Hi
This is my first time keeping geese and first time letting something hatch the natural way... I have previously raised chicks and ducklings.
One of my West Of England Geese has been sitting on a clutch, I didn't think they were due yet, but have just done my afternoon checks and a gosling appears to have hatched. Another goose has also made a nest attached to the existing nest and started sitting yesterday! Should I try to move her?
They are in a stable in a barn, currently the whole quartet go in there at night - is this still OK? Or do I need to provide some kind of barrier for the mum and goslings (and the other goose).
Also, do I now need to provide a shallow water vessel and un-medicated chick crumb for the little goslings in the stable? Mum has always had access to water and food, but hasn't been going outside. At what point should I leave the stable door open for her and the goslings to go outside if they want to?
I have been trying to do research on this, but can only really find advice and guidance on hatching from an incubator... I have contacted the lady who I got the geese from as she has been supportive too, but I thought I would ask in this forum as well.
Thanks in advance
This is my first time keeping geese and first time letting something hatch the natural way... I have previously raised chicks and ducklings.
One of my West Of England Geese has been sitting on a clutch, I didn't think they were due yet, but have just done my afternoon checks and a gosling appears to have hatched. Another goose has also made a nest attached to the existing nest and started sitting yesterday! Should I try to move her?
They are in a stable in a barn, currently the whole quartet go in there at night - is this still OK? Or do I need to provide some kind of barrier for the mum and goslings (and the other goose).
Also, do I now need to provide a shallow water vessel and un-medicated chick crumb for the little goslings in the stable? Mum has always had access to water and food, but hasn't been going outside. At what point should I leave the stable door open for her and the goslings to go outside if they want to?
I have been trying to do research on this, but can only really find advice and guidance on hatching from an incubator... I have contacted the lady who I got the geese from as she has been supportive too, but I thought I would ask in this forum as well.
Thanks in advance
I have a group of geese that nest every year and I try and take away all the eggs as we don't have room for more babies. They regularly share nests, so this isn't a problem, what may have happened is she has one egg from another goose thats a bit further along and its hatched early. I have had this before and I found that the gosling stayed close to mum until mum got fed up after a few days and led gosling out. I put down food and chick crumbs for them both and this seemed to work fine for a few days. How far off are the others due to hatch? Geese are usually pretty good mums so you may not need a barrier, but I think it would be better to be safe than sorry, so a large enclosure around the two nesting geese and the one baby with food and water would be the safest bet