How long do geese sit on eggs: terms before hatching in days and what affects
Gese are bred, first of all, for the sake of hearty and tasty meat. Eggs are most often of secondary importance, but recently this product has become popular. Therefore, farmers should know how long the geese sit on their eggs, at what period the birds begin to lay, which affects the timing and productivity of incubation, how to ensure optimal conditions in order to achieve good results.
When do birds land on eggs?
In most cases, geese start laying at the age of eight months. This category includes the following varieties:
- Demidov's;
- Kuban;
- Toulouse;
- Linda's.
Other representatives of the species incubate eggs for the first time at the age of nine months, for example, Danish legard, Gorky goose. The gray goose reaches maturity at 10-11 months, the Kholmogory goose - three years after birth. As for the time when birds prefer to lay their eggs, it is usually mid-February, early March. In rare cases, the deadline is delayed until June.
To understand that the goose is ready to start laying, you should pay attention to its behavior. The female shows the following signs:
- Worry.
- Nervous gait.
- Starts to dig, dig.
- Drops tail.
- Begins building a nest.
- The bird carries small stones and straw to the place of future masonry.
- At the bottom of the alleged nest, the goose lays its own fluff, which it pulls out of its chest.
Signs grow brighter as the deadline approaches. Just before the start of laying, the female sits next to the nest.
Compared to other poultry for agricultural purposes, geese have the lowest reproduction index, and the laying process is highly seasonal.
How many days does a goose incubate clutch at home?
Females of Toulouse, Lindov, Kholmogory geese, as well as the Danish legard, rush once after the end of winter. Other breeds, namely large gray geese and Demidov females, create two clutches per year in the autumn season. However, this happens rarely and only under optimal conditions.
If hatching is not planned, and the farmer removes the clutch, the female makes a second attempt to breed in a month and a half.
In order for the goose to increase the number of clutches, the nests are returned to their original place and the daylight hours are extended to 14 hours. Pasture walking is also organized, and the diet is supplemented with protein foods and minerals. Before the chicks hatch, 30-32 days should pass - this is the optimal amount of time for all breeds. For a year, one goose hatches 15-30 chicks.
Usually geese rush in the morning. In this case, the frequency is one day. First, those females that are older are arranged in the nest, followed by young individuals. Hatching of fertilized eggs begins three days after mating. It is noteworthy that in many cases the geese hide the masonry. Therefore, there are no eggs in the nest, but this does not mean their true absence.
What could affect timing?
The whole process of oviposition in geese proceeds individually and is determined by several factors:
- Breed.
- Food quality.
- Length of daylight.
- The age of the bird.
- Attitude towards offspring (in some species, the maternal instinct is weakly expressed or completely absent).
Also, the time and period of incubation depend on the ambient temperature. The lack of useful microelements and nutritional components adversely affects the he alth of birds, including negatively affecting egg laying - it reduces or completely stops productivity.
An important factor is the light regime. Like any other poultry, egg production of geese is highly dependent on the length of daylight hours:
- For young individuals, daylight hours, starting in December, should be 14 hours. These are the optimal conditions for starting laying as early as January.
- The degree of illumination is 20 lux per square meter.
- If we are talking about females older than two years, then after the end of laying in the summer, the accelerated molting method is used. It lies in the fact that a seven-hour daylight hours are created for the goose, and over the next three weeks, the regimen is increased to 14 hours. This method is designed to stimulate egg laying in the autumn-winter period.
- Three-year-old females are transferred to a seven-hour regimen in early January. Gradually, natural daylight hours increase, after which the birds begin the spring-summer egg-laying period.
So, the incubation period for geese is about a month. The specific period, as well as the frequency of laying and productivity, depend on many factors (breed, conditions of detention, climate, etc.).
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