Geese Grow on Grass
(Page 2 of 4)
March/April 1970
By the Mother Earth News editors
You can start having geese by buying fertile eggs, day-old goslings, "started" goslings, or a matured pair or trio at least two years old. We could find no geese true-to-breed in our section so we bought eggs (35¢ to $1.00 each) and hatched them under setting hens. It was one of the biggest thrills we have ever had - to see those little goslings hatch out. Here are the rules we would suggest after our experience:
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1. Don't pay too much attention to all the free advice you'll get unless it comes from someone who has successfully handled geese for several years or from the Department of Agriculture or State Experiment Station.
2. Order your eggs from a reputable dealer suggested by your county farm agent or one who advertises in a good farm magazine. 3. Get your broody hens promised to you ahead of time by a large poultry keeper if you don't have any of your own. You may buy or borrow them. One hen covers 4 to 5 goose eggs. Move and place the hens on their new nests at night and keep the nest darkened.
4. When you make up the nests, dust them thoroughly with insect powder. Also dust the hens well a day or two before the eggs hatch. (You may use an orange crate on its side for 2 nests if you place a narrow board across the front to keep the eggs from rolling out).
5. Goose eggs, contrary to the usual practice, may be washed before setting. Turn the eggs once a day (when the hen is off her nest) as they are too large for hens to manage.
6. Take good care of your hen and her eggs. It takes from 28 to 35 days for eggs to hatch - a long setting for a hen. Take her off her nest once a day and give her grain and water. Be sure food and water is close so she won't wander off and forget her nest. A hen on goose eggs should not be off nest long enough for eggs to chill.
During the last week sprinkle the eggs with lukewarm water each day. The day before hatching place the eggs in a pan of warm water to cover eggs well and watch your live goslings bob. After a few bobs replace eggs in nest and nature does the rest. (You furnish water to duplicate what occurs when a goose returns to her nest with her feathers a little wet.) If the egg should show the first crack of hatching, don't submerge the broken part. It can take a gosling as long as 24 hours to hatch after the first tiny crack in the shell, so don't be worried. Even if a gosling's head has emerged, the European custom is to push the head back into the shell so the gosling can obtain leverage to extricate himself. Take goslings from nest as soon as they hatch; place in a box and keep in a warm place until the hen completes her hatch. It is best to remove goslings because the hen is apt to get excited at the first hatch, leave the rest of the eggs unhatched.
After you have hatched the goslings or if you buy them, keep them in a box with a few cloths in it in the house or some other warm place. A few hours after they are born feed them some chopped green feed - grass, lettuce, etc. - natural food for geese. Stale bread soaked in milk and sprinkled with a little sand, or a warm mash or chick starter may be fed. After the first day or so when they learn to manage their legs, put them out on the grass during the day - provided the weather is warm. But be sure to keep them in a warm dry shelter at night and don't let them out until the dew is off the ground. It is wise to let them have their box or shelter at night until they are well-feathered - at least 3 weeks old.
