When Do Sebastopol Geese Lay Eggs and How Many?

When Do Sebastopol Geese Lay Eggs?

Sebastopol geese generally begin laying in their first full spring, with the season running from spring into early summer. They lay seasonally rather than year round, and far fewer eggs than a chicken. A first-year goose lays less reliably than the same bird a year later.

The season

Laying starts as day length increases in spring and tapers off through early summer. Outside that window they do not lay, which is a genuine difference from chickens and catches out people expecting a steady supply.

This is also why hatching eggs are only available for part of the year. When the geese stop, the eggs stop.

How many to expect

Far fewer than a chicken, and the number varies with the individual bird, her age and her condition. Anyone quoting you a precise annual figure for the breed is over-claiming: it depends on the bird.

What is consistent is the pattern. First season light and erratic, second season better and more predictable. Judge a breeding pen on its second year, not its first.

If you want them to hatch

Collect regularly, store pointed end down somewhere cool but not cold, and set within a reasonable window. Fertility improves markedly when the pair has water deep enough to mate in, which the breeding guide covers.

Incubation runs around thirty days at roughly 99.5F with higher humidity than chicken eggs. Full detail is in the incubation guide.

Common Questions

What age do Sebastopol geese start laying eggs?

Usually in their first full spring, though first-year birds lay less reliably and less productively than the same bird a year later.

How many eggs do Sebastopol geese lay?

Far fewer than a chicken, and only over a spring to early summer season rather than year round. The number varies with the individual bird, her age and her condition.