Today is day 31 for my Brown Chinese goose sitting on eggs. For the last few days, she’s been moving her nest to different spots in her plastic dog house. It got pretty warm here lately and yesterday she moved the whole nest outside the dog house. Then of course it rained last night and she did not move them back in.
This morning I decided to candle them. Some felt cool. One was pipped! So I left that one with her and took the rest inside to a dark place for candling. 4 were obviously dead in shell but two were moving and maybe internally pipped! And one looked dead, but since it still had veins, I’m hoping it was just asleep. So I threw away the 4 dead ones and put the rest back in the nest.
But ever since then, I have not seen her sit back onto the nest. Just standing near it.
Did I make her abandon her nest? Should I have left all 8 eggs instead of taking the dead ones away? (I did not break them. I could still put them back.)
Should I move the good eggs to my incubator? I have had zero luck with the goose eggs I have tried to hatch myself. I was hoping the broody goose would do better. Although she is only one year old and this is her first time.
I think I should never have interfered.
This morning I decided to candle them. Some felt cool. One was pipped! So I left that one with her and took the rest inside to a dark place for candling. 4 were obviously dead in shell but two were moving and maybe internally pipped! And one looked dead, but since it still had veins, I’m hoping it was just asleep. So I threw away the 4 dead ones and put the rest back in the nest.
But ever since then, I have not seen her sit back onto the nest. Just standing near it.
Did I make her abandon her nest? Should I have left all 8 eggs instead of taking the dead ones away? (I did not break them. I could still put them back.)
Should I move the good eggs to my incubator? I have had zero luck with the goose eggs I have tried to hatch myself. I was hoping the broody goose would do better. Although she is only one year old and this is her first time.
I think I should never have interfered.