Two Toulouse goslings hatched in the incubator today.
I've been reading about raising goslings by hand versus having them raised by a goose, and how easy it is to have a broody goose adopt goslings that are not their own. So I took the chance - one of the Shetland geese has been sitting on eggs for over a month now (incubation is just 30 days, clearly her eggs are not viable) and it is apparently hard to break a goose's broodiness - they can often fade away as they get so weak - so thought adoption would be a great answer for both goose and goslings.
Could not find any suggestions on HOW this is to be done though! So took the two newly dried off goslings to the goose pen in a little bucket and showed the goose on the nest in her little kennel the bucket, ready to pull it away if she attacked them (the way a hen might). But what a different reaction! It was as if she was looking into a pram - the goose peaked into the bucket, saw the goslings and immediately started cooing and cheeping, clearly besotted by the little ones as they twittered back at her. After a few minutes I took the goslings out and tucked each one in beside her in the nest - she was almost frozen in surprise but then stroked each one with her beak. Finally one of the goslings looked up at her and clearly said the gosling equivalent of "mama" - and she was hooked. The gander, who'd been out grazing with the other geese, came back into the pen and met the goslings - he seemed mildly surprised but quickly puffed up with pride and took up his position in front of the nest box to keep the other geese away. When I left for the evening the goslings were tucked out of site under their new mother and papa was looking very serious but very pleased.
It may be a bit of a shock when they grow up and turn out to be so different from their adopted parents - but who knows, they may learn to have more of their adopted parents' charming temperaments!
I've been reading about raising goslings by hand versus having them raised by a goose, and how easy it is to have a broody goose adopt goslings that are not their own. So I took the chance - one of the Shetland geese has been sitting on eggs for over a month now (incubation is just 30 days, clearly her eggs are not viable) and it is apparently hard to break a goose's broodiness - they can often fade away as they get so weak - so thought adoption would be a great answer for both goose and goslings.
Could not find any suggestions on HOW this is to be done though! So took the two newly dried off goslings to the goose pen in a little bucket and showed the goose on the nest in her little kennel the bucket, ready to pull it away if she attacked them (the way a hen might). But what a different reaction! It was as if she was looking into a pram - the goose peaked into the bucket, saw the goslings and immediately started cooing and cheeping, clearly besotted by the little ones as they twittered back at her. After a few minutes I took the goslings out and tucked each one in beside her in the nest - she was almost frozen in surprise but then stroked each one with her beak. Finally one of the goslings looked up at her and clearly said the gosling equivalent of "mama" - and she was hooked. The gander, who'd been out grazing with the other geese, came back into the pen and met the goslings - he seemed mildly surprised but quickly puffed up with pride and took up his position in front of the nest box to keep the other geese away. When I left for the evening the goslings were tucked out of site under their new mother and papa was looking very serious but very pleased.
It may be a bit of a shock when they grow up and turn out to be so different from their adopted parents - but who knows, they may learn to have more of their adopted parents' charming temperaments!
