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Double Check
- Updated: November 27, 2015
The Embden geese have laid several clutches of eggs this year with a total of 10 new goslings.
These have all been hatched in the incubator, but for this final clutch we decided to let the geese hatch and raise them. The place they chose for their nest site was actually fairly protected compared to other places on the property, being a peninsula sticking out into the middle of the pond. The fluffy nest lies hidden among the huisache trees. Our lovely white goose, Gossamer, sits faithfully on her nest of six eggs, guarding it from predators and prying people’s eyes. She’s not alone, for her female companion also helps to incubate and guard the eggs, and the big strong gander watches over both of them and fights off anyone or anything that would bother his females.
Our initial check of the nest left us a bit disappointed. We candled the eggs (holding a strong flashlight against the shell to see the shadows inside) and they appeared to have gone bad. We let the geese sit, however, just to see what would happen. Eventually we decided to get the eggs from Gossamer so that she could go back to doing goosey things and not stay all day on what we assumed were bad eggs.
After struggling with the geese to get the eggs away, we brought them up to the house to candle them once more before getting rid of them, just to be sure. The first egg was bad, but the second egg…..was just getting ready to hatch! You could see the baby already up inside the air cell to peck its way out and it was peeping! Four of the six eggs had goslings preparing to hatch. Quickly we returned the eggs to Gossamer, who was happy to have her babies back. She knew all along that they were good.
To learn even more and get hands-on experience, join us at Grace Heritage Ranch for our Saturday morning tours. We are located just 30 minutes northeast of Harlingen, TX near Santa Monica. Please visit us at www.GraceHeritageRanch.com or www.Facebook.com/VisitGHR . For a recorded message, please call 1-855-447-8687. We offer both public and private tours.
