Is it NORMAL for a MALE goose to lay on eggs???

[erijn5]

I thought that my 1yr Toulouse Goose was a girl...but all fingers all pointing to a boy...We have a nest with 16 eggs in it, and the Female buff Toulouse is laying on them..but when she gets up to bath and eat..he goes and sits on the nests and then she runs him off when she is done..Is this normal for a male or should we think this is another Female goose????

It is soooo hard to tell, the underneither of the goose signals a boy, I have never seen them breeding?

We have 4 Geese, 1 male, 2 girls, 1 ?..... Any suggestions?

Thanks

 

[pete55]

Our male Dewlaps stand guard over the nests and females but I've never seen them cover the eggs. They will collect token pieces of nesting matrial but never really contribute ( I think its a ploy to impress the girls into seduction). We see and hear them mate on a frequent basis.

How often were the eggs in your nest appearing?

Pete

 

[erijn5]

She is done laying, they should be hatching anytime, I did not write down the exact date of incubation, because my other female was in there laying eggs also...but the buff has been sitting hard-core for lil over 3 wks...

The he/she? sits on them only until she comes back, the eggs are in a building big enough for like 10 full size geese so I don't know why he/she? picks to sit abruptly on the nest, especially when it is not hers?

 

[scratch'n'peck]

I think I have heard of male geese sitting on the eggs at times on other threads. Male swans will sit on the eggs too.

 

[desertdarlene]

That's interesting. There are male birds that brood nests, but I think it's rare with geese. Of course, there's always genetic differences and difference in personalities in individuals. I think it's cool that he's helping to sit, but I don't know if he really knows how to do it.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Yes 2 of male geese take turns on the different nests. They do this every year. I thought this was normal.

 

[Goose mum]

I thought that my 1yr Toulouse Goose was a girl...but all fingers all pointing to a boy...We have a nest with 16 eggs in it, and the Female buff Toulouse is laying on them..but when she gets up to bath and eat..he goes and sits on the nests and then she runs him off when she is done..Is this normal for a male or should we think this is another Female goose????

It is soooo hard to tell, the underneither of the goose signals a boy, I have never seen them breeding?

We have 4 Geese, 1 male, 2 girls, 1 ?..... Any suggestions?

Thanks

The female goose has a much deeper voice than the gander. I think it's quite normal for the gander to sit on the eggs while the goose eats,drinks or bathes. It happens with other species of birds
The gander is usually more aggressive than the goose and is more likely to hiss at you when you approach him than the goose, although not all ganders are aggressive. This is most likely to take place during the mating season.