Most geese farmers would forward to collecting eggs every 1 to 2 days. But what happens if you can’t find the eggs that your geese have laid, or perhaps you’ve noticed that they are not laying eggs?
To goose keepers, it may be worrying to see when your geese aren’t laying. Fortunately, there are various reasons why your geese are not laying eggs, and it’s not always due to diseases. Before calling the vet, let’s look at why your geese may not be laying eggs and talk about what you can do to help your geese increase its egg production.
Your geese’s age, weight, and diet will play a large part in why they aren’t laying eggs. To help increase egg production, you should aim to control your geese’s weight and provide them with a high-calcium feed. They may also be molting or have laid their eggs in more secluded areas.
In this article, I’ll elaborate on these reasons as to why your geese are not laying, and what you can do about it.
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My Geese Are Not Laying Eggs – Is There Something Wrong?
So, what does it mean when your geese are not laying eggs? While geese typically lay every 2nd day, there may be various reasons why you’re not seeing any eggs being laid by your geese.
Weight Issues
For starters, it may have to do with your geese’s weight. When your geese are overweight, it could muddle with their egg production. To combat this, you may consider feeding your geese only once a day or in controlled portions across the day. While it may seem cute to have fat geese around the yard, you’ll want to ensure they remain healthy to produce eggs.
On the flip side, your geese may also not be laying eggs if they are underweight or haven’t been fed enough. Many farmers may assume that their geese are foraging enough food for themselves, and they may not be feeding the geese enough for egg production.
You’ll have to find the right balance on how much to feed or not to feed your geese, and you’ll know you’ve found it when they begin laying eggs again.
Lack of Calcium
In line with their diets, you may also consider adding more calcium into their feed. Geese eggs regularly have a thicker shell than that of a chicken’s, so they’ll need more calcium to produce them. To do this, you should crush some old eggshells or oyster shells to include as a supplement to their meals.
Place the crushed shells in a separate container from your geese’s regular feed, so they can access it when they need to. Subsequently, you may also be able to spot which of your geese are ready to lay eggs if they’re feeding on the shells more frequently. Many farmers have noticed that nesting geese tend to reach for the shells when they are laying as opposed to those that aren’t.
Age
Your geese’s age may also play a large part as to why they are not laying eggs. As geese grow older, egg production would typically slow down. Thus, the older your brood of geese are, it becomes less likely for you to spot eggs being laid.
This is also true for geese that are too young to lay eggs. On average, you can expect geese to lay eggs from the time they turn 9 months to approximately 15 years.
While it’s possible for older geese to still lay eggs, this is usually rare and may only result in very few eggs being laid per season.
Molting
Another reason why your geese may not be laying eggs is that they may be molting. As molting takes up your geese’s energy, it may be difficult for them to continue egg production during this period. While you can’t do during this process, it would be good to know when your geese are molting to ease your worries on why they are not laying eggs.
They are Hiding Their Eggs
Finally, your geese may just be playing hide and seek with you. You see, geese can be secretive when it comes to laying eggs. If you don’t see any eggs in the typical areas your geese wander about, you should check in more secluded spots around the yard.
Be careful while you do this, however, as you may stumble upon the eggs, and you won’t want to step on them by accident.
How Will You Know When Your Geese Are Ready to Lay Eggs?
So, what if your geese are indeed laying eggs, but it’s just that you can’t find them?
One of the easiest ways to resolve this is by tracking down where your geese may be nesting. By doing this, you’ll be able to find clearer signs when your geese are nearing its egg-laying stages.
Here are some additional signs to look out for if you want to know when your geese are ready to lay eggs:
- You’ll notice your geese are mating more: While this is an obvious sign that your geese are starting to lay eggs, many farmers miss out on it by attributing this to regular geese habit. If you notice that your geese are mating more frequently, it’s a good idea to keep an eye on them to find out when they’re ready to lay eggs.
- Your geese appear to explore more secluded areas: When you see your geese poking around secluded areas like bushes or behind the shed, it will mark a sign that they’re looking for a spot to lay eggs. Geese are typically secretive when it comes to laying eggs, thus the need to find a safe spot away from foot traffic for them to lay eggs comfortably.
- Your geese are nesting: Geese will begin to nest when they’re ready to lay eggs. If you notice them picking up bits of hay and grass around the yard, this could be a sign that they’re nesting and may lay eggs very soon. When this is evident, you can help them by scattering more nesting materials, so they can build a comfortable nest to lay eggs.
While these are clear signs to follow, it’s important not to disrupt the process of your geese seeking areas to lay eggs or building nests. If you wish to provide your geese with a shelter to lay eggs in, try inching the material closer toward the nest instead of covering the area immediately.
By inching closer daily, your geese will not feel as foreign to the shelter you’re providing and instead feel more comfortable with the material when the day comes.
Covering the area with the shelter without prior preparation for your geese may scare them away, causing your geese to move their nest after.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, it may not always be worrying if your geese are not laying. By switching up their diets to keep them healthy or playing closer attention to your geese, you may be able to discover where or when they will lay eggs instead.
If you’re still worried about your geese not laying after a prolonged period, do consider consulting a vet to see if it’s an underlying problem in your geese after all.
