Hatching Goslings, Peachicks and Peeps
It’s always such a joy to see the animals at my farm growing and thriving - they are all so beautiful, curious and friendly.
As many of you know, I’ve had Pomeranian guard geese for many years. They keep watch over my flock of chickens. They’re also my pets. I love visiting them in their enclosure, and I appreciate their beauty and their company. In the last year, I’ve acquired two other breeds of geese - Sebastopols and Toulouse - and all are living very happily together in my large chicken yard. Over the last several weeks, I’ve also hatched six goslings, as well as one peachick and one peep. They hatched in a special incubator set-up in my Winter House kitchen. The incubator is from Brinsea, a leading manufacturer of egg incubators, hatchers and brooders for poultry, waterfowl and other birds. I am happy to report, all the youngest residents at Cantitoe Corners are doing very well.
Enjoy these photos.
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- Here is my Brinsea incubator sitting on my kitchen counter. Eggs are brought up and placed in the incubator the day they are laid. Here, they will be safe from other birds and closely monitored until they hatch. Goose eggs take between 28 and 32 days, chicken eggs take 21-days, and peachicks hatch within 27 and 30 days.
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- The manufacturer, Brinsea, was established in 1976 by an engineer passionate about breeding and caring for birds. This Ovation 56 Advance model includes a digital temperature and humidity display, automatic temperature controls and alarms, programmable automatic egg turning features, and an airflow system. This unit can hold up to 56-eggs depending on their size.
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- Whenever an egg comes up from the coop, we label it with the kind of egg it is and the date it was placed in the machine, so we can gage approximately when it will hatch.
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- While the eggs incubate, they are automatically turned once a day, 45-degrees each way, back and forth during the storage period. Insufficient turning can cause poor growth.
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- The eggs are checked every morning and spritzed with water to keep them from “drying out”. Water is also added to the unit to provide proper humidity levels.
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- Watching the eggs hatch is exciting for everyone at the farm. There are several crucial conditions needed for proper embryo development in all birds. These factors include: proper temperature, controlled humidity, and sufficient air circulation. Brinsea provides a complete handbook with instructions and tips available on its web site. https://www.brinsea.com/
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- I also have this older, smaller model Brinsea, which has three egg carriers. It holds less eggs, but also automatically turns them and keeps the temperature and humidity regulated.
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- In both models, the carriers are outfitted with holes for proper air circulation within the incubator.
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- Here is a goose egg with its first crack – soon a gosling will emerge.
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- I captured this photo one early morning as this gosling began pecking its way through the shell. See more of my photos on my Instagram page @MarthaStewart48.
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- Once hatched and dry, the gosling is moved to this large bin under an essential heat lamp on another counter. Here, it has plenty of food and lots of fresh water that is changed several times a day.
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- This gosling is very curious and very alert. It comes up to the end of the bin whenever someone walks in the door.
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- After a few days, the gosling is moved to a larger crate in my basement. These two goslings became fast friends.
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- All geese need grass, so we provide lots of grass and other fresh greens for them to eat along with their starter food.
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- The two goslings are joined by this chick, which also hatched in my Brinsea incubator. It is a small breed chicken, so it is quite tiny now, but very alert and fearless next to its bigger friends.
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- Geese grow much more quickly than chicks and peachicks, so it won’t be long before the goslings outgrow this enclosure.
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- These youngsters will remain in my house until they are big enough to socialize with the others down at the coop.
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- These youngsters – a peachick in front, and a goose and chicken in back, recently moved down to a brooder in one of the coops. They are about a week and a half older than the others in my home.
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- And remember these babies? They are now a little more than a month old.
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- And so much bigger! We designate one coop just for the juveniles – these birds are getting lots of attention. With recent wet weather, they’re a bit muddy, but they love exploring the yard and watching all the activity around the farm.
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- Here they are walking around their outdoor pen – always traveling in their group.
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- This one clearly looks like a Sebastopol with its wavy white feathers.
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- And here are some of the parents. I keep the entire space netted to protect all the birds from predators. My oldest Sebastopols are still under a year old, but they will weigh 12 to 14 pounds each when fully mature and have even longer more frizzled feathers than they do now. Sebastopols are considered medium-sized birds, while the buff-colored Toulouse goose on the left is considered a large breed variety. They are also very affectionate and kind-hearted with others.
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- And don’t forget the leaders of this gaggle – my two Pomeranian guard geese. These two watch over every bird, sounding their “alarms” whenever any visitors arrive. I am so happy with how healthy my geese are doing. I will share more photos as the young ones grow.
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