Just good goose news: survivor babies

[threehorses]

I'm enjoying three baby geese hatched from my survivors of our big dog attack! Galehorn, Rassilla, and Norgard. Unfortunate their mother abandoned the nest completely, I thought the eggs were bad but watched the nest. One gosling hatched out without her setting (i had been watching carefully) during the night and I didn't get to him in time. Three other eggs were pipped, one with his beak out, the others just cracked. Because the mom hadn't been around to wet the eggs, they were very hard. I never ever ever recommend helping babies out - but I did help these out. Remind me to leave nature to nature next time. But they did get enough egg off to be able to do the rest on their own, most importantly kick out of the egg on their own when they were ready. One wasn't ready for a long time. :) He's now the biggest goose of the three. The other two, once they were able to get past some hard shell, kicked out like little wild things. Their little umbilical cords were completely clear.

Of course, they're totally bonded to us now as we're the first thing they saw and heard out of their eggs. And boy do baby geese talk! They sure do tell us a lot about what they think about life. :)

So now I have another mother on a nest and she's doing much better than the first. One day when she got scared and got off her nest, the male got on for her and sat the nest til she settled down. Then she covered the nest up like a good girl and had a bath, came back to the nest. What a joy. I'm going to let her hatch and raise the babies as watching geese raise babies as a community is a total joy. I wish I could have with the first, but things just didn't go normally. BUt at least I have three babies to carry on for the babies lost.

Thanks for reading my good news. I was just so happy I had to share. :)

[Dondoyle26]

When is the 2nd goose due to hatch ? She still may adopt the 3 babys you have already(make sure her brood is hatched and off the nest before any attempts to introduce them to her). Possibly even the original mother may take them back. Just put them on the ground and see how the older geese act around them. If they are going to accept them the older geese will go on guard immediately. They may nibble at them at first as long as no real aggression they should be fine with the adults. You will know if they accept them or not. You could start with just 1 and see. I have 2 broods together with about 8 adults watching over them and 4 or 5 other adults just hanging around in the same flock. These are white chineese and brwn chineese geese. The toulouse have 4 babies and their all the same age. They have about 6-7 geese on guard and the babies mother isnt even with them. I moved the original goose eggs under a goose that just started setting due to piss ants attacking the hatching eggs. The toulouse are much better protectors for the babys but horriable in my opinion as far as setting goes. Ive had much better luck with the chineese this year. If possible it would be best to get those baby's back with the adults if they will accept them (which im sure they would). If not you are gonna end up with some fiesty geese there. They will imprint of people and then when breeding season comes next year you become the goose they want to attack for breeding rights.

[threehorses]

I think I might just try that. The babies are getting to the size where they really need more space, and I hate not having goslings on grass. The fireants prevent us from caging them on grass here - they need to be able to roam. So I'll give it a shot with their mom, who is back sitting on her nest which had one (definitely infertile) duck egg left in it. Maybe she'll think she miraculously hatched three two-week old babies! :) The male there is wonderful. Then I can try again with the other mother, whose male is ultra-wonderful, when her babies are off the nest. But I'll watch them carefully. I thought she was due yesterday but my calculations might be wrong.

/sigh I'm a little afraid to let go of them now, let the geese raise them, but it really would be the right thing to do. It's easier when they start out that way. Well and when you didn't pretty much hatch them out yourself in your lap like a big sucker/dummy. :)

Thanks for this advice! I"ll let you know how it goes.

Nathalie