Goose egg production

The main egg-laying period for geese is in the spring, commencing about August or September. Chinese breeds can start laying in winter. Encourage early seasonal egg production, so goslings are of marketable age and weight in time for the Christmas market.

• Fertility will be up to 15% higher and hatch-ability up to 20% higher with mature female geese than with 1-year-old geese.
• As geese usually lay in the morning, collect eggs late in the morning to reduce the chance of egg breakages, and collect eggs at least four times a day.
• Because most eggs are laid early in the morning, it is best not to give geese access to swimming facilities until later in the morning, otherwise eggs may be lost. As mentioned earlier, swimming improves the condition of geese generally and helps to keep them clean, which in turn helps to keep eggs clean.
• Geese usually lay a clutch of 12–15 eggs and then go broo

Did you know when geese lay their eggs they are laid with a protective film on them that helps to protect them from absorbing any bad bacteria that could harm the unborn gosling, but when the egg is first laid it takes about 20 seconds (or longer depending how cold it is) for the film to dry, so if there isn’t a clean dry nest for the egg to be laid in it has a much higher risk of absorbing something that could harm the embryo. Make sure fresh hay, straw, or shavings is provided in a dry clean area to help ensure their safety.

Also once your bird has gone broody check your eggs at seven days to see if they are fertile and remove any that are infertile. After that continue to check your eggs every seven days to make sure no goslings have died in the egg, or that any eggs have gone rotten. This is because Goslings breathe through the egg and if a rotten egg happens to explode on to the healthy eggs the toxins from it can be absorbed and kill the unborn gosling.

Can Geese Lay Multiple Clutches Of Eggs In A Year?

Are geese capable of laying multiple clutches of eggs in one year? In the wild, geese typically lay a single clutch of eggs each year if the initial clutch is successful. This is because raising goslings is a big commitment of time and energy for goose parents. By the time the young from the first clutch are independent, there is scarcely time to have a second clutch.

However, if the first clutch of eggs is depredated or drowned out by flooding, geese are capable of producing a second clutch of eggs.

Some of the best egg-producing geese on the market today include the African, Chinese, Embden, standard Toulouse and Buff.

Geese for eggs?

Geese are not like chickens where they lay eggs most of the year. Geese normally only lay during the late winter/spring to early summer max. The Chinese geese are probably the best layers and are said to lay up to 100 eggs in a year but most I’ve ever gotten was about 60-70ish.

Chinese

There are two colour varieties of this breed: the White Chinese and the Brown Chinese. Both originated in China and are smaller than the Toulouse or Emden. The Chinese is distinguishable from other geese by the knob or protuberance on its head.

Chinese geese go broody and are the better layers, laying as many as 50 eggs in a season. Because of this they are ideal for crossing with other breeds.

Chinese and Emden crosses produce desirable goslings of white fleshing qualities more economically than do the pure breeds. The Chinese is the most suitable ‘watchdog’ breed.

• Head – Rather large with a knob at the base of the upper bill.
• Body – No particular distinguishing features except it is smaller than the Toulouse and Emden.
• Colour of the brown variety – Brown bill and eyes, orange legs. Body feathers are brown and lighter on the underside of the bird.
• Colour of the white variety – Bright orange bill and legs, brown eyes and pure white body feathers.

Canadian Geese Breeding Season

Canada geese lay between four and nine eggs per year. The average is five. The female lays one egg every one to two days, usually early in the morning. She does not leave the nest, eat, drink, or bathe while the eggs are incubating. The gestation period is 28 to 30 days.

Keeping Domestic Geese

All breeds of domestic geese have been selectively bred from the wild greylag goose (Anser anser) except the Chinese and African, which were probably bred from the swan goose(Anser cygnoides). Geese are full of character and good pets, guards and lawnmowers, and sources of meat and eggs.

Most of the pure breeds are relatively rare, and it is worth thinking about keeping a pure breed rather than cross-bred birds, particularly if it is intended to breed from them, from a preservation point of view. Pure breeds of geese are classed as Light (such as Chinese, pilgrim, Sebastopol, Roman and the smallest of all, the Czech), Medium (Brecon buff, greyback, Pomeranian, West of England) and Heavy (African,
American buff, Embden, Toulouse).

As with all advice, take into account your specific situation. The best way to learn what your problems are is to watch your birds carefully.

Why do geese take long without producing eggs?

Geese are not like chickens, they do not lay eggs over a long period of time each year. I cannot comment about wild geese but I have raised hundreds of domestic geese in the last five years. The mating and laying season for geese is very short they start mating in February and stop in late May. They lay eggs from late February to early June where I live, which is in eastern New York State. If any eggs are laid after the first few days of June they are very unlikely to be fertile.