How Long Do Goose Eggs Take to Hatch? Incubation Days, Settings and Timeline

Most domestic goose eggs take about 30 days to hatch, and a normal hatch can land anywhere from day 28 to the early 30s. Sources give slightly different ranges: Mississippi State University Extension lists 28 to 34 days for goose eggs, the University of Missouri Extension lists 28 to 32, and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) builds its incubation schedule around 30 days, with hatching starting on day 30.

That spread is why goose keepers plan around a window instead of a single date. Write down the day you set the eggs, count forward, and expect the first pips near the end of the fourth week. If you want the dates worked out for you, a free Creatures account lets you start a goose egg clutch that shows the expected hatch window and the candling check for the eggs you set, then keeps the hatch record when the goslings arrive.

Wild geese are a different case. A wild Canada goose sits for 25 to 28 days, according to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and wild goose eggs are protected by federal law in the United States, so they are not eggs to collect and incubate. The section on wild eggs below explains why.

How long goose eggs take to hatch, by source

The honest answer is a range, because the published numbers do not agree to the day. Here is what the primary sources say about goose eggs:

• Mississippi State University Extension, Hatching Quality Chicks: 28 to 34 days
• Mississippi State University Extension, incubation duration page: about 33 days
• University of Missouri Extension, Incubation of Poultry: 28 to 32 days
• FAO, Goose Production, chapter 8: 30 days, hatching begins day 30
• Extension Foundation poultry article, University of Kentucky author: 28 to 32 days for domestic geese; 35 for Canada and Egyptian geese

Read together, they put most domestic hatches between day 28 and day 32, with some eggs running later. An extension poultry specialist, James Hermes, PhD, answering a keeper on Ask Extension, put the Embden, and most domestic waterfowl, at 28 days. The Creatures goose guide cites a National Research Council survey that gives 27 to 31 days, with the African at 30 to 32.

The sources also disagree about Canada geese. The Extension Foundation table lists 35 days for Canada and Egyptian geese, while the Cornell Lab of Ornithology gives a wild Canada goose 25 to 28 days. If you keep legally held Canada or Egyptian geese, treat the date as a wide window and candle before you decide anything.

Why a hatch runs early or late

Breed is part of it. Domestic geese range from light breeds such as the Chinese goose to heavy breeds such as the Toulouse, Embden and African, and their eggs differ a lot in size. None of the sources above gives a breed-by-breed table, though, so treat any single-breed figure you see online with caution.

How you incubate matters at least as much. Incubating eggs at 90°F for 3 to 4 hours slows development and growth, Mississippi State notes, so a cool incubator, a long power cut or a goose that leaves the nest for a while can all push the hatch later. Old eggs are the other common cause of a slow, ragged hatch. FAO advises setting goose eggs twice a week and storing them no more than four days before incubation.

Counting matters too. Some keepers call the day they set the eggs day 0 and some call it day 1, and that alone moves your “day 30” by a day. Pick one and stick to it for every clutch.

A day-by-day timeline for an incubator hatch

This timeline follows the two sources that give goose-specific steps: FAO’s goose chapter and the goose column of Mississippi State’s incubation table. Use your incubator maker’s manual alongside it, because machines differ.

1. Before day 0. Run the incubator for a day or two before setting so the temperature and humidity are stable, as Mississippi State advises. Let stored eggs warm slowly to room temperature first so moisture does not condense on the shell.
2. Day 0, set the eggs. Note the date and time. In a forced-air machine, FAO turns eggs lying on their side 90 degrees every two hours; in a still-air machine it turns them 180 degrees 4 to 6 times a day. Marking an X on one side and an O on the other, a Mississippi State tip, shows at a glance that every egg has been turned.
3. Days 4 to 27, cool and spray. In FAO’s method, the setter is opened for 15 minutes each day to cool the eggs, which are then sprayed with water at 20 to 25°C (68 to 77°F) or a bactericide solution. Mississippi State’s version is to sprinkle or dip the eggs in clean, lukewarm (100°F) water for 30 seconds each day during the last half of incubation, and it warns that cool water can draw bacteria into the egg.
4. Around day 7, first candling. The FAO schedule candles on day 7 to check that the embryos are developing. Clear eggs and early losses can come out at this point.
5. Mid-incubation, optional second look. A second candling, which Mississippi State suggests, sorts out eggs you were unsure about the first time.
6. Day 25 to 27, stop turning. Mississippi State’s table says not to turn goose eggs after day 25. FAO moves the eggs from the setter to the hatcher on day 27. Either way, the eggs now lie still with the humidity raised for hatching.
7. Days 28 to 32, the hatch. In FAO’s schedule hatching starts on day 30 and goslings come out of the hatcher on day 31. In a small home incubator, expect some spread across several days.
8. After the hatch. Young birds go to a brooder with feed and water once they have hatched and fluffed up, Mississippi State advises, and the incubator is cleaned and disinfected before the next setting.

