Hatching Sebastopol Geese at Rudge Farm

It’s always been a long-held dream of ours at Rudge Farm to gradually grow our collection of animals. Over the years, we’ve welcomed pygmy goats, sheep, chickens, and ducks — each one bringing something unique and special to life on the farm. This year, we decided to take the next step and venture into the world of geese.

Choosing the right breed was important to us. Geese have a bit of a reputation for being less-than-friendly, so it was vital that we raised ours from hatchlings, ensuring they were regularly handled and used to human interaction from the start. After lots of research and reading (and a fair amount of tea-drinking and note-taking), we settled on the Sebastopol goose — a rare and visually striking breed with a calm, gentle temperament when raised closely with people.

The Hatching Process

Hatching geese is not a task to be taken lightly — they are one of the more challenging birds to hatch successfully, requiring careful attention to temperature, humidity, and daily care throughout the incubation process.

We began with eight eggs, placed carefully into incubators. Sebastopol geese take roughly 28 to 35 days to hatch, and throughout that time, we monitored them closely. In the evenings, we gently misted the eggs with water to replicate what would happen naturally: a mother goose leaving the nest to bathe and returning damp to sit on the eggs. This moisture plays an essential role in softening the shell and helping the gosling develop properly.

Turning the eggs daily is also vital. It helps prevent the developing gosling from sticking to the shell and ensures the air sac remains in the correct position, which is crucial for a successful hatch. Around day seven, we candled the eggs to check for signs of life. We believed four were fertile, but chose to leave all eight in place to keep the heat distribution balanced.

A Storm, a Secret, and a Very Suspicious Mr. Rudge

All was going to plan — until the storm hit. One blustery night, a tree came down in a nearby village and took out a power line, causing a temporary power cut across the area. Ordinarily, this would have gone unnoticed overnight, as the electricity company kindly brought in a generator and restored power for the villages swiftly. But for us, mid-hatch, the timing was far from ideal.

Our incubators, being rather clever (and rather noisy), come with built-in alarms that alert us if the temperature drops below a safe level. So just as we’d climbed into bed and were settling in for the night, the beeping began. Lady Rudge was out of bed in a flash and down the stairs, heart pounding, to discover a full power cut in effect.

Now, this would have been stressful enough — but there was another layer to this. Lady Rudge may not have been entirely honest with Mr. Rudge about what exactly was in the incubators. Having been advised that “no more animals” were needed for now, she had told him (with a completely straight face) that she was hatching runner duck eggs. Mr. Rudge, however, had already quietly clocked the size and shape of the eggs and was waiting patiently for Lady Rudge to confess her little Sebastopol goose secret.

So when she returned to bed — slightly flustered but determined not to open the incubators unnecessarily — Mr. Rudge casually asked, “Are your duck eggs alright down there?” She replied, “Well, it’s not ideal… but I’m hoping for the best.” He waited, half expecting a full confession. None came.

In the end, the power was restored after about two hours, the incubators never dropped to dangerous temperatures, and the little goslings proved to be real fighters. For a brief moment, we even considered naming them Rocky and Fighter. Mr. Rudge later admitted he had known the whole time and was, in his words, “genuinely shocked” that Lady Rudge didn’t spiral into full panic mode. It seems the geese weren’t the only ones keeping their cool that night.

A Joyful Arrival

After weeks of care and close monitoring, we were overjoyed to successfully hatch two goslings from the four fertile eggs — one in each incubator, a few days apart. A 50% hatch rate for geese is considered quite good, and we were thrilled with the result.

We named our first gosling Lucy, and a few days later came Sebastian. While we haven’t confirmed their sexes yet, the names have stuck. As expected, they quickly became part of the daily rhythm of life on the farm, joining our ducks and chickens in the aviary and making fast friends with the other animals.

About the Breed

Sebastopol geese are a rare breed in the UK, with only around 5,000 thought to exist. Their appearance is what first caught our attention: long, soft, curling feathers give them a distinctive look, almost as if they’re wearing an elegant feathered cloak. Their gentle nature makes them ideal for small farms and family environments, especially when they’re raised from goslings with regular interaction.

Now several weeks old, Lucy and Sebastian have shed their baby down and are growing what we call their “teenage feathers.” These will eventually be replaced by their full adult plumage in a few months — the iconic, curled feathers that make Sebastopols so striking.

Life on the Farm

Lucy and Sebastian have settled beautifully into life at Rudge Farm. They can often be found pottering around near the lake, taking a dip, or quietly exploring the paddocks. Guests have taken a real interest in their progress, and it’s been lovely to see children and adults alike stopping to watch them waddle past or enjoying a quiet moment by the water.

Hatching our own geese has been a rewarding, educational, and genuinely heartwarming experience. It required patience and care, but the result has been more than worth it. We’re so pleased to have Lucy and Sebastian as part of the Rudge Farm family — even if they arrived under slightly mysterious circumstances.