What Can I do?

rose douglass · **Posted:** Mon Mar 08, 2010 8:08 pm

Hi Everyone,
What can I do about this?I have a goose sitting on 4 newly layed eggs.Only found them this afternoon while I was cleaning their pen.I was told they only lay once a year.How can this happen???If I let her hatch them will it be too cold for the goslings?I live in Lithgow and it gets extreamly cold here.Advice PLEASE!!!

Roova · **Posted:** Tue Mar 09, 2010 6:27 am

I have a few questions for you...

What type of geese do you have?

When you say they only lay once a year do you mean she has already sat on eggs and raised young before these four eggs?

If you have raised them before, what age have they feathered up? If you calculate when it starts getting cold will the babies be feathered up by then and better able to withstand the cold?

If you don't think its a good idea to have them hatch because of the weather you'd be better off removing eggs now, otherwise its going to happen whether its cold or not! Are you in a position to have them in a brooder if you don't think they'll survive the weather otherwise?

b&p · **Posted:** Tue Mar 09, 2010 6:51 am

Hi Rose,

I know how much you love your geese,so I am also aware of how hard it would be for you to take their eggs away.

I'm not sure about their hatch time either but if she has only just sat than they should be out around the 13th April (35 days---5 weeks from today) or 6th April (28 days--4 weeks).

Not sure when it starts getting to cold up your way but with a good feed ration (feed heaps and get them grown) they should be ok. If I had a broody I'd hatch them here for you.

If you can't brood them I might be able to help out and brood them here where it won't be as cold as your place though......cause you know how much I love your geese as well.

rose douglass · **Posted:** Tue Mar 09, 2010 3:09 pm

Hi,
Thanks Roova and b&p for the quick response.My geese are just backyard geese,grey & white.They hatched 4 goslings on the 6th of September last year.I'm not sure when they feathered up,maybe b&p would know that better as he took 2 of them when they were 3-4 weeks old.I don't have a brooder but maybe I could make a temporary one.I have a dog kennel (that is where the eggs are) maybe I could move that to a more sheltered place and make it more enclosed for her so the wind and rain can't get in.How does that sound??? They both were fantastic parents last time,I'm sure she would keep her babies warm and protected in the first few months.She hasn't started to sit yet,last time she layed 16 or 17 eggs,I took 10 away,then sat,so that is when I started counting the days.Just don't know what to do.

Muscovy J · **Posted:** Tue Mar 09, 2010 5:17 pm

hi rose,

waterfowl are breeding a lot later this year, my birds are still laying, most geese will of breed from around september to november ,

but they seem to be breeding a lot later this year, ?

i would let her hatch them , and if it is cold you may need to put them under some type of heat ,

hope this helps

regards jase

rose douglass · **Posted:** Tue Mar 09, 2010 9:01 pm

Hi Muscovy Jase,
Thanks for your reply.She has already raised 4 goslings only 6 months ago,is this normal?

2_Drakes · **Posted:** Wed Mar 10, 2010 10:54 am

Yes they can I have heard if this a few times but it really does depend of the breed of geese. A fella in the club has a goose that will brood twice a year but she does it literally one after the other. I think it can also depend on how many goslings they hatch too as he mad a comment she usually only raises 3 gosling each brood so that could be a factor

rose douglass · **Posted:** Wed Mar 10, 2010 10:45 pm

Thanks everyone for your invaluable help.Maybe she will sit twice a year,only time will tell.Also,could someone help me with setting up a brooder,I understand u need the old light globes,where would I get them?

Roova · **Posted:** Thu Mar 11, 2010 6:22 am

What will you be putting the light globes in? Do you know what wattage you'll be looking for?

I know a lot of people started hoarding them when they realised they were going off the market because they really are difficult to find. You could probably try ebay and maybe bunnings. Beside that I'm not sure, but good luck

b&p · **Posted:** Thu Mar 11, 2010 9:25 am

Also try little asian or ethnic owned "corner" shops etc. I found heaps before they went off the market for 48c each or something like that.

Think the trick is to hunt around smaller shops rather than the larger ones.

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