Keep the incubator shut during the final days unless you have a real reason to open it. Mississippi State warns that opening it in the last 3 days of a chicken hatch lets vital moisture escape, and the same logic applies to goose eggs.

Incubator temperature and humidity for goose eggs

Temperature is the setting the sources agree on most closely. For a forced-air incubator, Mississippi State runs goose eggs at 99°F dry bulb, a degree below its chicken setting, and adds 2 to 3°F for still-air machines. FAO uses 37.7°C (about 99.9°F) in the setter, 37.5°C (about 99.5°F) in the hatcher, and 39.4°C (about 102.9°F) in a still-air incubator. Check your thermometer against a second one before you trust either number.

Humidity is where they differ, so do not treat any one figure as the rule:

• Mississippi State gives a wet-bulb reading of 86 to 88°F for goose eggs, which its own conversion table puts at roughly 60 to 65 percent relative humidity at 99°F, rising to 90°F wet bulb (about 70 percent) for the last 3 days.
• FAO uses 50 to 55 percent relative humidity in the setter through day 27, then 75 percent in the hatcher.

Both raise humidity for the hatch, and both add moisture to the eggs themselves through spraying or dipping, which is the step goose eggs need that chicken eggs do not. A practical check from Mississippi State: candle the eggs and watch the air cell grow, then adjust humidity if it is growing much faster or slower than you expect. Write your readings down. Next season you will know which setting worked in your machine and your climate.

Hatching goose eggs under a goose or a hen

Many geese go broody and hatch their own clutch. FAO notes that most geese given the chance will sit on the clutch they have just laid, generally 10 to 12 eggs. It does not recommend this, because a goose stops laying while she sits, and suggests letting the goose incubate only the last 10 to 12 eggs of the laying season. In a small flock that trade may not matter, and a calm broody goose on a clean, dry nest with water nearby does most of the work herself. The Creatures goose guide notes that broody breeds such as the American Buff and Sebastopol hatch and raise their own goslings well, while heavy Toulouse often break their eggs.

You can also put goose eggs under another bird. According to FAO, a chicken hen can cover 4 to 6 goose eggs, a duck 8 to 10 and a turkey 10 to 14. A hen will still need about 30 days on the nest, well past her own 21, so choose a steady broody and give her a clean nest in a quiet, fairly dark spot with food and water within reach, as FAO advises. FAO also warns that some hens struggle to turn eggs this large: mark one side of each egg and, if they are not being turned fully, turn them by hand two or three times a day. It adds that extra water on goose eggs under a hen is now generally considered unnecessary. The broody hen guide covers choosing and supporting a sitting hen.

Natural hatches follow the same calendar as incubator hatches, and the date you count from is the day steady sitting began, not the day the first egg was laid. Count from the day she settled on the full clutch.

Track your goose eggs from setting to hatch on Creatures

A goose hatch is a month long, and the details blur fast: which eggs came from which goose, how many were clear at candling, when the first pip showed. Creatures keeps that record for you in an egg clutch, with a free account.

Here is how it works today:

1. Start a clutch. Open a new egg clutch, say which eggs you are setting (from one goose, from a flock, or bought-in eggs), how many you set and on what date, and whether they are in an incubator or under a broody bird. You can leave the gander unknown if you are not sure.
2. See the dates. For geese, Creatures estimates hatch at about day 30 and shows a hatch window from day 28 to day 35, because goose timing varies widely. It schedules a first candling check around days 7 to 10, and you can reschedule that check if your timing differs; over a few seasons your own hatch records show how your geese actually run. You also choose whether set day counts as day 0 or day 1.
3. Record candling. Enter candling as counts (developing, clear, early dead or uncertain), or label individual eggs first if you want to follow them one by one. Note the first pip too.
4. Record the hatch. Enter how many goslings hatched. Creatures keeps the hatch as a dated record, so the history is still there next season when you compare hatch rates.
5. Carry the goslings forward. Goslings you keep can be tracked as a group or given their own profiles later. The help article on recording births and creating a litter explains how offspring groups work, and tracking animals without individual profiles covers keeping a gaggle as one group.

You can also turn a finished hatch into a hatch card and choose whether to share it. Clutches are private by default. Egg clutches are new on Creatures and do not have a Help Center article yet, so the product page is the place to start. For the breeding geese themselves, adding an animal to Creatures gives each goose and gander a profile that their clutches and records connect to.

