]

David,

I know exactly what you mean, and can only offer sympathy. Despite near 100% fertility, our last three incubations (12 eggs a time) have yielded 1,4,0 and 3 goslings. The girls haven't hatched any of their own either, despite at least one of them sitting diligently both this year and last.

[RPF]

I've got 5 Embdens and 6 Toulouse. 4 went broody sitting on massive clutches of eggs but I didn't hatch a thing, despite having good fertility. I think it was due to management issues from both parties but just shows that it's not that simple. 

[hughesy]

Earlier in the season we had three of our Embdens sitting on eggs. All was going well until the fox visited and killed one of them on the nest. It also took or destroyed all the eggs in the three nests. We thought it was all over for this year but one of our girls started laying again a few days later and has been sitting on 8 eggs for nearly a month now. They're due to hatch this week so we'll see what happens.

[Possum]

Good luck Hughesy!

[Marches Farmer]

Do they have a few quiet corners to choose from as nest sites?  Are you feeding a ration suitable for breeding birds?  How efficient is your incubator and is it sited somewhere with a constant temperature?  Humidity and temperature have been up and down like a yo-yo this summer.

[Carey boy]

Hi,

The geese are housed in a horse trailer that is dived it to a living section and away from the side door two nesting (large) boxes, they are free range in the day but shut up at night.The eggs are fertile the geese just wont go broody.

Incubator is just fine, that's where the eight gosling's came from.

Thanks

David

[hughesy]

Earlier in the season we had three of our Embdens sitting on eggs. All was going well until the fox visited and killed one of them on the nest. It also took or destroyed all the eggs in the three nests. We thought it was all over for this year but one of our girls started laying again a few days later and has been sitting on 8 eggs for nearly a month now. They're due to hatch this week so we'll see what happens.

Well she hatched five out of the eight eggs so not a bad result.