To Hatch, or Not To Hatch, That Is The Question

Well, dear reader, it is the time of year when my grumpy gaggle of geese is laying eggs. Two of my grouchy geese have taken up residence in the barn. They are making the goats and my bib overall-wearing buddy absolutely miserable. They have made a nest next to the main door leading out to the pasture. Every goat who wants to go outside is subjected to the hissing, biting, wing-flapping miseries who have declared the barn entrance their turf. Our silly little goose, Baby, continues to lay her eggs in the chicken coop. The chickens will sit on them for a few days, but kick them out of the nesting box onto the coop floor. I have changed my mind completely about Baby being a silly goose. That girl is a genius. Not only does she lay her eggs in the safest spot on the farm, but she also tricks the chickens into sitting on her eggs, and she eats until her little heart is content. There isn't anything silly or dumb about our little grey goose. 

Currently, I have six goose eggs gathered. The question, dear reader, is, do I really want to incubate more goose eggs? Eric gives a solid no as his answer. The Bean gives a resounding yes as her vote. I hate to admit it, but I am on the fence. I mean, it's not like I have a 100% hatch rate. Truth be told, I don't even have a 50% hatch rate. If I get two babies out of the six, I will be lucky. I currently have 13 grumpy, rude, nipping, bossy geese who show me absolutely no affection or even respect. They demand, demand, demand, and give little more than entertainment in return. They hang out on the driveway and poop, like a lot...and big. Like sh*t through a goose is an accurate and well-earned simile. Baby continues to hang out on the porch, and she poops big everywhere. Do I really want more hand-raised geese hanging out on the porch? Not only does she hang out on the porch, but she lets herself into the house when we aren't paying attention. However, I do enjoy hearing her little feet going slap-slap on the hardwood floors. She is charming in a silly goose kind of way. 

The Bean certainly enjoys her silly little geese. She sits with them in the yard, filming their silly antics and laughing. Her screen saver is her goose. That alone is kind of worth the time, effort, and poop. Watching her walk around the farm with her baby geese in tow is pretty adorable. The absolute best is hearing her laugh out loud over their antics, kisses, and devotion to her. Who am I kidding? We all know that as soon as I am done writing the blogs for the week, I will make her go to the basement with me to protect me from any hidden snakes, get the incubator, and let the countdown begin. 

I have decided I will not hatch any more chickens, though. For real, not until I get a new coop and have the vaccination thing under control. I feel awful when my little homegrown hatchlings get sick and die. I never remember the chickens we had growing up suffering from Marek's disease, but my unvaccinated babies succumbed to it within a year. It is 90% preventable; most chicks develop immunity to it after vaccination. I need to figure it out before I hatch any more. Luckily, the baby geese do just fine without vaccinations. 

So, I suppose I have written my way through my dilemma. We will incubate goose eggs and hope for the best. Perhaps I will get lucky and have a higher success rate in hatching. Eric would be fine if none hatched. He calls them inappropriate names and laments over their rudeness. Personally, I think their overall rudeness is part of their charm. They're like grumpy old people who do and say whatever they want without remorse. It's kind of charming and humorous. I aspire to grow old and act like a goose. A goose could be my spirit animal. I will grumble loudly when I want to be fed, not eat it, nip at the person who brings me food, bite the hand that feeds, literally, and waddle away in disgruntled dissatisfaction: goals, dear reader, goals. 

On this more seasonable Thursday, stay safe, be smart, know you can solve your own dilemmas by writing them out, have goals, and keep washing your hands.