Each year, from the end of February until the beginning of March, the female geese begin the period of active laying of eggs and hatching of chicks. To ensure high egg production, you need to equip a suitable place for masonry. How to properly prepare the nests with your own hands will be discussed in this article.

Goose Nest Features

Geese are one of the largest birds living on the farm, so the nests for them need to be made large and spacious. In order for the female to be comfortable sitting in the nest for a long time, it is necessary to treat his arrangement responsibly, adhering to all requirements.

Types of Nests

There are many designs for goose nesting. In each farm or private household, you can equip them depending on the availability of the necessary material and the desire of the poultry farmer.

The most common types of nests are described below:

• round, made from a regular basket or car tire (or filled with straw);
• with a wooden bottom and slate side walls. On top of the box is also covered with slate sheets;
• from a construction grid rolled up in the form of a pipe and fixed with clamps. The structure is mounted on a wooden base with wire and covered with straw;
• a number of separate wooden sections with a small entrance and blank partitions - for a large number of geese.

Jack Requirements

To make the place for laying and hatching eggs convenient for the bird, you need to take into account some important points of its arrangement.

Did you know? Geese are faithful to one gander. If they lose their male, then for several years they cannot pair with another gander.

Here are the basic rules for its equipment:

1. Enough space for a bird. The dimensions of a standard goose nest are 50 cm wide, 65–70 cm deep and 60–70 cm high. Depending on whether it will be used for laying eggs or for hatching chicks, the depth can be made more or less.
2. Closed back. It is necessary so that the bird does not scare anything and does not distract from the back, and also to fix the litter at the bottom of the structure.
3. A low board in front. Its height can be from 10 to 15 cm. Such a board is needed to hold the litter.
4. High side partitions. The goose that hatches eggs is undesirable to be distracted by external factors. If several goose nests are arranged nearby in the house, then such walls will help the females not to disturb each other.
5. Timely preparation. It is necessary to equip suitable places for laying eggs for geese a month before the start of the birds of the breeding period. Females usually begin to lay their eggs around the end of winter, so in February the nests should be ready. The goose must choose one suitable place and rush there.
6. Doors on the control sockets. It is necessary for the female to feel completely safe during the hatching of offspring.
7. Convenient entry. So that the laying hen can easily get into the nest, before entering the slope, lay a board with the slats nailed across. One edge of the plank rests on the ground, and the other on the edge of the nest, forming a bridge for easy entry of the bird.
8. The opportunity to choose. In order for the goose to want to hatch eggs, it should like the nesting place. It is recommended to equip several bird sections nearby so that the female can choose the best for herself.

Making a goose nest

To independently make a good goose nest, you do not need special skills or special materials. Each poultry farmer uses the resources at hand. The main rule of manufacture is the choice of a natural material that will not pass the cold. this is why most places for laying eggs are made from wooden boards or willow twigs.

Wooden box shaped

You can arrange a warm and cozy place in a wooden box made by yourself.

To do this, you will need:

• OSB sheet 11 mm thick;
• end saw;
• screwdriver;
• screws;
• Reiki
• jigsaw;
• pencil.

Important! The number of nests is determined by the number of geese in the herd. For 3-4 females one nest will be enough.

The finished box will have dimensions:

• width - 40 cm;
• depth - 60 cm;
• height - 50 cm;
• the height of the upper and lower sides in front - 10 cm.

DIY Geese Nests: Video

Below is a step-by-step instruction for making a wooden box with your own hands:

1. Mark with a pencil a sheet of OSB into rectangles 40 x 60 cm in size (2 pcs. For the bottom and roof), 60 x 50 cm (2 pcs. For the side walls), 40 x 50 cm (1 pc. For the back wall), 40 x 10 cm (2 pcs. - for the upper and lower sides).
2. Using a jigsaw, cut the OSB sheet into rectangles of the specified size.
3. Separately prepare wooden slats of a certain size for fastening structural parts to each other.
4. Using a screwdriver and rails, connect the bottom to the lower side, and the roof - to the top.
5. In the same way, attach the bottom of the box to the rear and side walls so that the lower side is in front. From above, fasten the roof of the structure with a screwdriver so that the upper board is located in front of the entrance to the box.

In this way, you can make a long one-piece structure into three separate sections, separated by partitions.

Wicker from rods

Nest woven from willow twigs has several advantages. It is popular with females, easy to manufacture and retains heat well. The walls of such a nest provide good ventilation.

Did you know? If conditions of detention good ones, the life expectancy of domestic geese can reach 30 years.

To make a wicker basket for geese at home, you will need:

• fresh willow twigs (thick and thin);
• iron spacer ring (diameter 75 cm);
• knife;
• awl.

The finished product will have the shape of a basket with dimensions:

• bottom diameter - 70 cm;
• side height - 20 cm.

