All about breeding geese

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It is difficult to find a house in the countryside where geese are not breeding. This bird is unpretentious in care, and its meat has excellent taste. If you build a small farm, then breeding geese can be seen as a small business that will generate a steady income. For the business to be truly successful, the bird needs to be properly cared for.

Geese

Why keep geese

The domestic goose is beneficial in that it can easily find food for itself, so little money is spent on its maintenance, but it is necessary to provide the feathered area with good grass. It is she who acts as the main source of food, therefore, before starting to breed geese, you need to build a barn and build a grazing area. It is also worth taking into account that the goose is a waterfowl, so it is advisable that there is a body of water nearby. If there is none, you will have to think about building an artificial lake.

It is profitable to breed geese for several reasons: in addition to meat, you can trade in eggs and donate a feather. White feathers are used to make pillows and blankets. You can also sell goose fat, which is used in cooking, medicine and cosmetology, and if there is a restaurant nearby, you can agree on the supply of goose liver, from which the famous foie gras are prepared.

Building a barn

Breeding geese involves the presence of a building in the yard where they will spend the night. Considering that the construction will take not 5-7 days, but about a month, the construction of the poultry house should begin in the fall. As soon as spring comes, birds can be settled there. If a small farm is planned, then the building may also be small. If the farm will have more than 20-25 heads, it is better to build a large poultry house. You can build such a shed with your own hands, having previously made the appropriate drawings. And it is better for the drawing to be done by a specialist.

The technology of building a poultry house is not much different from the technology of building a small house. It is simplified by the fact that you do not need to think about how to scorch the building.

House requirements

We will not dwell on how to build a barn in detail. Consider only the requirements for the accommodation for birds.

The bird is not particularly afraid of cold weather, so it makes no sense to invest in the insulation of an outbuilding. You can use inexpensive building materials, or you can even build a shed from improvised means: wooden boards, slate, etc. can be used. But in the poultry house there should be no drafts that provoke a number of diseases in geese. You also need to ensure that the room is ventilated.

In the cold season, domestic geese should not sleep on a bare floor, as well as in a warm one, but if in summer the litter is laid in a thin layer, then in winter this layer should be warm. To prevent the occurrence of infectious diseases, the bedding is changed daily. It is best to use straw as bedding. Sawdust and sunflower husks are an alternative.

We must not forget to set aside an area for young animals in the poultry house and equip the barn with all the necessary equipment, which includes drinkers, feeders, nests. It will not be superfluous to set aside an area for storing feed and equipment. If the structure is capital, then feed can be stored in the attic. It is worth making a reservation that a building with an attic will be warmer than without it. If the structure is not capital, then the attic may collapse. In this case, it is better to set aside a place for storing food in the room itself, but it should be isolated from birds.

House size

Before you start building a bird shed, you need to think about how many birds you plan to keep. To make the birds feel comfortable, you need to provide them with at least 1 sq. m of living space. At this stage, you should consider not only how many birds will be kept in the first year, but also what the maximum number of heads is planned in the future.

It is imperative to think about what the height and width of the building should be. Since the goose is a small bird, it is not necessary to build a high room, but the shed will need to be systematically cleaned, therefore it is advisable to build the structure in such a way that when it needs to be cleaned, there are no difficulties. Do not forget to equip a special access hole through which the bird will return home, otherwise you will have to keep the doors of the poultry house open throughout the day.

Walking area

Growing geese at home requires an impressive enclosure. In this case, you need to carefully choose a place for arranging the aviary.

The birds feed mainly on grass, but not all the grass is suitable for geese. In addition, the quality of the meat depends on what the goose or goose eats. The birds' diet should include clover, nettles and dandelions. It is advisable to sow these plants yourself on the walking paddock.

In addition to the fact that the walking area should be fenced, it is advisable to equip it with awnings, under which the birds can hide from the heat. It is advisable to make canopies portable. Birds eat grass faster than it can grow, so it is advisable to change the location of the walking area several times during the season. Drinking bowls with clean water should always be available on the paddock.

