The Poultry Keeper

siamcats · Joined: 24 Mar 2008 Posts: 21 Location: France

My goose has layed about 30 eggs in a nest, i have just left her to get on with it, she does sit on them but not all the time, should i remove some or just lesve her to get on with it.

Kitsune · Joined: 13 Mar 2008 Posts: 1406 Location: Manchester

how long does she sit on them? can she cover 30!? I'd certainly remove some as that sounds like way too many.

Are you sure they're fertile?

siamcats · Joined: 24 Mar 2008 Posts: 21 Location: France

HI she sits for anout an hour 4 to 5 times a day and at night, which ones do i remove

Kitsune · Joined: 13 Mar 2008 Posts: 1406 Location: Manchester

I'm not too well up on geese broody behaviour so hopefully someone else can tell you if she is actually broody.

take away most of the eggs, leave just as many as she can comfotably cover when she sits still in one spot.

is she still laying any eggs?

THe eggs you take off her, candle and see if there is any development - how long has she been sitting for?

Kitsune · Joined: 13 Mar 2008 Posts: 1406 Location: Manchester

Also what breed/size of goose is she?

james419 · Posted: Thu Apr 03, 2008 12:15 pm Post subject:

One of our Chinese geese is sitting and is only off the nest for 20-30 mins max a day - she has 12 eggs at the moment and gets very noisy when you go near her. For some reason she keeps moving her nest about she is hopefully due to hatch around 21st April - if we are lucky.

kated · Joined: 01 Nov 2006 Posts: 2021 Location: norfolk

Sounds like she probably hasn't stopped laying yet. Take away any really dirty eggs, any misshapen or small eggs and try to leave her with about 10-12, that many she should easily be able to care for. Put a mark on all the eggs that are left in the nest - I used bright blue crayon on the end so I didn't have to disturb the nest too much - that way you will be able to tell which eggs are new laid.

milkmaid · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 7366 Location: isle of lewis

mine comes off the nest 15 to 20 minutes a day has a bath and something to eat ,the thing that gets me is i watch her as she gets ready to come off and she puts things over the eggs so that anything above cannot see it Shocked

siamcats · Joined: 24 Mar 2008 Posts: 21 Location: France

I have had a look and removed all her eggs, just as well there was a rotten exploded one at the bottom with maggotts,(i gave them to the chickens) made a fresh nest, candled all the eggs and hopefull put back 14 good ones, i marked them so any more that are layed i will change for an older one, is that correct.

kated · Joined: 01 Nov 2006 Posts: 2021 Location: norfolk

Sounds good Siamcats. Your sitting goose won't be at risk from predators where she is will she?

Kitsune · Joined: 13 Mar 2008 Posts: 1406 Location: Manchester

I would leave just the ones she has with her, if she lays a new one I'd take that or you could end up with a staggared hatch and she'd likely leave the nest with the first few and the later developing ones would be lost.

siamcats · Joined: 24 Mar 2008 Posts: 21 Location: France

Hi
She is safe as she is in the barn, mind you she has 2 male geese looking after her and the bigger one will attack, he does to the kids and strangers, its like running the gauntlet when you go near him, I love him though
I will remove the new eggs, she is sitting on her new nest so i have not put her off by removing eggs,
Thanks for all the brill advice.

Gulliver Geese · Joined: 23 Apr 2008 Posts: 5 Location: Norfolk

I would mark the eggs using different colour crayons or marker pens as suggested. you dont have to do this every day,Once a week would be enough. Then you will have batches of similar aged eggs. If she is the only goose producing eggs she will have around 15 after a month. If you have marked the eggs using differnet colours you can determine how old the eggs are and start removing the oldest once they are too old to be viable.

I would mark all of them now and throw away some of the oldest.

regards - Gulliver Geese

siamcats · Joined: 24 Mar 2008 Posts: 21 Location: France

Thanks
how many will i leave her with, she does not sit on them long.