How to Hatch Geese in an Incubator

If you want to raise geese, you can buy goslings or start with eggs. Eggs are cheaper than goslings, and you can hatch them yourself in an incubator. It takes about 30 days of incubation, some care and a little know-how to hatch goslings. Read on to learn more.

Things You'll Need

Incubator
Goose eggs
Spray bottle
Thermometer
Wet bulb or hydrometer

Instructions

- 1
  Prepare the incubator. Be sure that it's clean and sterilized. Keep it at a steady temperature of 99.5 degrees Fahrenheit and 50-55 percent relative humidity, using a hatching thermometer and a hydrometer or a wet bulb. The wet bulb conversion for this relative humidity is 81 to 83 degrees.
- 2
  Ready the eggs. Use eggs that are no older than 4 days, have no cracks and are regular in size and shape. Mark one side of the eggs with the set date with a pencil or crayon.
- 3
  Set the eggs. Place them in the incubator on their sides with the date side up. The temperature in the incubator will drop after you have placed the eggs. Don't adjust the temperature at this point; let it catch up as it warms the cool eggs.
- 4
  Cool the eggs for 15 minutes each day and spray them with room-temperature water from day 4 to day 27.
- 5
  Turn the eggs at least three times daily. Additional turns may increase hatchability, but be sure that you turn the eggs an odd number of times each day so that they aren't left on the same side every night. Use the date marking to remember which eggs have been turned; they should all be face up or face down.
- 6
  Stop cooling, spraying and turning the eggs on day 27, and increase the humidity in the incubator to 75 percent. The goslings are beginning to position themselves for hatching now, and turning them will confuse them. Let the baby geese hatch on their own unless they go for more than 12 hours without making any progress.
- 7
  Let the goslings dry and fluff for one day in the incubator before moving them.