Goose farm profitability
A country house and farm is a great option for starting your own farming business. For example, you can start breeding poultry. Most often, geese are chosen for breeding: they require the least costs for their maintenance, are unpretentious in care and show high production results. The goose farm is by far the most common type of private enterprise among novice businessmen in the livestock business. So what kind of quality goose farm really should be? Let's figure it out below.
Goose farm
What gives goose production
A goose farm is a waste-free economy if you use it as a business promotion. What can you get from a goose farm?
- meat products;
- eggs;
- fluff;
- organic fertilizers.
The life span of geese is much longer compared to other types of poultry. And although this criterion is not very important in the setting of poultry farms, it significantly affects the production of eggs. An adult sexually mature goose 2-3 years old will lay eggs better than the young. The cost of goose meat in small farms is lower than veal, but higher than pork, which makes it a rather profitable product. The goose farming business has another important advantage: even a novice poultry farmer can handle it. The main thing is to thoroughly prepare and prepare a goose farm plan.
So, the business of breeding geese involves two ways of doing:
- breed geese for a tribe;
- raise geese for meat.
The second path is most often chosen by beginners on small farms, who eventually move on to the first method. Raising livestock for the purpose of obtaining meat does not require special investment, and the profitability is quite high. Most of the medium-sized companies combine both ways of doing business, which significantly increases their income.
It is a mistake to think that breeding and raising geese on a goose farm does not require any preparation or miscalculation at all. To run any business successfully, you must first draw up a plan. It is necessary to assess the profitability of a business in your area, evaluate competitors, calculate how much equipment, poultry, feeding and building poultry houses will cost.
How to organize work correctly
In order for the goose farm to start functioning, it is necessary to acquire a herd of at least 500 heads. First of all, you should think about what breed you plan to breed. Here you will have to rely only on your instinct, because the opinions of experts on this issue are very different. Below we will consider the most popular breeds.
- Kuban geese are considered one of the most profitable breeds in terms of egg production. They are classified as light type, the maximum weight of the male is 6 kg.
- Edmen geese are large, well-fed representatives, the maximum weight of males is 10 kg, females - 8 kg.
- Arzamas representatives of the goose family are the most resistant species.Such individuals rarely get sick and tolerate frosts well.
- Italian white geese are characterized by fast growth and good weight (about 9 kg), rather high fertility (up to 50 eggs).
- Toulouse geese are classified as liver breeds. Their characteristic feature is a sedentary lifestyle, high weight and fat content. The maximum gander weight is 12 kg.
- Gorky geese are meat-and-meat breeds.
- Kholmogory geese are distinguished by their large dimensions and rather high egg production.
- Large gray geese are popular for their meaty qualities.
- Danish legart is the most profitable type of geese in keeping and breeding. This breed is rapidly gaining weight, already at 2 months the goslings weigh up to 6 kg.
For beginners, the Danish Legart breed is most likely the best option, but in the future, you can dilute the livestock with other breeds. To improve the quality of egg production, it is recommended to take any of the breeds presented and simply cross it with a Chinese goose, thus you can increase the existing indicator by almost 2 times. Having opened a goose farm, it is important to select the number of geese not only depending on the breed qualities, but also to be guided by the climatic conditions of your area.
How to care for livestock and build a house
In order for the goose farm to function correctly and generate income, it is necessary to familiarize yourself with the conditions of maintenance and care, and choose the right equipment. To live, birds need a poultry house equipped with nests, drinkers, feeders. Ideally, the thickness of the walls of the bird shed should be at least 3 cm. For the winter, it is imperative to insulate the shed, lay a litter of wood sawdust on the floor. Geese spend most of their day outdoors.
An important point is the equipment of the nearby area of the poultry house with a large swimming pool, as well as a place for walking, which cannot be accessed by wild and domestic animals. The size of the housing dwelling will directly depend on the number of heads. Each goose should have at least 1 square meter. m.
As for the conditions of detention, the barn should be dry. If the litter is wet, you can replace it partially or add more sawdust. Especially in winter, it is important to ensure that there is at least 30 cm of lining under the poultry paws. There should be no draft in the barn. The two weakest points in a goose are the legs and beak, so you always need to take care of their dryness and cleanliness.
Raising geese of different ages, especially newly hatched ones, and aggressive individuals should take place in separate rooms. For this, the main room is divided into several parts. Nests for geese during the incubation period should stand separately, and it is best that they be fenced off each other so that the winged ones cannot see each other.
