Broodys all over the place!

[rhoda_bruce]

That hen won't accept any lovin from me. I am her enemy right now. She hates me.

 

[~gd]

Well, today the gosllings hatched. I took the roo away and must think where to keep him for safety. He is valueable and I don't want to run the risk of losing him to the local wildlife or another roo. She was on 5 goose eggs and only 2 of them hatched, but considering that I put in about 30 goose eggs in the incubator and only got out 3 goslings, I think she did awesome. I just put them a waterer and feeder with mash, until they old enough for grain. The kids think its so cute to see a 'Momma' with the goslings. I did lose my Toulouse gosling, which I hatched out myself, so I have 4 goslings. 3 are a yellow color and one is mostly yellow with a greenish tinge. Not sure the difference between Chinese and Embdens when they first hatched. I know for sure I have Christmas goose working in the yard, right now.

I'll bet that the greenish one is a China goose. Even white chinas have the green tint. If you look closely at where the upper bill connects to the head China and African will show the start of the knob. Even crosses with other breeds tend to show traces of the knob as goslings even if it becomes less apparent as they grow up. Make sure your goslings have a chance to get grit in the qizzard before taking theem off mash but you as a goose person already knows that...

 

[rhoda_bruce]

I hope you are right and I'll check. Regardless....it will be either sold or eaten, but Christmas before last, all I had was Chinese and I slaughtered 2 goslings and we had the biggest for Christmas dinner. It was delicious, but the size was a disappointment. If it wasn't for other family members bringing a turkey and a beef brisket, then we wouldn't have had enough meat. That is what made me decide on a bigger breed. The Chinese gosling was about the size of an extremely large Rouen or Muscovy. Looking at it, all dressed out, it could have passed for a duck. I am hoping for better results this year.

 

[~gd]

I hope you are right and I'll check. Regardless....it will be either sold or eaten, but Christmas before last, all I had was Chinese and I slaughtered 2 goslings and we had the biggest for Christmas dinner. It was delicious, but the size was a disappointment. If it wasn't for other family members bringing a turkey and a beef brisket, then we wouldn't have had enough meat. That is what made me decide on a bigger breed. The Chinese gosling was about the size of an extremely large Rouen or Muscovy. Looking at it, all dressed out, it could have passed for a duck. I am hoping for better results this year.

Well the China goose is so light that it usually can fly even as full adults It should serve 4 at table And is kept by people that don't want a lot of leftover goose, good egg layer and often used as a brood mother by people raising Large Geese because it is light on the nest and fresh hatched goslings. The heavy Toulouse Embden or African will serve a tableload. but tend ti be hard on eggs and gooslings because they are huge and slow. The medium class is usually a good choice. I like Pilgrims because the ganders are white and the goose is gray. I is nice to be able to tell the gender with just a glance.

 

[rhoda_bruce]

My grain man gave me my start with my chinese and he always complained that they start setting, but they don't finish and I learned from experience that he was right. I won't let my goose set again. She's just not good at it. If and when I finish my barn, I think I'll put a stall for just silkies and buff orphingtons, cuz I really love using broodies for my duck, goose and guinea eggs.

 

[piglett]

My grain man gave me my start with my chinese and he always complained that they start setting, but they don't finish and I learned from experience that he was right. I won't let my goose set again. She's just not good at it. If and when I finish my barn, I think I'll put a stall for just silkies and buff orphingtons, cuz I really love using broodies for my duck, goose and guinea eggs.

our 2 silkie hens could hatch a rock...they just don't give up


good luck
piglett

 

[~gd]

My grain man gave me my start with my chinese and he always complained that they start setting, but they don't finish and I learned from experience that he was right. I won't let my goose set again. She's just not good at it. If and when I finish my barn, I think I'll put a stall for just silkies and buff orphingtons, cuz I really love using broodies for my duck, goose and guinea eggs.

It seems to depemd on the strain and what they were bred for. Good layer=bad brooders. I still think Muscovy ducks are great hatchers but they are hard to fool with the babies.

 

[rhoda_bruce]

I just got my very first muscovy ducks EVER. Momma used to complain that they were ugly, but didn't care and DH heard her often enough and also heard his own grandmother cursing in French, "No good turkey duck," and he never wanted to consent to getting any. Well, I landed on a few ducklings, which I offered to sell for a local lady.....only I never even attempted to sell them (I knew I wouldn't). I know they supposed to be awesome mom's. I don't know what I will get out of them, but they are here. I started with 7 and I somehow lost one......like...gone, missing, vanished. I'll keep a drake and at least 2 females if I have enough to get that going and eat the rest. All my other ducklings have been sold off, so looks like that will be my only duck meat anyway, but hopefully a future incubation assistant.

 

[Cindlady2]

Dose anyone know how well turkeys do with hatching chicks (chickens)? She has 3 eggs of her own but "the girls" have been laying eggs for her. I let her keep about 6 chicken eggs.

One chicken hen hatched a couple of days ago, and another hatched today, the other hen should hatch in a day or 2. Funny, the hen that goes broody at the drop of an egg, has not gone broody since I broke her in Feb.

 

[Denim Deb]

Maybe you need to try dropping a hat?