My 1st experience with white chinese geese. Help!

I live in an island community and over the past thirty years our white chinese goose population has dwindled to one lone male. He was lonely so I bought a pair to keep him company. The female got pregnant very quickly and she has been sitting constantly on her eggs for 23 days. She started her nest next to the bridge that comes into our community because it was the highest spot and the males can see her from the other side of the small bridge.........The female is also about 6 feet from the waters edge where a green heron hangs out every day waiting for the eggs to hatch and a red shouldered hawk sits above her on a utility pole. There is also a 5 foot alligator that lives close by.........So, last night I moved her and her nest into my garage about three blocks away. The males were none too happy about it, but they have now calmed down..........The female had a small adjustment period in the garage with lots of honking but when I brought in the kids swimming pool she loved it and when I went to bed she was still in the pool. This morning I have propered the pedestrian door open so there is some sunlight coming into the garage.......My problem is that I am not sure she has returned to sitting the eggs and they seem a bit cool to me. Is this a problem since they possibly will start hatching in 4 days anyway? Help.....this is my first rodeo with geese. Thanks. Roselyn

Geese are funny creatures and far more intelligent than they let on. Did you know, a domestic goose can live over 100 years? They are amazing.

I suspect she won't sit on her eggs again, the simple stress of moving her nest will be enough to put her off. Which is a pity because the goal is to keep her safe.

Do you have some way to keep the eggs warm? It's only a few more days. Momma goose may adopt the babies when they hatch, but it's not always easy to know what a goose will choose to do.

R Ranson, I do have an electric blanket. Should I put it on low and on top of them? Its 7 Pm and all the Mom seems to want to do is play in the plastic swimming pool. Should I turn the eggs also if I put the electric blanket on top?
Thanks so much. I have hand watered her every day for 23 days and its tough to know I screwed up by moving her. She pooped herself in the moving cage and got it all over one of the eggs which I washed off and put it back under her.

r Ranson, regarding heat sources, I also bought a 250 watt heat bulb today for the chicks when they hatch.

Working from memory here, but I think the idea temp for goose eggs is a bit less than for chickens. So, maybe 97 degrees F ... maybe 35 or 36 degrees C. If you are using the blanket, I would probably put it under, then wrap the eggs loosely in a towel.... or perhaps the light bulb would work better. It's very difficult to say. You could do half the eggs one way and half the eggs the other to increase your chance of success.

What we really need here is for others to chime in with what they used as emergency egg incubators. Anyone?



Moving the eggs will turn them a bit, which is fine, but, again working from memory, the eggs don't need to be turned the last few days before they hatch.