Help! Haven't hatched goose eggs before!

SucellusFarms wrote:Oh, Cathy, that would be awesome, provided this one hatches. It will want company. If it doesn't make it, though, I won't bother with geese this year.

Keeping my fingers and toes cross for a healthy hatch!!!

Nothing so far. Maybe I should have put him under my setting hen for lockdown?

YOu know, I didn't do the whole lockdown thing. The last few days, I just kept misting them.
I hand turned them and the last three days, didn't turn them at all. but kept misting them.

Honestly don't remember if I did it as frequently as the first 25 days.

Also, I did have one egg that took until day 31 to hatch... most of the them hatched day 28 or 29...

Cathy, which day did you stop turning them, as we don't know when 'the last 3 days' will be if they hatch over such a wide window? I stopped on day 18. Was this too soon?

I wasn't very consistent.
I know some folks religiously turn the eggs, but somedays I would forget.

I stopped turning on day 25...

I am no better with turning...

Not day 18 when I stopped. Was the 18th, which would have been day 27, which makes today day 29. Hope he comes out soon!

Breathe easy with the turning. I have stopped turning early and I have also kept turning right through until hatch. It seemed to make no difference.

Yeah, I have to admit, when they start pipping they rock and roll that eggs anyway

Hang in there. like I said I had one that was 31 days, and I know they all went in the incubator at the same time...

Today is day 31. I picked up the egg and smelled it. It doesn't smell off. I held it to my ear and didn't hear anything, even when I talked to it. I am placing some chicken eggs in there to hatch tomorrow. If it doesn't do anything by the time they are done hatching in 3-4 days I will give up. Hopefully it won't explode before then...

Candle it. Sometimes the chicks don't peep when they're bumping. If the chick has moved into hatch position, is pushing into the air space, this will be very visible when you candle.

Also, do not throw the egg out until you've broken in. Crack the fat end with a spoon or something. Then pick a small hole big enough to get your finger in. First look to see if you see movement below the membrane. If the membrane is white and dry looking, that is good. If it is wet, clearish or bloody, that is bad. If you see a lump under the membrane, reach a finger in and give it a poke. If it moves, put a piece of tape over the hole and put it back in the bator. DO not toss eggs until you are certain they are dead.

I have my fingers crossed too! My two goose eggs from Serjay, which have been hanging out in the waterbator for the last several days, pipped and now one is chipping its way out. I see gray feathers! It's way before I expected, I thought I had plenty of time to clean the Hovabator, air it out, fire it up and get these two eggs in to hatch. Seems these eggs had other plans. Both eggs have pipped and are peeping. One has started chipping. These will be the first birds ever to hatch in the waterbator! This is a big deal. They were not, however, incubated the whole way in the waterbator. I felt it was untried technology and didn't want to risk Serjay's precious eggs. Instead I have my own mutt chicken eggs in there. And now they are about to get trompled by big goose feet! I sure hope so!

Oh, Uno, that is SO exciting! Baby geese! Thank you so much for the advice. I am going to go candle now.

Agh! Nothin but yellow inside. Never was fertile! No baby geese this year.

Are you on ACE, Sucellus Farms? If so, try to find the thread ABPride wrote about hatching goose eggs...for next time. It is very comprehensive.

No, I'm not, but am done hatching geese for this year...