Goose Hatching Tips: what’s worked for me
When it comes to hatching goslings, it can be tricky — especially Sebastopol geese. They're notoriously difficult to hatch, and I still have a lot to learn about hatching these beautiful birds. My holy grail is Pete's guide to hatching. I printed it out, read it several times over, and made notes all over the pages. I highly recommend reading it if you haven't yet. You can find it on Facebook in the group "Everything Sebastopol Geese," in the files, named "Goose Incubation & Hatching Guide - pete55 v11."
Below is what I call my Quick Guide to Hatching, which worked for me last year and that I plan to keep adjusting this year. Some people weigh their eggs — honestly, I'd love to do that too, but I have a full-time job, so I just do the best I can with the time I have.
For hatching, incubator: C180
Temperature: 99F / 37.3C
Humidity: 33%
Lockdown humidity: 70%
Day 0-3: Do not turn or plug in the tray
Day 4: Plug in the tray, begin 5 min cool, mist, and hand turn
Day 4-6: 5 mins cool, mist, hand turn
Day 7-20: 10 mins cool, mist, and hand turn
Day 21-25: 15 mins cool, mist, and hand turn
Day 26: Cool, mist, then place into lockdown, ensuring the air sac is facing up
Day 27: Significant draw down
Day 28: Internal pips begin
Day 29: External pips begin
Days 30-32: Hatching!! (These guys are such slow hatchers)
I've found that if an external pip hasn't occurred by the end of Day 29, I'll punch in a safety hole. This has saved so many goslings that just needed a little more time.
Once the goslings have hatched and their navels are dry and closed, I bring them out of the incubator. They usually begin eating and drinking within 1-2 days. If in doubt, you can use your finger to poke the food and water, mimicking how they'd poke it with their beak. Since geese are such curious creatures, they'll eventually start mimicking what you're doing — and voila, they're eating and drinking.
