Endless need for bedding

No matter how much bedding I put down for the boys, Sally keeps adding it to her ever more impressive nest!  This battle goes on daily so the boys have something to sleep on...by the morning the boys are on the house floor and Sally has all the bedding in her nest! But they don't seem to mind, they are so attentive to her. It is fascinating how much straw Sally can accumilate on her nest, she is up to half a bale so far!

Due date

Expected due date.. I'm thinking around the 22nd May... as you can see I have highlighted the calendar a couple of days before and after, if the majority hatch on the 22nd its time on the 26th to remove any unhatched egg/s. You can crack them open if you wish but be warned you may be met with a gut wrenching smell which will linger in your nostrils for days or a partly developed gosling oe even a fully developed gosling that has failed to hatch for some reason, which is very sad to see.

If it's OK with you Mum......I'll stay put this morning :)

So looks like today is sit tight day number one, I do not know if she has added another egg this morning or not, dought I will get a chance to see for a few days. This is day one on the calendar, I will count forward 30 days as that is when I will expect them to hatch. Sally will come off the eggs twice a day for a leg stretch, a nibble of grass, a drink and a quick wash, while she is still wet she will return to the eggs and sit down, with moist feathers dampening the shells on the eggs, this is vital if the goslings have any chance of breaking the eggs to hatch. If you have ever tried to crack a goose egg you will realise what a tough job they have! When sally leaves the nest, Honda (the gander) does not know what to do, stay with Sally or stay with the eggs! it normally results in him running between the two!

Woo Hoo up to 10 eggs and last night she started to feather line it, they pull lots of the soft down under feathers out to make a beautifully soft cushion for the eggs to lie on, so full sitting is imminent.
Geese lay eggs over a number of days, laying everyday or sometimes skipping a day, they normally start to sit when they have 10 to 14eggs, but it depends on the size of the goose, she will only sit on however many she thinks she can cover and keep at the correct temperature.
For the last few days she has started sitting a few times each day, for half an hour or so, stopping the eggs getting too cold. So fingers crossed these will all develop well. You can See that the eggs differ in colour a lot. They are all in fact a pure brilliant white, but the weather has been quite wet so she is making them steadily muddier (the last three days have been dry - can you tell!)

It must be spring!

If you are of a sensitive disposition...look away now!

I am not too sure that a geese mating is a very suttle affair and feel quite sorry for the female as she is effectivly trampled to bits! But despite how rough it all looks she does'nt seem to mind and is happy for Honda to mate with her as many times as he wants. It is fair to say he is very pleased with himself at the end of it all and Sally does what she loves doing most and goes for a good wash.

Nest approval! Hope I pass!!

Sally checking out Mum's choice of nest....looks like she approves!

I have found motorbike tyres the best, the skinny ones you find on scramblers (these are not so high, so the gosling once hatched can get back on the nest easily.) Once the nest is all finished with in a few months time they can be easily cleaned. They can easily be stored in a shed or lean too and seem resiliant to a gooses constant need to investigate and chew! The scrambler size tyre is ideal for Ducks up to medium size geese, I have never kept a large variety of goose like an emden to breed, but having had three as orchard mowers I would think a slightly larger nest would be appreciated.