I think I can guess the answer!

[Nicos]

Hmm..we've been offered some goslings in a few weeks ( Xmas nosh!).

I'm a bit concerned to be honest about introducing worm, mite, infections etc.

My flock of chooks are completely pest free (at the moment) and I know the supplier never worms her birds, nor buys tick/mite treatments.

I'm almost 100% sure introducing these birds is going to infest my chooks with something!

So - two questions....
1) am I being paranoid
2) is a bantam hen too small to cope with a goose egg under each wing??? ( or just one per chook)

[di]

I wouldn't know how many eggs a bantie could handle...but it would get around the pest worry.

Could you quarantine the goslings for a couple of weeks?Treat them for everything and only mix with your girls once you're sure they're clear?

[RichmondHens]

Are the goslings off heat? Can you get them and keep them separate until you have wormed and de loused them?

Is your question about the goose eggs because if you don't get the goslings you would hatch your own instead? A bantam would not be big enough but a full size hen would cover two eggs.

[Nicos]

The goslings are under a mommy goose unfortunately.
I've no incubator to do them myself either.

I just thought hatching my own from under a chook would mean no potential infestation and they'd be accepted instantly into the flock.
( would mommy hen get a bit confused after a couple of weeks???)

Hmm...I thought a banty would be too small
Looks like I'll have to wait until one of my Marans gals is old enough next Spring?? ( Think I may have 2 from their tail size)

Darn

[Suechooks]

I have a vision of a banty sitting up in the air on a goose egg!!! ROTFL!

[Nicos]

Well- you see I kept looking at this Google piccie...



The largest is a goose egg. The one in the middle is a duck egg....and the rest are 'normal' sized chook eggs.

My banties coped with 2 normal sized chook eggs under each wing- but in this piccie 2 chook eggs seem to be about the same size as the goose egg.

Is it just a poor piccie with a small goose egg?


..and yup- the gals did look like helicopters with their wings out almost horizontal with 2 normal chook eggs beneath each wing.

If anyone thinks it might work I'd be willing to give it a try, cos the eggs would be almost free ( pot of jam or something similar!)

[di]

How long does a goose egg take to hatch?
(no punchline....genuine question!)

[Nicos]

How long does a goose egg take to hatch?
(no punchline....genuine question!)

I have read 28 days...this says 30...

incubation period of birds, peacock, duck, chicken, goose

My gals would sit for Britain given half a chance

((oooo...I'm still sort of tempted when one of them goes broody...we could always eat the eggs if they really couldn't cope after a day)

[di]

So you're just looking for one of us to say go for it....of course you know I have very little experience of banties(had three a few years ago)and absolutely none of geese

[Nicos]

Urrmmm...well sort of- but it would be silly to try if peeps thought/know it won't work.
Problem is I am a bit of a rebel at heart and would love to try it

Maybe I should take heed that my 2 problem chicks were the ones which hadn't been sat on properly ( which may well have caused the problems?????)

Maybe I'd be asking for problems eh???