How to Hatch Canada Goose Eggs

Canada geese are easily recognizable by their black head, white cheek patches and long black neck. Canada geese breed earlier in the season than other geese species. An early hatching date allows the goslings to mature sufficiently to fly south before the weather becomes too cold. The Canada goose times its breeding so that the eggs hatch when the vegetation the goslings eat has its highest nutritional value. A Canada goose egg is approximately three times the size of a chicken egg and weighs about 5 ounces. Canada geese eggs are incubated for 35 days.

Things You'll Need

  • Reliable incubator
  • Small amount of warm water
  • Clean cloth
  • Thermometer
  • Hydrometer
  • Fertile Canada geese eggs
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Instructions

    • 1

      Collect the eggs from the nest at frequent intervals throughout the day to prevent chilling.

    • 2

      Wash dirty eggs with a clean, wet cloth. Use water that is warmer than the egg so that the egg will sweat dirt and debris from its pores. Do not soak eggs in water as bacteria may enter through the pores.

    • 3

      Prior to incubation, store your Canada geese eggs in a warm area of between 55 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Do not store these eggs for more than two weeks or hatchability will decline drastically.

    • 4

      Mark each egg using a pencil with an easily visible and different symbol on each side. These marks will allow you to correctly turn the eggs by half a turn.

    • 5

      Position the eggs on their sides as in nature and rotate each egg a half a turn, three times a day during daylight hours.

    • 6

      Set the temperature to retain a constant 101 degrees Fahrenheit for still-air incubators and from between 99 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit for forced-air incubators.

    • 7

      Place the bulb of the thermometer at the same height as the tops of your eggs and away from the source of heat for accurate temperature reading. Use two thermometers to ensure the most accurate readings.

    • 8

      Keep the relative humidity within an incubator at 60 percent up to the last three days prior to hatching. During this late-stage period, the relative humidity should be increased from 65 to 70 percent.

    • 9

      Use a wet-dry bulb thermometer or hygrometer to gauge relative humidity in the incubator.

    • 10

      Add only warm water to the water trough in the incubator.

    • 11

      Increase the humidity just prior to and during hatching by using an atomizer to spray tiny amounts of water into the ventilating holes of the incubator.

    • 12

      Do not turn the eggs after day 32.

    • 13

      Wait until all the eggs have hatched before opening the incubator to ensure a constant hatching humidity.