[hughesy]

We're seriously thinking of starting to keep geese. I'm keeping an eye out for some breeding adults locally but does anyone buy hatching eggs off the net, ebay etc, and how do goose eggs survive the postal process? Incubating and rearing is not a problem but I don't want to lay out cash on postal eggs which don't hatch. Also does anyone have any embden, toulouse or similar for sale in North Wales, ideally a breeding pair or trio?

[jaykay]

All eggs that come through the post will get rattled about. I've bought hens' eggs on eBay but the most I've got to hatch is 50% whereas I get 100% hatches from the eggs I collect from my own hens.

[hughesy]

Yes I know. Was just wondering if anyone had any specific experience with goose eggs? I've bought chicken eggs off ebay and have had a range of hatch rates from awful to quite good. Goose eggs are a bit more expensive though.

[darkbrowneggs]

I have bought some, but not had good results, all I ever hatched was one, which was then a major problem as you are not supposed to rear one gosling on its own, so I had to rush around and locate other goslings of a similar age - which was very difficult

As a result I now have two spare geese - last years hatch, which I am informed by those who know more about these things than I do are a goose and a gander.  One is white one is pied.  I am asking £45 for the two, but I am probably too far from you as I am in Worcestershire.

They are nice quiet non-aggressive birds and good grazers, hardly needing any feed at all.  I sold a few of their siblings for Christmas, which sold quite well "on the hoof" and I kept this pair to breed on, but since then I have managed to locate a pair of Crested Geese, which is what I was really looking for, so now I have 5 when I only really need 3.

[hughesy]

Thanks darkbrowneggs unfortunately Worcestershire is a bit too far.

[StephB]

Hi,

Last year i incubated 6 Embden goose eggs from Ebay.  I only had two hatch and they ended up being Pilgrims 
The Joy of Ebay!!!!.

I went out and bought 4 Embden goslings to go with them and they only cost me £15 per bird off heat, so I think with all the hassle and dissappointment of trying to hatch eggs, it works out better to find a local supplier.

Best of luck, they are good fun but can be nasty devils so make sure they are away from any pets and children when they get a little older. 

[darkbrowneggs]

I will second that. 

The goose eggs I bought from ebay were meant to be African Goose eggs and cost a lot.  As I said one hatched and no-one can identify her so far suggestions have been "she might have some Toulouse in her"  "she had definitely got some Chinese in her"  "I think there may be some Steinbecher in that one" "Well - there might be a bit of African in there!"

When she hatched I had to buy extra goslings to keep her company, and they had to be the same age etc etc. 

Definitely not worth the effort.