How to properly increase livestock growth
A goose farm will only be a successful investment if you are smart about raising geese. To do this, you need to choose the right pair. It is not recommended to reduce individuals with closely related relationships, this will reduce the survival rate of the livestock and reduce production performance. In order not to be mistaken, you need to buy birds from several breeders.
Successful breeding will be facilitated by a properly selected breeding gander. It is very important to inspect the bird from all angles to determine its quality. A sufficiently fighting male is considered excellent for breeding. The gander is heavier than a goose, and at the ends of its wings it should have a kind of scissors, these are 2 small feathers. On the wings of a quality bird, there are 20 flight feathers of two orders, on the tails, respectively, there should be an equal number of upper and lower tail feathers.
The male is able to maintain the profitability of the goose farm for 8-10 years. There are 4-5 geese for each male. Every year it is necessary to replenish the livestock with young individuals, in percentage terms, their number in the herd should be 20-30%.Egg-laying lasts from February to March. Each egg should be placed in a dry place at an air temperature of 7-13 ° C.
If a female lays a lot of eggs, but does not sit on them herself, she does not need to be discarded immediately. Eggs can be placed under another, less fertile goose. It is best to lay eggs in the nests in the evening. On days 10-27, all eggs must be examined under an ovoscope, and rejected. After 28 days from the beginning of incubation, you need to spray the eggs with water. The offspring will hatch on day 30.
How to feed the birds
The farm plan provides for a specific diet for the birds, depending on what the breeder expects as a result of breeding. It is recommended to start feeding and watering chicks after they are dry. Newborns are fed every couple of hours for the first 5 days.
In the diet of goslings, hard-boiled eggs, cottage cheese, fish oil, baker's yeast must be present. A clear control of the purity of food and drink should be carried out at all times. When the chicks are 10 days old, a little potassium permanganate can be added to the water. Birds should have free access to water and in sufficient quantity, because they not only drink it, but also wash their beaks with it.
It is important to organize the feeding area correctly. Trays with low sides are suitable for babies, and already on the third day they can be supplied with small wooden troughs so that they do not trample the food. Already at the age of one month, goslings can freely eat from adult dishes. For a period of up to 2.5 months, a fairly large amount of feed will be consumed:
- greens about 30 kg;
- cereals about 12 kg;
- combined feed 3 kg.
In the summer, the geese must be grazed. If it is not possible to do this, it is necessary to ensure a sufficient supply of greens. In winter, in the diet, it is necessary to replace greens with 30% coarse food rich in fiber, introduce more root crops.
How to calculate if your business is profitable?
Do-it-yourself construction will cost several times cheaper than hiring workers and so on. In any case, do not skimp on materials for the poultry house, it is better to immediately prepare a high-quality tree so that the bird does not freeze in winter and does not get sick. It will come out in the region of 150,000 rubles. For a goose breeding farm, it is best to purchase livestock in bulk and about 50 pieces at once. Firstly, buying in bulk will be cheaper, and secondly, it is not known what the survival rate of purchased birds is.
Another nuance that the plan should take into account is the purchase of different breeds, even if it will cost more, but then you can know exactly which one is more profitable to keep. You will also need to purchase grain, purchase an incubator and an ovoscope, although, of course, it is more profitable at times to dilute it by a natural method. To secure your mini-project, it is better to fork out and vaccinate each individual in the livestock, because if one bird falls ill, the rest will die.
It is also necessary to issue all the papers and permits for the sale of the bird. The goose herd gains marketable weight within 3-4 months, so if the project is drawn up correctly, there is a chance to recoup your investment in a year and build a successful business.
findings
The market segment for breeding geese is far from being fully developed, so even a novice poultry farmer will be able to show healthy competitiveness in other farms, of which there are not so many, which is why all investments, if you approach this business wisely, will pay off with interest in 12 months. If the concept is not fully understood, you can watch the video: goose farm, which explains in detail how to establish your own farm.
If the area allows and you have experience in business management, then this business is definitely within your reach. The most important thing is to correctly prepare a business plan in order to calculate the likely risks and realistically assess your prospects in this market. Most farmers who have been breeding geese for sale for a long time say that the business is profitable and beats the money invested with interest.
So, the question of what a farm for raising healthy geese should be has been solved, now you can start implementing it.