When geese are grown industrially, the cage content is permissible. Cages are expensive, but you can make them yourself. Caged birds are more difficult to care for as they will have to be fed several times a day and will take a lot of time and money to build. With cage breeding and keeping geese, it is better to opt for broiler breeds: in a few months they gain 3-5 kg.

Arrangement of a place for swimming

In the absence of a reservoir nearby, containers with water are placed on the walking area. The number of these containers depends on the number of birds. It is best to make an artificial lake. The construction of such a lake is a laborious and costly process; moreover, the size of the site does not always allow to equip a lake on the territory.

You can make a place for bathing birds using an old bath or similar container. To do this, a hole is dug on the site, the dimensions of which correspond to the size of the bath, then they put the bath on the bottom of the hole and add earth to it. At the end of the work, the upper edge of the bath should be flush with the ground. If the sides protrude above the ground, it will be uncomfortable for the bird to swim.The water in such an impromptu pool is changed every day.

Selection of equipment for the poultry house

To keep geese at home is not a hassle, you need to choose the right equipment for the poultry house. First of all, this applies to feeders and drinkers. In order not to collect feed throughout the house, the choice should be stopped on feeders with high sides. It is also important to correctly calculate the number of feeders: if there is a crush near the trough with food, then most of the food will be on the floor.

For dry food, wooden troughs are best. Wet feed should be poured into a metal container. If feeders for wet mash are usually placed on the floor, then it is better to hang the grass troughs along the wall. Separate feeders for mineral fertilizing are also installed on a hill.

If you want to save money, you can build wooden feeders yourself. To do this, you need a scheme that you can make yourself, wooden boards, a hacksaw and a hammer with nails, and old pots and bowls of a suitable size can be used as drinkers and feeders for wet mash.

In the cold season, warm water is systematically added to the drinker throughout the day.

Arrangement of nests

Goose nests must be installed in the house. This design is very simple, so you can build it yourself. They make nests from boxes or boxes, improvised means (plywood, for example). The boxes should be made of thick cardboard. In order for the goose to sit comfortably on the nest, the front wall of the box or box should be lower than the back one. The hen does not always sit on the nest, in which case its location should be changed.

Depending on the breed of goose, the size of the nest for geese may vary, but on average, the width of the nest is 40 cm, the length and height are 60 and 30, respectively. The front wall in the nest is lowered by 7-10 cm. In order not to make one of the walls in the nest shorter, you can build a ladder along which it will be convenient for the goose to enter the nest.

It is very important that the goose feels comfortable in the nest while incubating the eggs, so it should be placed away from doors and windows, if any. The goose nest should have a thick straw bedding. Change the bedding in the nest as needed. It is needed so that the eggs do not break, hitting the bottom of the nest.

Breed selection

When breeding geese at home, you first need to decide on the breed of bird. Today, thanks to the tireless work of scientists, there are many different breeds, each of which has advantages and disadvantages. Some breeds are valued for meat productivity, some for dairy productivity. Some birds gain weight quickly, others slower, so you need to figure out for yourself what the bird is bought for.

Today, the most popular are the following bird breeds:

Adler (meat orientation);
Vladimir (meat and egg orientation);
Toulouse (meat orientation);
Danish legart (egg focus);
Kholmogory meat (orientation);
governor (egg orientation).

There are also breeds that are valued for the high quality of down (Vishtines, for example). In addition to high-quality silky down, the geese of this breed has good meat productivity (6 kg for geese and 7 kg for geese).

I would also like to say separately about the Hungarian breed. A feature of these birds is that their liver weighs up to 600 g with a total weight of a bird of 5-6 kg. The Italian white goose has the same feature, but its average weight is 2-3 kg higher than the body weight of the Hungarian goose. Another interesting breed that was born after crossing a goose and a domestic duck is called Mulard. Mulards are appreciated for the high taste of meat.

Less popular are the Lands French geese, Pskov, Demidov, Pskov bald, Tatar, Rhine, Emden, large gray geese. But these breeds have their own merits. So, for example, an egg of a large gray goose weighs 175-180 g. Also noteworthy are the Chinese white goose, Nile, sukhonos, Bashkir. And this is not the whole list of highly productive breeds.

