Geese are quite common birds in the farm. This results from the fact that they are unpretentious in food and leaving, and also quickly gain weight. Breeding this bird is easy, and under the right conditions you can even get a brood of goslings.
In this article we will describe how to choose a goose hen and properly organize the process of hatching chicks.
How to choose a goose to incubate chicks
It is believed that adult geese are more suitable for incubation. They are calmer and will not crush eggs, as a young bird can do. If the farm is only young, then you can choose a suitable hen by her behavior.
At the end of the egg-laying goose begins to make a nest, warming it with its down. Upon completion of this process, it will remain in the nest. When a stranger appears, the goose will hiss and flap its wings, but it will not make an attempt to leave - this means that it is ready to hatch. Cooked eggs can be laid with such a bird.
Important! It is necessary to ensure that the young goose carries the first egg in the nest, then it will lay aside the next eggs there and not have to look for them in secluded corners..
How to arrange and where to place the nest for the hen
Nests should be prepared in advance. Ideally, a month before the beginning of the laying (in winter). This is to ensure that the goose itself chose a suitable place. If you plan to plant several birds, then it is desirable that there are more nests than birds to choose the most comfortable place.
The feeling of comfort is very important for the hen. The bird, while in the nest, should not see the neighbors so as not to be nervous and not distracted. If the nests are nearby, then it is necessary to make partitions.
All kinds of materials are suitable for the nest, the only limit will be fantasy - it can be old tires, wooden and plastic boxes, nests twisted out of a grid (arranged horizontally) and sheathed with straw for heat, knocked out of old furniture or fibreboard.
Learn how to choose a goose for a tribe, how to determine the sex of geese, when geese start to fly at home, how many eggs a goose carries, how to choose goose eggs for breeding.
Nests are installed directly on the floor or on the ground, prestituting litter or foam. The room should be dry, warm, without drafts. For the comfort of the birds it is necessary to limit the ingress of sunlight. Electric lighting at night must be turned off.
When designing a place for a hen, it is important to remember that the goose is a large bird and needs a lot of space. Here are some examples of the nest parameter for the average bird:
- width - 40 centimeters;
- length - 60 centimeters;
- height - 50 centimeters.
Do not forget that there should be free access to the clutch.
How to plant a goose on eggs
Geese are not as domesticated as chickens, and their life cycle is associated with nature and the onset of spring. It is at this time the bird begins to think about posterity.
When to plant
The period when the female is ready to incubate, begins in spring. In the third decade of March and early April, Husk begins to shed and put the feathers in the nest - this is how she prepares a place for hatching. Geese, especially young ones, show some kind of nervousness, they can sit on the nest with one egg.
Did you know? Goslings are able to swim already after a day ambassadors of hatching.
How to select and how many eggs to lay
The number of future chicks who can heat a huss is limited by its size. Depending on the parameters of the bird, it is laid with ten to fifteen eggs. Before you put the eggs, they must first be selected.
Too large ones do not fit - they can have two yolks. Goslings that will not grow to a sufficiently large size will hatch from small ones.
Too polluted specimens need to be washed, but do it only before the laying.
Important! You can store eggs for future incubation for no more than twenty days at a temperature of 12 to 15 ° C.
How to force an egg
Problems with the fact that the goose does not want to sit on the eggs, are quite rare, since geese are caring mothers. Still, if this happened, then there are some tricks to help put the obstinate goose in the nest:
- the selected breed should not be meat;
- nesting place should be in a dark, secluded place;
- food and water should be abundant;
- temperature not lower than 15-18 ° С;
Learn more about how to plant a goose to hatch eggs.
- one egg must always remain in the nest. If there are fears that the young bird will flood it, then you can put a dummy;
- goose can be planted by force. To do this, you need to cover it with a large box on top or close the exit with a partition (depending on the type of nest). So it is left for a few days. However, this method may not work, and the bird will become frightened and nervous.
How to care for a hen during a brooding period
Guski must have access to food and water around the clock. Since it will only get out of the nest to eat, this should not give the bird any discomfort.
It is also desirable access to the reservoir (trough or bath), in which the goose can swim. This is important because the bird moistens the clutch with its wet feathers. It will be easier for chicks to hatch out of a moistened egg. If it is not possible to gokus to swim, then at the time when she leaves for food, you can gently sprinkle the eggs with water.
Cleanliness should be maintained in the house.
Did you know? Leaving the nest, the goose covers the eggs with down and sprigs so that in her absence the temperature does not fall, and no one else can steal the eggs.
How long does a goose hatch
The standard time for incubation is 28 days. However, in reality, goslings may begin to hatch on the 30th day or even on the 32nd.
If eggs are turned over in time, they will warm up evenly and it is likely that the chicks will hatch at the same time.
Appearance of goslings
Goose constantly cares for the offspring after hatching. Youngsters learn from her example to graze, bathe and interact with the outside world. But if the hen is young, then the first three weeks (the most important time in the life of the goslings) should be given special attention to the brood:
- if it is difficult for the chick to hatch during the day, it can be helped by slightly removing the shells around the edges;
- The newborn bird must be kept warm at all times. The temperature in the first week should not fall below 30 ° C. As a rule, this temperature is easily maintained by the mother, but in case of force majeure, it is necessary to heat around the clock;
- goslings should be kept in a nest on a clean and dry bedding;
- the first two days of the babies are fed boiled eggs, porridge;
- from the third day you can add carrots, chopped greens.
Find out what are the reasons why goslings die, reasons why goslings can fall to their feet, how to feed goslings at home, how to raise goslings at home.
Geese are unpretentious birds that are easy to breed. All that is required of the owners is to prepare suitable conditions for the hen, and after a month you can observe a whole flock of little chicks.
Feeding a goose sitting on eggs: video