Wild goose eggs: leave them where they are

If you found a goose nest by a pond, do not take the eggs home to incubate. Canada geese, their nests and their eggs are covered by the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Even landowners dealing with problem geese must register with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service before they destroy resident Canada goose nests or eggs, under its nest and egg registration program, and that program covers removing nests, not hatching them.

A goose nest in the wild also has a parent nearby. Cornell’s Lab of Ornithology notes that the female Canada goose does all the incubating while her mate guards her and the nest, so an “abandoned” nest often is not. If you are worried about a nest or a gosling, call your state wildlife agency or a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. The Creatures goose guide explains the narrow federal rule for keeping captive-bred Canada geese.

After the hatch

Move goslings to a clean, warm brooder with feed and water once they have hatched and fluffed up, as Mississippi State advises for young poultry. The goose guide adds that goslings need water they can drink from but not climb into. The goose guide’s breeding section covers brooder temperatures, floor space and the niacin question for goslings, and raising baby chicks covers the general brooder setup.

A poor hatch is worth reviewing while it is fresh. Mississippi State’s troubleshooting table links clear eggs, dead embryos and hatching problems to egg storage, temperature, turning and humidity. Compare your notes with it: the date the eggs were laid, how long they were stored, the temperatures you saw and the candling counts.

If you hatch chickens, ducks or turkeys as well, their calendars differ from the goose’s. The chicken incubator guide covers the 21-day chicken hatch, how long duck eggs take to hatch covers ducks and Muscovies, and how long turkey eggs take to hatch covers poults. For a step-by-step record of one batch, see chicken hatch records. Keepers who hatch ducks for meat crosses may also want the guide to the Mulard duck.

When the goslings have personalities, the free goose name generator can help with names. It runs in your browser with no account.

Frequently asked questions

How many days does it take for goose eggs to hatch?

About 30 days for most domestic geese. Extension sources give ranges of 28 to 32 days (University of Missouri) and 28 to 34 days (Mississippi State), and FAO’s goose schedule has hatching begin on day 30.

What day do you stop turning goose eggs?

Mississippi State’s table says not to turn goose eggs after day 25. FAO moves them to the hatcher on day 27. Follow your incubator manual for the exact step.

Do goose eggs need to be sprayed with water?

The goose-specific advice in both main sources adds moisture to the eggs. In an incubator, FAO cools the eggs daily from days 4 to 27 and then sprays them with water at 20 to 25°C (68 to 77°F), while Mississippi State sprinkles or dips them in lukewarm (100°F) water for 30 seconds a day during the last half of incubation and warns that cool water can draw bacteria into the egg. Use clean water either way. Under a broody hen, FAO says extra water is now generally considered unnecessary.

Can a chicken hatch goose eggs?

Yes. According to FAO, a hen can cover 4 to 6 goose eggs. She will need to sit for about 30 days, which is longer than a chicken clutch.

How long can you store goose eggs before incubating them?

FAO advises setting goose eggs twice a week and storing them no more than four days, at 10 to 15°C (50 to 59°F) and 70 to 75 percent relative humidity. Mississippi State’s general guidance for hatching eggs is that hatchability stays high for eggs stored under 7 to 10 days and falls off after that.

How long do Canada goose eggs take to hatch?

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology gives a wild Canada goose 25 to 28 days, while an Extension Foundation table lists 35 days for Canada and Egyptian geese. Wild Canada goose eggs are federally protected, so leave them in the nest.

What should I do if my goose eggs have not hatched by day 30?

Do not give up on the date alone, because published ranges run into the low or mid 30s. Check your thermometer, keep the humidity up and the incubator closed, and candle any doubtful egg before you decide what to do.

Do this next on Creatures

You are planning or running a goose hatch, so start with the birds and the records, then the buying and selling steps.

• Give your breeding geese a home: Add your goose so each goose and gander has a profile that clutches, hatches and records connect to. No account needed to start; the flow sets up your free account. The adding an animal guide walks through it.
• Log what happened: Add a record for a laying count, a health check or a note about the nest. The form opens for visitors, and a free account saves it. Set reminders for candling and hatch dates with reminders and upcoming care.
• Show your flock: If you breed geese, create your farm’s profile so keepers looking for geese can find you, with no account needed to start. Getting listed in the breeder directory explains how listings appear.
• Hear about geese for sale: Goose listings are scarce, so set a free goose listing alert and Creatures emails you when matching geese are listed. No account needed to start; saving searches explains how alerts work.
• Browse what is listed now: See geese on the Creatures marketplace, and confirm age, sex and flock history with the seller before you buy.
• Find goose keepers to contact: Search the breeder directory for trusted goose breeders and farms near you.