Description of the breed Italian geese
Recently, Italian geese have been gaining popularity. Geese of the Italian breed were bred by selection at the beginning of the twentieth century on the Apennine Peninsula. For this, a Chinese duck was crossed with local representatives. The experiment was a success, and very soon the tourists, admiring the peculiarities of the Italian geese, were able to get the individuals into their farm.
Italian geese
As a result, the Italian geese spread throughout the world, their high adaptability to climatic conditions only contributed to this. Today it is easy to find Italian white geese even in remote poultry farms. The characteristics of the Italian geese are so good that farmers bring such individuals both to a private house and to an agricultural farm.
Before you get the Italian White geese, you should study their description and read the reviews.
The appearance and behavior of birds
In general, the Italian white geese differ from their relatives by only a few characteristics. The description states that the distinctive features are snow-white plumage, unusually strong orange paws and a fairly short beak. Also, the Italian does not have a "wallet" and a bump on his head. Its body is slightly elongated, its neck is thick, and its eyes are blue or gray. The crest is characteristic of females. Mature males weigh about 7 kg, and females up to 6 kg.
This breed is considered productive, graceful, active and agile.
Individuals are distinguished by a calm temperament, although at times they show aggression towards other birds - especially annoying roosters can suffer from geese, which, due to their larger size, can even cripple them.
Italians easily make contact with people, do without conflicts. If there are no instigators in the team, the birds do not fight and behave calmly.
Dignity
The growing popularity of these birds is easily explained by their many benefits, including:
- Fast ripening. The female is ready for offspring at the age of 8 months. From it you can get 2 clutches of eggs per year.
- Egg productivity. One clutch consists of 45 eggs on average. Each egg is medium in size, weighing about 165 g. From one goose, about 90 eggs can be obtained per year.
- High survival rate of young animals. 70-80% of goslings from each clutch survive. Female Italian geese have a particularly developed maternal instinct and take good care of their offspring, so there is no need to use incubators or brooding hens.
- The taste of meat. Especially appreciated is the meat obtained by crossing Italian geese with representatives of other breeds. If you combine a female with a select large gander of a different breed, you can get excellent offspring.
- Down and feathers are white, used in the textile industry and art.
- Adaptability and undemanding care.
- The duration of the profitable period is up to 5 years.
Farmers say that all costs for Italian geese are fully justified. The main thing is to be smart about bird care and follow the basic rules.
Care
Italian geese adapt well to different climates. They were bred in the hot Italian climate, but they tolerate the cold of the northern countries well. There are several rules for caring for these birds.
- For Italian geese, cleanliness in the room where they are kept is vital. Maintain dryness and remove droppings regularly. You should also disinfect and fight parasites about once every six months, change bedding, perches. It is recommended to use sawdust as flooring in the poultry house, and in cold weather - a warmed version with peat. Do not forget to ventilate the goose house and walk the winged ones in warm weather.
- Birds should be fed frequently and satisfyingly, providing them with all the necessary vitamins and minerals. In addition to the berries and plants that geese will eat while grazing in the meadow or pasture, the diet includes various feeds, cereals, animal proteins, calcium-rich foods (chalk, shells), vegetables.
- The water in the drinker should be as clean as possible, preferably running so that the infection does not spread to the entire herd.
- Geese love to swim, so it makes sense to build a swimming pool for them.
In more detail, you can see the Italian goose in the photo above
Pairing
Mating is carried out in several ways. Farmers often practice natural mating, but there are situations when breeders need to get a certain breed and breed the individuals they need, then they resort to forced mating.
It is best to use natural reproduction, because the individuals who have chosen each other, the children grow faster and turn out to be stronger.
With natural mating, individuals all live together in the same area. During the period of sexual hunt, males and females gradually look at each other. Only when there is reciprocity between the birds, couples retire for breeding.
With self-selection, you should pay attention to females and males of approximately similar build: too thin or fat individuals will not give the desired offspring. Sometimes mating does not happen at all: the goose does not want to breed with such a female, sometimes it even shows aggression.
In general, the breeding of the Italian breed of geese is a simple matter, it does not require compliance with any prerequisites, as it happens with other birds.
The main thing is to maintain cleanliness in the room and consistency in bird care.
There are 3 females per goose. For them, a special section with three slots is equipped in the room. There should be enough room in the house for all individuals, so a house of the appropriate size should be built. When mating, such a breed behaves calmly, provides proper care for future offspring.
After birth, chicks grow very quickly and gain weight rapidly. By the 9th week of life, they reach 3-4 kg, their meat is of excellent quality. The cost of Italian geese is fully justified by the quality of the final product.
Protection against common diseases
To prevent birds from being exposed to common diseases, you must follow all the rules for care and feeding. The geese, which are given high-quality and balanced food, retain a stable immunity to common diseases.
Unsanitary conditions are taboo for the poultry house, and therefore 1-2 times a week they clean the room with the use of cleaning agents. Drinking bowls and feeders are recommended to be washed daily. If garbage has got into the water, it must be replaced with a fresh one, otherwise the individuals will catch a viral disease.
After acquiring a new individual, it is quarantined. The bird is kept in a separate room for about 10-30 days, during which time all possible diseases will appear. If the bird is healthy, after quarantine it is released and kept along with the rest of the livestock.
Birds should be shown to the veterinarian at least once every 6-12 months.Preventive examinations should be carried out on a regular basis, then the possibility of getting sick is significantly reduced.
Useful Tips
To select quality individuals, it is advisable to purchase them from trusted breeders. Conscientious breeders try to carefully select geese for sale. They are also responsible for breeding and feeding. Qualified sellers always have documents for the bird. If you buy individuals on the poultry market or from your hands, there is a possibility of running into scammers.
Some poultry farmers can sell a bird with a disease, so when buying it is important to look at the condition of the goose: the winged one should not be lethargic or disheveled. A healthy bird is always active and friendly.
When building a house, it is important to keep in mind that geese do not like noise. It is recommended to build a bird house away from roads and neighbors' houses. There must be a lawn near the poultry house so that the geese have a place to graze in the summer.
In the shed itself, ventilation must be installed so that the room is always ventilated. If you take into account such features and properly maintain geese, you can easily grow a healthy and strong livestock.
Ultimately, it becomes clear that the Italian goose is an excellent choice, because its productivity rate is very high: from these individuals you can get both excellent meat and a fairly large number of eggs and good feathers.