Goose eggs need warm temperatures and high humidity to hatch. You can use an incubator to incubate the eggs or use a more natural method, depending on available resources.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Collecting Goose Eggs
Step 1. Collect the eggs in the spring
In the Northern Hemisphere, most types of geese begin laying eggs in March or April. The Chinese type starts in winter, even if it's around January or February.
Note that these months will change if you live in the Southern Hemisphere. Most species will start laying eggs in August or September, with the Chinese type laying eggs in June and July
Step 2. Collect the eggs in the morning
Swans usually lay eggs in the morning, so you should collect them late in the morning.
- You should also collect eggs at least four times during the day to pick up eggs that come out at unusual times.
- Do not give the geese access to the pond until after morning, after you have collected the first batch of eggs. Otherwise, the egg may crack.
Step 3. Prepare the nest box
Line each box with a soft nesting material, such as wood shavings or straw.
- The purpose of the nest box is to prevent more eggs from breaking.
- Provide a 50 cm nest box for every 3 geese in the flock.
- If you want to speed up egg production, you can also artificially light the nest box throughout the day and night.
Step 4. Know which geese to collect from
As a general rule, egg fertility will be 15 percent higher and hatchability 20 percent higher when collected from adult female geese, than geese that are only one year old and are only in their first egg-laying season.
- Of course, your chances will also increase when you choose eggs from healthy and well-fed goose.
- The swans that are allowed to swim are usually cleaner, which will make the eggs cleaner as well.
Step 5. Clean the eggs
Dirty eggs should be cleaned with a soft brush, a piece of sandpaper, or a piece of steel wool. Avoid using water to clean the eggs.
- If you must use water, gently wipe the eggs with a clean, damp cloth. The temperature of the water should be around 40 degrees celsius, as the water should still be warmer than the temperature of the eggs. Warm water causes the eggs to "sweat" dirt from the pores.
- Never immerse eggs in water as bacteria may grow if this occurs.
- Dry the eggs thoroughly before storing them.
Step 6. Fumigating eggs Fumigating kills germs on eggs
You can technically skip this step, but following this will reduce the chances of bacteria finding their way inside through the crust.
- Put the eggs in a small room or a room that can be closed tightly.
- Release formaldehyde gas into the room. You can usually buy it in a 40 percent aqueous solution known as “formalin,” or in a powder form, called “paraformaldehyde.” Follow the manufacturer's instructions carefully for the manner in which you should release formaldehyde gas. Since formaldehyde is a toxic gas, do not inhale it.
- If you cannot use a chemical fumigant, place the eggs in a single layer and place them in direct sunlight in the morning and evening. Solar radiation should act as a germicide.
Step 7. Keep the eggs for a while
Place the eggs in a Styrofoam carton and store the eggs for seven days in a cool area. The temperature should be maintained between 13 and 16 degrees Celsius, with 70 to 75 percent humidity.
- Never store eggs at temperatures above 24 degrees Celsius or in humidity below 40 percent.
- Tilt or turn the eggs when storing them. The small end should point downwards.
- After 14 days of storage, the hatchability of eggs will decrease drastically.
Method 2 of 3: Natural Incubation
Step 1. Use Muscovy ducks if you can
You can use geese to incubate their own eggs, but doing this can be expensive and difficult because geese don't lay eggs sitting on their eggs. Entok provides ideal conditions.
- Turkeys and hens can also be used.
- Natural incubation is believed to produce the best overall results, but if you cannot use natural incubation, artificial means can also be used.
- Make sure the hen you are using has already incubated. In other words, they must have already incubated their own eggs to develop the natural instinct to start the brood period.
Step 2. Lay the eggs under the poultry
For Entok, place six to eight eggs under it. For hens, you can only lay four to six eggs.
If you use geese to incubate their own eggs, you can lay 10 to 15 eggs under them
Step 3. Turn the eggs by hand
If using a duck or hen, the eggs will be too large for the fowl to turn naturally. You will need to turn the eggs by hand every day.
- Wait for the birds to leave the nest to eat and drink.
- After 15 days, sprinkle the eggs with warm water when you turn them.
Step 4. Wax the eggs
After the tenth day, bring the eggs under a bright light to look inside. Infertile eggs should be discarded and fertile eggs should be returned to the nest.
Step 5. Wait for the eggs to hatch
Incubation can take from 28 to 35 days, and hatching takes as long as three days.
Keep the nest clean during this entire period and keep turning the eggs daily throughout the entire process
Method 3 of 3: Artificial Incubation
Step 1. Select the incubator
Depending on the type, you can choose between a forced air incubator and a still air incubator.
- An adjustable incubator for slow air movement maintains an even distribution of air, temperature and humidity throughout the incubator, so you can incubate more eggs with this type of machine.
- As a general rule, although still-air incubators are the most difficult machines to regulate airflow, forced-air incubators are still the better choice.
Step 2. Set the temperature and humidity
The exact conditions will vary depending on the type of incubator you are using.
- Set the forced-air incubator temperature between 37.2 to 37.5 degrees Celsius with a relative humidity of 60 to 65 percent. A wet bulb thermometer should indicate a temperature between 28.3 to 31.1 degrees Celsius.
- For still air incubators, set the temperature between 37.8 and 38.3 degrees celsius at egg height, noting that there can be a full 3 degrees celsius difference between the top and bottom incubators. The humidity should be between 60 and 65 percent, for a wet bulb thermometer it should point to a temperature of 32.2 degrees Celsius during incubation.
Step 3. Space each egg evenly
Lay the eggs in the incubator, spaced evenly apart and not stacked.
- For best results, lay the eggs horizontally. Doing this will increase hatchability.
- Try to keep the engine at least 60 percent full. If the incubator is emptier than this, adjust the temperature so that it is warmer by about 0.2 degrees celsius.
Step 4. Turn the eggs four times each day
You must rotate the egg 180 degrees each time.
Rotating the eggs 90 degrees can decrease the number of viable eggs
Step 5. Sprinkle the eggs with warm water
Once a day, you should sprinkle the eggs with a little warm water. Goose eggs require high humidity, and this water can help maintain ideal humidity.
After 15 days have passed, you should soak the eggs daily for one minute. Make sure the water is 37.5 degrees Celsius
Step 6. Transfer the eggs to the brood after 25 days
You will need to transfer the eggs from the main body of the incubator to a separate hen's compartment when they are ready to hatch. Most eggs hatch between 28 and 35 days.
If past experience indicates that goose eggs hatch before day 30, you should transfer the eggs to the mother earlier. Try to give the eggs at least three days to hatch
Step 7. Maintain proper temperature and humidity settings
The temperature in the broodstock should remain 37 degrees Celsius with a relative humidity of 80 percent.
- Once hatching begins to show, reduce the temperature to 36.5 degrees Celsius and the humidity to 70 percent.
- Before laying eggs on the brood, you should dip or sprinkle the eggs with warm water. The water should be around 37.5 degrees celsius.
Step 8. Let the eggs hatch completely
Eggs usually take up to three days before hatching.
