Easter goslings

9.00am Friday 6th

After 28 days in the incubator the Embden goose eggs that I didn't eat began to hatch on Thursday 5th. First a small hole appeared in the shell on day 27 then it gradually got larger until after about 36 hours with a final heave the gosling forced its way out.

Midnight Friday

At 8.45 on Friday evening there were two in the box and another three in the process of hatching.
The humidity in the incubator is kept very high (70% ) at this stage so that the membranes surrounding the emerging gosling don't dry, shrink and entrap it. To dry them off as quickly as possible after hatching I transfer them to a cardboard box on top of the stove where its much drier.

Sunday morning

Sunday morning and the goslings were dry and running about under the heat lamp. Three more weeks of heat and they can go outside.