Just like humans, animals just have a very fierce maternal instinct. To them, reproducing isn’t just a way to ensure that their species survives — it’s because they want to care for their babies, fussing over them and teaching them how to exist in the world just like a human mama would. But things don’t always go smoothly when it comes to procreation in the animal world, and once in awhile, some animals need a little extra boost to make their motherhood dreams come true.
Case in point: the mama goose in this video. She’s been wanting to become a mom for a long time, but her eggs just weren’t hatching. Fortunately, her humans were willing to put in a little extra effort to make sure that she got to have the full experience of being a mama.
@hobbyacreSometimes we all need a little help 💗 #duckduckgoose
As @hobbyacre explained in a video she shared on Monday, April 8, her geese had been waiting 38 days for their eggs to hatch, and nothing was happening — and this mama goose hadn’t been willing to get off of the eggs she was so desperately hoping would turn into goslings.
“She wanted to be a mama so badly and Ryan has been on full alert protecting her and his family,” she said about their male goose.
So these humans took matters into their own hands, and purchased baby ducks to sneak in next to mama so she’d think her babies had finally arrived. It worked — and they both looked so happy!
It sounds like she took to motherhood immediately, because her human wrote in a comment, “This is her first year laying, we hope for success in the future! But she’s extremely happy now and just took them on a short field trip to the shallow pond I put in for them and is now back inside.” Aww!
Why some eggs don’t hatch
As this sweet mama goose unfortunately learned the hard way, laying eggs doesn’t mean they’ll hatch every time.
In fact, according to one farm’s website, goose eggs are actually known for being difficult to hatch, so don’t worry, mama — it wasn’t your fault! Since this goose is still young, her age may have played a role. One year old geese won’t produce as many (or any) hatch-able eggs as a mature goose, who not only has 15% higher fertility rates but also produces eggs that are about 20% more likely to hatch.
So just because this mama didn’t hatch eggs this year doesn’t mean that she won’t have better luck in the future… but for now, it looks like these baby ducks are keeping her busy!
