[Hillview Farm]

I got my Embden goose and gander nearly 4 weeks ago. The goose was laying but as expected she knocked off laying with the move. I've had a terrible time with the rooks and crows (as our wheat has gone in the bird came and haven't left!)
They have been stealing her eggs and dumping them out in the field once they have cracked it open and eaten it.

She's obviously not happy with them pinching them and this morning I found her nest. Its rather hard to explain but she's gone into the old cow stalls. My worry is, If I allow her to go broody she is in a very dangerous place as there is no way of blocking off the barn, a fox could come in.

I need to move her nest to the barn where they are kept at night. Has anyone moved a nest? Will the goose take it?

Thanks all for reading

[Victorian Farmer]

you need to sort the crows and rooks first  blast the nests then make a catching cage then hang the dead birds up that will slow the vermin up .Its very important to sort or it will escalate .

[sh3ph3rd]

Agree that you need to sort the predators, they're clever and will not cease preying upon easy and reliable sources. You can move the nest but are fairly likely to lose some eggs in the process. It's best done at night, and if she isn't set you will have to cage her with the eggs in the new location for a few days; if she's already set you can move the lot at night (goose and eggs) but run the risk of lost eggs, her un-setting, etc. Sometimes they won't re-set the clutch even once you put it back in its old location once they refuse the new one. It's always risky.

Another option is to have a mobile small cage, fox-proof, that you can put over/under/around her at her preferred location. She'd probably need to be pretty trusting of you and your intentions to tolerate this, but that's something you' have to work on with her sooner or later anyway. Then again, the fact that she chose the cow stalls means more or less that she's inherently trusting of human-built structures and wants the protection they offer, so you're ahead on that score, at least she's not bent on nesting down at the water's edge. Geese are intelligent, if you go out of your way to convince her you have her best interests at heart and will provide for her, she'll probably get the idea and settle. (Advise hand-feeding with bread). Lol.

After endless shenanigans with my turkey hens and geese, I made several light but foxproof cages that could have their doors shut, and just put those in the bird's chosen place, and shut them in at night and let them out daily. Only really useful in the case of your predator situation once the hen's set the eggs. There's some kind of magical mathematical formula varying between species concerning where the walls need to be as opposed to the mesh, and how large the sheltered parts need to be, etc... But of course you will continue to have problems with your predators until either you or the goose herself settles it, no matter what you do with the cages just short of permanently enclosing them.

Best wishes.

[Hillview Farm]

Thank you to you both. What I didn't mention was is the fact shes not actuaply sitting yet. She has laid 2 eggs and both this morning and evening shes been faffing with the nest and building it up. How many do they tend to lay before sitting?

 My problem with birds is that thry have no nested here, with the wheat being so late sown they are travelling from elsewhere. the amount of birds is untrue!

Thank you for the cage idea, currently trying to get a cheap garden shed for them and hope she will lay in there in the future!

Thank you for your advice!

[sh3ph3rd]

How much they tend to lay before sitting depends on breed and health and strain. I've not had embdens before, only pilgrim mixes, so couldn't tell you. I think it's between 13 to 30 for geese as a species in general; my geese laid 20 each usually. If she sets I think she'll guard the nest adequately, though the male should be helping, but if the other birds are taking eggs they may take chicks... If they're only taking unguarded eggs you may be fine to leave them be. 

[Hillview Farm]

So far they have only taken unguarded eggs, she's in her first year of lay and was plopping eggs in random places like the middle of the yard. This is her first nest!

[goosepimple]

I bought some craft goose eggs this year which our stoats have had a go at recently.  Could you get some and make a nice safe nesting site somewhere with hay rather than straw and shuffle the geese along that way so they can see it?  She may prefer it as a site and if her eggs go 'missing' at her present site then she may take up the offer of the new one.  You could always keep her eggs and incubate them and keep the duds on the nest.  And confuse the vermin of course. 
 
You will have to separate any goslings from the mum, geese are not good mothers - a bit dopey and forgetful and they will get taken by crows or some other thing.  Best keep them indoors or a shed until they are crow size and too heavy for them to lift.  Our Steinbacher geese have had nests under a house made of straw bales (they grab the straw from the underside of the house to make a big nest) and in the middle of a gorse bush, ouch.  Good luck, geese are great.

[sh3ph3rd]

@goosepimple:

Not to say they're all capable mothers, as you obviously know firsthand, but I wouldn't brand an entire species as being inherently bad at mothering, because in my experience those that are incapable are only that way because humans have practiced interfering in the maternal process to raise the chicks themselves to gain security, so the mothers have lost maternal instinct and become incapable.

Given time, often with the help of kelp, and human tolerance of some losses as they learn, even non-mothers can often learn to become great mothers. But of course if you don't want to countenance losses to maternal learning hiccups, separation is best. I prefer the animals doing the work of rearing and tending their babies, not to mention that it improves their quality of life and health and therefore flavor 

Not that I eat geese anymore, they were too attached to each other, another factor to consider... Anyway, kelp brings out great mothering (and fathering) and other instincts most incredibly, as well as general health, calm, and intelligence.

Also if you think (for example) that you're breeding pure white birds, give kelp for a year and you'll know for sure. The true genotype is only expressed in their phenotypes if they are receiving a complete nutrient profile spectrum, which commercial feeds do not provide, regardless of their claims. I've had hens I bought at over two years old go from all-white to yellow, black, red, etc. Their beaks, legs, eyes, feathers, eggshells, everything changes once they're receiving their true nutritional needs. Also kelp can turn white human hair its youthful color again. Last but not least I'd gain some fake eggs if you can, they're great for everything from helping shift broodies to fooling rats/vermin to curing eggeaters.

 

[goosepimple]

Kelp - well I didn't know that, yet another TAS tip! 
 
You're probably right about the interferance of humans.  I left the hatchlings with the parents the first two years and they just booted them accidentally and I suffered several losses.  This year for reasons too long to explain, I have a hen sitting on 4 and a Muscovy duck sitting on 1 with her own eggs and one of the geese is still laying somewhere upstream I haven't found yet  .  So it could all get interesting.  It was a spur of the moment decision as there were some random goose eggs not in a nest so I popped them under the broody mums.  I will have to coop them with their surrogate mums for a bit or else heron just pick them off here.
 
We don't eat ours either, I'm with you on the attachment thing - they are such a tied unit aren't they.  Although I must add that last year we had a gander die - he was sick for a week and they all just ditched him when he couldn't keep up and went on their merry way    I love my geese, very entertaining and beautiful.
 
Meant to say Hillview - couldn't you just pen yours so they are forced to lay in a house - would imagine a large cardboard box open kennel style would make them happy unti you sort out a shed?