goslings on the way

Last I wrote I had a collection of goose eggs that may or may not have been fertile. So I put them into the incubator to find out.

The lab results are in: within a week the goose eggs had a nice spider-web-like array of blood vessels growing throughout. They also made it past the critical 11-day stage where many embryos die for various reasons. Now, at 3 weeks, they are still healthy and growing. When I candle and turn the eggs, I can see the embryos doing somersaults.

This weekend I'll put them out into the coop for Foie to sit on. This is somewhat risky, because she might not identify them as her own. And I can't leave them out there for long without a mother keeping them warm or they will die. (Eggs can sit for several weeks without being sat on, but once you start, they can't be left alone for more than a few hours.) I have high hopes though, as last year when I brought the saved-up eggs to her, she went crazy, attacked me, and sat immediately. Cross your fingers.

I have another 8 eggs ready as a backup. If Foie can't hatch out the current batch, I'll hatch by hand with the incubator.