Offaly farmer hails his extraordinary goose

THE well known, popular Banagher farmer John Dolan has this week been hailing his extraordinary goose.
Concepta is a Pomeranian and her hatching ability is rather unusual. Normally geese can hatch goslings once or sometimes twice a year, but Concepta, one of many fowl on John's farm, has consistently defied the odds to have multiple broods of goslings year after year.
John said his goose has greatly impressed the Dolan family and their neighbours with her laying and hatching capabilities.
John points out that Concepta first “claimed fame” in 2023, and following that she defied normal breeding patterns by producing three separate clutches of goslings in a 12-month period. Following that remarkable feat she's now produced another three separate clutches of goslings in the last 12 month period, with the third clutch being laid and hatched between the 14th and 17th of January, 2026.
John says he is excited about what Concepta can do this year: “Oh the excitement is unreal here,” he commented. “She laid and the first little gosling came out on the 14th of January. Four came out and lived, out of six. They are there now and they are grand and healthy and I am hoping that Concepta in 2026 will carry on from where she left off in 2025 and keep on breaking those records for Ireland and for the world. There is nothing like her in the world, and it's an honour and privilege for me to own her. She is doing what she does best, laying and hatching out goslings and it takes a fair bit to keep going because there's a lot of time spent on the nest and it takes a lot out of a goose. George is the husband. He plays a big role in the whole job because he minds her, guards her, looks after her. All her needs is all done by him. And I don't think she will ever leave George or George will ever leave her. And if anything happened to George in the morning, I don't know if she'd take up with another gander, because there's another gander there in the yard and she has no time whatsoever for him. She's basically in love with George.”
John says he bought Concepta from Mackie Brennan in Borrisokane as a Christmas present for his daughter Emma and on 10 of September 2023 he realised this was an unusual Pomeranian. “On that date she hatched a second clutch which is phenomenal. They say out of season the eggs won't be fertile. Usually they only hatch once a year; they usually don't hatch two or three times in the one year; but whatever sort of a goose this one is she is just remarkable. I can't explain it, I can't put it into words, but she is actually just unreal. I'm hoping the genetics and the bloodline is going to carry on in Concepta's goslings.”
The popular farmer is well known locally for the incredible, unusual hens which he reared on his farm over the years, and now his geese are following suit. In 2023 he also revealed that a Muscovy goose was laying more eggs than the norm. Then Concepta began to follow suit.

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