Author Topic: Hatching goose eggs - Chicks! - Photos now added W of E (Read 6595 times)

waddy · « **on:** April 01, 2014, 02:06:10 pm »

Hi all,
I am just about to start a hatch of 8 West of England goose eggs and am reading conflicting advice on humidity etc. Can any of you out there who have successfully hatched goose eggs please let me have any tips / info? I want to give them the best chance.

Thank you
Helen

waddy · « **Reply #1 on:** April 03, 2014, 09:48:12 pm »

Have set eight eggs this morning. Temp 37.5 and RH 40%. The book says high humidity but from reading peoples experiences they would struggle to lose enough weight and need drier conditions. I have set the eggs point down but tilted on side as much as possible. Not enough room in the incubator (Brinsea octagon 20 advance ex) to lay completely on the side. I am misting and reversing the tilt three or four times a day (as well as the normal auto side to side turn done by the incubator. If anyone has any further tips / experiences please let me know.

Helen

HesterF · « **Reply #2 on:** April 03, 2014, 11:32:42 pm »

Personally I would run completely dry and check the weight after a few days. They should lose 14% of their weight over 28 days (hatch can be anywhere from 28 to 32 days). Turn them manually every day - I do it whilst storing too - making sure not to keep twisting in the same direction. Chris Ashton's book 'Keeping Geese' is my bible on all things geese although I've only just managed to get fertile eggs so not actually hatched any yet. I'm presuming similar to ducks though - and it turns out misting those was making them way too damp.

Just out of interest, where did you get West of England goose hatching eggs from? I've got W of E geese and have had to drive half way across England to get them - and the breeders I got them from (two different breeders) wouldn't sell hatching eggs because they're too precious.

waddy · « **Reply #3 on:** April 04, 2014, 10:59:21 am »

We got the eggs from the dreaded Ebay! Not the best way I know but we had tried the couple of breeders we could find on the web within a couple of hours drive (we are in South West Somerset) and they had long waiting lists for the very few eggs available. The owner of the first parent birds had hatched under her broody goose so hopefully they should be fertile. There was also no connection we could find to the second set of eggs. We will see what we get (hopefully) in about four weeks!

Helen

Victorian Farmer · « **Reply #4 on:** April 06, 2014, 10:24:46 pm »

Iv done west of england and pilgrims and the first rule is 2 weeks of eggs will be un fertile .Att thainstone there is lots of these eggs all no good. Its bad practis to sell unfertile eggs as a member said start dry and see haw they go . I hatched 12 and lost the lot on a cold night in may and then the others was stolon. Dont give up there is a breeder in somerset that sell week olds.

waddy · « **Reply #5 on:** April 11, 2014, 09:22:20 am »

One week gone and I have weighed and candled the eggs. The first batch of four are all fertile and developing. In the second there are two fertile and two probable clears. One did feel suspiciously sloshy when set so I suspect the post may not have been gentle. Fingers crossed for the others. With the humidity at 40% (forced air in a Brinsea) all but one have lost the required amount of weight or slightly above. One of the fertile ones from the second batch was a bit below. I will leave the humidity where it is for now and keep monitoring. I have stopped misting but will start again towards the end. I may also selectively mist any that have lost too much. I am relieved that we seem to have a majority fertile. I am keeping fingers crossed!

Helen

NicandChic · « **Reply #6 on:** April 11, 2014, 10:18:44 am »

Good luck

goosepimple · « **Reply #7 on:** April 12, 2014, 10:03:44 pm »

Well I have 4 Steinbacher goose eggs in a second hand incubator I don't have the instructions for - they're just over half way through their cycle and at candling look like they are doing really well. At the same time I have a Steinbacher goose sitting on her own eggs, they should be ready about the same time, so using the incubator ones as back up in case she makes a mess of it.

I'm turning nose to tail about 3-4 times a day and I have water in the incubator bowls (just guessed how much) and I wet a face cloth every morning and evening in warmish water and spread it out over the eggs like a tablecloth to emulate the goose having a dip, then I take it out next time I turn so it doesn't dry up the whole incubator.

I don't know what I'm doing to be honest (as you've probably gathered) but it seems to be working so far.
Let you know how it goes!

waddy · « **Reply #8 on:** May 06, 2014, 12:36:27 pm »

Yay! We have six out of six very fluffy bundles! They are unbelievably cute. i will post pictures when I work out how to do it. We also have a video of day old ones wobbling around learning how to use their feet but it is too large for on here. I think we have two boys and two girls from the batch of four and two unrelated girls from the batch of two (both sporting marker pen dots as the soft coil chick rings I ordered haven't come yet. The one I was worried hadn't lost enough weight did indeed need help as she had taken too long after pipping and was firmly wedged. We daren't leave her any longer for fear of deformed legs (as happened on our first hatch of hen chicks) so freed her a bit and then left her to it. She is still a bit weak and floppy (I think she still had yolk to absorb in her tummy) but is hopefully picking up. We did put a tiny airhole in for the last to hatch just in case but it pipped normally and got out itself this morning. It is still fluffing up in the incubator at the moment. I have more West of England eggs arriving this week. This hatching lark is definitely addictive!

Helen

goosepimple · « **Reply #9 on:** May 06, 2014, 01:25:11 pm »

Well done Helen, that's great

I only got 2 out of 4 Steinbachers one male one female. The female needed help out and it was touch and go I would say for about the first 5 days but she gradually got stronger and they both run around the kitchen floor like wynd up toys with very loud flipper feet, very cute. They've now started to go outside all day with food and a bath and a towel 'hoodie' to sleep in and come in at night. They are eating LOADS and enjoying grass and the leftover pots of herbs from the supermarket as well. They really sparked up after going outside, they definitely know where they belong.

Am going to give them a run down by the pond next week where they will meet the adult geese

they won't get out until they are too big to be bullied though.

Good luck with them all Helen.

waddy · « **Reply #10 on:** May 22, 2014, 03:26:42 pm »

Here is the gang! All six are healthy and active. They love their daytime pen outside but are still tucked up in the kitchen for bed. Another 4 due out of the incy in a couple of weeks fingers crossed! Not resized or posted photos before so hope it works!

Helen

HesterF · « **Reply #11 on:** May 23, 2014, 09:54:07 am »

Yay! Very cute. Goslings are addictive. One of mine has been living at school with some ducklings and is now so tame he loves a cuddle from all the children - there is talk of him becoming the school mascot (they haven't seen a full grown gander in breeing season yet).

Only thing I'd wonder is whether you've got pure WOE - my geese have grey on their beaks as well as the darker backs, the ganders are lighter with the same colour beaks as yours.

waddy · « **Reply #12 on:** May 23, 2014, 10:48:36 am »

We definitely have two females hatched with dark beaks. You can also see where the dark feathers are coming on their heads. The beaks have all got a bit lighter as they have got older, although still darker. Another one from a different source had a bit of dark on its beak although it's body is lighter like the boys so we are waiting to see about that one. It does look as if this one has darker patches on it's neck although I did put a marker pen spot on it when it came out of the egg and a couple more times so I could tell which batch it came from (didn't have the flat band rings at the time and food colouring washed off) so it may just be wishful thinking and we may have four boys and two girls. They are all starting to get white fluff through so we will soon know for sure.

Helen

Victorian Farmer · « **Reply #13 on:** May 23, 2014, 11:56:53 am »

Fantastic I'm glad you are over protected I lost mine 6 weeks in cold day and a hail shawer just like naw the wether . I'm glad that more folk are triying to get these rare stock .pilgrims west of England and Shetland just made my day when I seen the pics did the stock come from sumerset or Essex all the best VF.