# broody goose



## dwbonfire (May 6, 2012)

i have a toulouse goose that decided to sit on a nest down by the pond... our property is fenced but as we all know that doesnt guarantee critters to stay out. i see raccoon tracks down there so i know they are still visiting.
a month or so ago i found a random goose egg in my field and tried to incubate it since i couldnt find any others.. it was likely not fertile since nothing developed and was clear when i candled it. since then i guess she picked a spot to lay, i have no idea how many eggs she is sitting on or if they are even fertile.
i thought it was odd that lastnight both geese stayed up by the barn for the night rather than returning to the pond like they have been (i originally tried to pen them at night but it didnt work out so well) then i saw them both this morning, but then the goose was missing all day. i finally saw her in the pond and watched to see where she went, so now i know where he nest is.

i would hate for something to get her or the eggs, so im not sure what i should do. shes up on the bank of the pond hidden realllll well and no way i could put anything around her for protection. should i take her eggs and pen her up where shes safe and hope she will continue to set? or should i just let nature take its course? seems a little crazy for a raccoon to go after a goose her size, but it could happen right??

what would you do


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## ThreeBoysChicks (May 6, 2012)

I have never had success moving a goose.  I would recommend leaving her where she is.  My French Telouse just hatched 11 goslings about 3 weeks ago.  The male will protect the female well.


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## dwbonfire (May 6, 2012)

unfortunetly the male came back up to the barn tonight... he left her down there. all day he was calling for her like he didnt know where she went, when she came out he rushed down to be with her then he watched her go back to the nest so now he knows, but he still left her there alone for the night :/


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## Goatherd (May 7, 2012)

I agree with TBC about moving the eggs.  She will not take well to it and you will have to incubate them.  Personally, I would let them be.  
As far as the male not staying with her, that's perfectly normal.  During the day he may sit in close proximity to her, but at night, domestic geese tend to return to their usual sleeping place, wherever that may be for the male or he may saty with her but not too closely, to "watch and protect" from a distance.  Geese are fierce when it comes to defending their nest, eggs and goslings.

There is a pair of Canada geese not far from me. I see and watch them when I pass in my car.  They come to this pond yearly.  She just hatched out 5 goslings.  The male, during the incubation, sat on the other side of the pond, I'm sure watching her, but possibly trying to avert an attention to her nest from predators and rather on himself.  Once the goslings hatched, he is constantly with his mate and offspring.

Good luck and I hope all goes well for you and the geese.


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## peachick (May 7, 2012)

go to petsmart or TSC and buy a puppy exercize pen to put around her...  and fence her in...  open it in the morning  so she can come out...  but clip it closed at night...  thats what  I do with my sebastopol mama and her 15 babies.


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## dwbonfire (May 7, 2012)

peachick said:
			
		

> go to petsmart or TSC and buy a puppy exercize pen to put around her...  and fence her in...  open it in the morning  so she can come out...  but clip it closed at night...  thats what  I do with my sebastopol mama and her 15 babies.


thats a great idea, except there is no way to put the pen around her. shes in a bunch of branches and brush on the bank by the pond, theres just no way to do it :/

i hope the male will start to stay down in the pond like he was doing before to help protect her. its like hes a scaredy goose and doesnt want to be down there 'alone' lol so he comes up to the barn, which they never did besides that one night before she started sitting. time will tell!


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## 77Herford (May 7, 2012)

Yeah, I'd listen to THreeboys.  Never had much luck moving Geese eggs.  Geese can be pretty fierce protectors as I've been chased off before.  Those beaks pinch something fierce.


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## crazyland (May 8, 2012)

I have two girls who decided to sit. One has two eggs and the other had three. I check them when they get up to eat in the morning. 
The males don't stay with the girls, just keep checking back on their ladies.  I am so excited to see these babies. They are a mix of Toulouse, Embden and Chinese.


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## PattySh (May 8, 2012)

An expen  around her for sure. I have a trio of Magpie Ducks and both females are setting now. I have them in an expen (actually several hitched together because they are in it all the time) and it works great. I have used this setup for several years for ducks. I have two doghouses in the pen and they've nested in them. They have their little water tub in there and they are nice and safe.


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## redtailgal (May 8, 2012)

dwbonfire said:
			
		

> i have a toulouse goose that decided to sit on a nest down by the pond... what would you do


I would RUN, RUN FOR THE HILLS!  

Sorry, we dont do well with geese.  They chase us. and pinch us.  It scares us.  

btw........its a regular "Old MacDonalds Farm" around your place isnt it?  lol.


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## dwbonfire (May 8, 2012)

redtailgal said:
			
		

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lol!!  yes it sure it.. e i e i o !!
my male chases me a little, but hes all hiss for sure. i turn around and step towards him and he runs away honking! it will be a bad day for him if he ever takes it any further thats for sure!! so far so good. the female is docile, she will hiss at the dogs but never at me, just walks away lady-like. i enjoy them, they seem very smart and its interesting to watch them interact with eachother. i havent found that with my ducks nearly as much.

i left her on the nest down there, what will be will be  i hope she does well and is successful with the hatch as i'd loove more geese. we have those big slider turtles and im sure we have snappers too but im not sure how many... do i have to worry about the turtles grabbing the goslings when/if they are in the water? ive heard snappers will kill the baby ducks and geese?


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## redtailgal (May 8, 2012)

I've never had much to do with water fowl, but I did try to raise an orphaned duckling once (hawk got her).  She WOULD NOT swim in a pond that had snappers in it.  She was terrified of them!


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## elevan (May 8, 2012)

dwbonfire said:
			
		

> i have a toulouse goose that decided to sit on a nest down by the pond... what would you do


Send her to me!


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## redtailgal (May 8, 2012)

elevan said:
			
		

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Because Elevan REALLY needs more babies.  (shhhh..........I think shes got baby fever)


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## elevan (May 8, 2012)

redtailgal said:
			
		

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I want geese!  

And one can never have too many baby critters, can they?


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## dwbonfire (May 9, 2012)

elevan said:
			
		

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nope, you sure cant!!! so glad for BYH where people understand me lol


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## PattySh (May 9, 2012)

I just want to warn you to watch your male carefully once the little ones hatch, especially if you have kids. The male might get aggressive. I  had a pair of geese when my kids were little. They were Emden. The female was not bad at all with sitting on her eggs (in the henhouse) or after they hatched. The male however was a different story. He bit the kids several times once got my soh's finger to the bone! All of the hatched goslings ended out being male and several were also aggressive. They tasted good! Although they are beautiful I haven't had the urge to have geese again.


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## peachick (May 9, 2012)

Elvan  I had 25 baby sebastopls hatch here in the last 3 weeks.....  how many do you want???
I have shipped 4 to florida and 4 to kansas so far....  both shipments arived in under 20 hours....  them lucky babies!

I have to agree with Patty....  Even though sebasopol geese are more docile than most breeds....  I have one sweet gander who turned into a guard dog once the babies hatced ...  if  I get too close  he starts chewing on my pant legs as  I try to walk past.  They are great daddys!!


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