The step-by-step instruction of weaving is as follows:

1. To make the base weave a cross, giving it the shape of a circle. Take an odd number of willow twigs, one of which will be shorter than the rest.
2. To prepare the frame, you need to cut a hole in the center of the three rods and insert three more rods into it. Another one needs to be attached on the side of the cross. All protruding rods need to be aligned. On the other hand, put another willow twig into the crevice. It will be needed for braiding.
3. To weave the bottom of the basket, the coils must be laid very tightly, and the ends of the rods should be hidden next to the rib. Thus weave the bottom to the desired size.
4. For the side part, take 29 large rods and sharpen them with a knife from one end. Arrange the rods so that the distance between them is the same.
5. The edge of the nest must be braided with a pigtail. All edges of the twigs protrude outward of the structure and are cut off after weaving.
6. The protruding rays bend and collect the side bars in one bundle above the basket. Fix the bundle with wire and place the spacer ring inside the product. Fix the ring on the sides so that it does not move during further work on the product.
7. To weave the edges of the nest, you need to dissolve the assembled bundle of side rods at a height of 20 cm and braid them with the edges of the structure. Wrap the other around with one rib, and bend 5 cm near the third rib, trim. Insert the line inside the edge parallel to the third rib. Trim the end of the rod and tuck it in. Braid the last rod and cut the protruding edges.

The shape and size of the basket can be chosen at your discretion, making adjustments to this step-by-step instruction.

Planting nest

When a goose prepares to hatch, its behavior changes. The female protects her egg laying place, flaps her wings when a person appears, almost does not leave the nest, and often lays on eggs. This means it's time to prepare the place.The process of arranging such a nest has its own characteristics:

• Before placing the eggs in the nest, you need to treat it with a disinfectant. For this purpose, a 2% solution of formalin, caustic soda or bleach is used. Soft straw is usually laid at the bottom - it should provide warming and comfort to the brood hen;
• the front of the nest should be covered with a cloth so that the hen feels calmer;
• to put food and water near the female, as the goose rarely leaves its place;
• It is recommended to put the nest in a warm room with heating so that the eggs do not get too cold;
• the hen will need the nest in which she constantly rushed, otherwise the goose may refuse to hatch offspring;
• nests with different hens should be placed so that the birds do not see each other; so they will be less nervous.

Important! If the female liked the equipped nest, she begins to cover it with her plucked feathers and down.

Installation and arrangement

To prevent the brood hen from getting sick and able to bring out healthy goslings, a layer of litter should be laid in the nest. It is important to constantly keep it clean and keep it dry. It is recommended to change the litter every day.

Geese have a habit of laying eggs in the morning, so litter should be replaced in the evening.The most commonly used materials are:

• straw;
• peat;
• chopped corn;
• husk of sunflower seeds;
• sand.

At the bottom you need to pour ash. This will serve as a prophylaxis of the reproduction of harmful microorganisms. In preparation for hatching offspring, the goose plucks its fluff and covers it with the upper part of the nesting area.

Did you know? When arranging a nest for one goose per year, up to 40 kg of litter materials can go.

Where to install the sockets

Goose nests should be placed directly on the floor. So that the birds were not cold sitting in them, the floor must be insulated. This can be done using a bed of straw or sawdust.

The rules for choosing a place for arranging a goose nest are as follows:

• the selected area should be in twilight;
• there should not be drafts nearby;
• the nesting entrance should be located on the south side;
• There should be a good review;
• Convenient layout for daily litter replacement.

Sometimes the female does not like the prepared and perfectly equipped sections for laying eggs. In this case, it may even begin to rush somewhere on the floor in a dark place. You cannot move goose eggs so that the goose does not lose interest in hatching. the arrangement of the place chosen by the female must be carried out in accordance with the requirements described above.

How to make ventilation

If the room is cool and humid, the straw litter at the bottom of the nest may become damp. This is facilitated by the fact that the bird paws brings dirt from the floor and moisture onto it. Wet litter not only becomes cold, but also serves as a favorable environment for the propagation of harmful microorganisms, so you need to change it daily.

For bedding, it is best to use soft straw. It retains heat well and provides additional ventilation.

Temperature mode

Adult geese tolerate sub-zero temperatures perfectly, but cold is dangerous for eggs. If they are under the influence of low temperatures for a long time, they can freeze, and then the goslings cannot be brought out.

In rooms with goose nests in the cold season, you need to maintain a positive temperature and insulate them well.

Important! You can’t place the nest near cold walls or near doors - there may be drafts.

Eggs should be stored at a temperature not exceeding + 12 ° C. It is best to pick them up from their nests immediately after masonry. So they can be collected for two weeks, and then put a goose for hatching.

Additional recommendations

Female geese sometimes show obstinacy when choosing a place for laying eggs. If they do not like the proposed design, they will not want to rush about in it (and even more so to hatch the chicks).

Here are some additional guidelines for arranging the nests:

1. Each female needs to prepare a personal place (this is ideal).
2. It is possible to equip one large structure for 3-4 females, if they belong to the same goose family.
3. During short daylight hours, lighting is required from 6:00 to 20:00.
4. It is impossible to admit males to nests, they irritate geese.
5. So that the female does not refuse to hatch eggs, she can not be transplanted into someone else's nest.
6. To stimulate the goose to lay eggs and hatch chicks, white egg models are laid on it.

Proper arrangement of nests for geese will help ensure high egg production of birds and will make it possible to breed a sufficient number of chicks.