When goslings are left without a brood, or they were initially bred in an incubator, it is necessary to provide suitable conditions for their development. Otherwise, the chicks may die or grow up weak, with obvious physical defects.
Goslings hatch from eggs 29-31 days after the start of hatching, at which time you should completely prepare the room for them. From the time of the first haul of hatched chicks, the temperature in the incubator should be increased to about 37.2 degrees Celsius.
The simplest incubators can be cells located about half a meter above the floor, equipped with lamps and a thermometer. Place clean, dry straw or sawdust in each cell. It is very important to regularly remove the litter from the cells and add new ones, because if the incubator is too humid or dirty, the goslings are likely to grow up with such a defect as eversion of the wings.
When all the goslings are hatched, lower the incubator temperature to 30 degrees. It is advisable to check the weight of each chick: on average, it should be about 100-150 g. Too small, weak goslings need special care, and it is advisable to keep them separately and additionally feed them.
Maintain temperature control. Five days after the end of the hatching of the chicks, lower the temperature to 26-28 degrees, after ten - to 24-25, sixteen - to 20-22, and starting from the twenty-third day - to 18 degrees. During the first week of a chick's life, incubator lamps should be on around the clock. Then, from the first to the second week, the duration of lighting should be gradually reduced, bringing it to 12 hours a day.
From the moment the chicks are born, automatic vacuum drinkers should be used in each setter cell. Starting from the 11th day of life, goslings can be replaced with ordinary ones. You should also install convenient feeders, the height of which does not exceed 4 cm. Only a month after hatching, the goslings can begin to feed and drink from standard vessels, like adult birds.
Pay particular attention to the number of goslings in the setters. From the moment of birth to one month of age, 1 sq. m should have no more than 8 chicks, from 1 month to 2 - no more than four. If there is a small reservoir on the 10th day of life, you can take the chicks out on water walks so that they learn to swim well.