Features of the choice of breed

When choosing a breed, it is worth paying attention not only to the general characteristics of the bird, but also to the sphere of its habitat. So, for example, Arctic geese, whose homeland is the Arctic, are able to withstand severe frosts, so they can be started in areas with harsh winters. It is advisable to first inquire about what breeds of geese are cultivated in a particular region.

You also need to determine the purpose of raising poultry. Broilers, for example, grow rapidly, so it is profitable to grow them for meat.

There are also decorative breeds of geese. These are usually small birds with unusual plumage, which are kept not for meat or eggs, but as a decoration of the yard. Black or gray looks unusual and interesting. The most striking representative of ornamental breeds is the ribbon goose. Its body weight is 5 kg, egg production is 20 eggs.

Before buying goslings, it is advisable to first ask for advice from a person whose profession is associated with breeding birds.

Breeding methods for geese

If the goose house is ready and the breed is chosen, you can start breeding geese at home: you can buy goslings, or you can remove goslings from eggs using an incubator. For beginners, the first option is more suitable, since removing chicks from the incubator is associated with a number of difficulties. First of all, you will have to purchase expensive equipment, which may not be needed in the future. In addition, practice shows that the hatchability of chicks is higher from the eggs that the goose incubates, therefore it is better to breed geese at home by incubating eggs. The acquisition of incubators is advisable only if you plan to sell chicks and poultry meat, but you should first calculate the profitability of such an event.

Buying chicks

For the purchase of chicks, it is best to go to the nursery. Experienced poultry farmers do not recommend purchasing birds in the markets. This is due to several factors. Buying chicks in a nursery, you can be sure that the bird has good genetics: specialists in nurseries select the best representatives of the breed for crossing. Also, when buying chicks in the market, you cannot be sure that you are in front of a representative of exactly the breed for which he is given.

Before buying goslings, pay attention to their behavior. Opt for those pets that are active. Be sure to look under the tail of the young. It must be dry there, otherwise there is a high probability of the presence of infections that lead to gastrointestinal disorders.

It is best to purchase goslings that are one week old. At this age, young animals quickly adapt to new conditions.

Young growth care

Caring for geese at home involves feeding the bird, cleaning the house and maintaining a certain temperature regime in it. For the first 3 weeks, young geese are kept in a box, providing additional heating in the room. The air temperature should not fall below 28-30 ° С. After 3 weeks, lower the temperature by 7-8 ° C. After another couple of days, we transfer the young to the poultry house.

Begin to feed the young with porridge mixed with pre-chopped boiled egg. Stop the choice on wheat and oatmeal. Gradually add finely chopped grass to food. In the diet of monthly goslings, carrots are added, which are previously grated.In order to start feeding the livestock with fresh grass as early as possible, you need to start growing it in a greenhouse in early spring. Clover is especially useful for young growth.

Monthly goslings can be released into the pond, where they are looking for food. Duckweed must be present in the diet of these waterfowl. If there is no reservoir nearby, then additionally give the feathered duckweed.

They change the bedding in the bird's cages as needed, ventilate the room every day without creating drafts.

Adult care

Taking care of adult geese is easy. The key is to provide fresh and clean bedding in the house and to feed and drink promptly.

As for the diet, it depends on the lifestyle of the bird. When kept outdoors, the diet of geese consists of pre-crushed corn cobs, chaff (oat, millet or wheat), clover flour, sugar beet and potatoes. Vegetables are given to birds so that there are no disturbances in the digestive tract. The daily norm of clover flour for an adult goose is 300 g; corn cobs and chaffs give 200 g per day. In addition to the main feed, mineral supplements (shellfish, chalk) are given. This food is sufficient if the bird eats grass while walking. If it is not possible to build a walking area, you will have to mow the grass yourself. For a day, an adult goose needs 1.5-2 kg of grass.

The geese should be fed no more than 2 times a day. In the morning, it is advisable to give wet mash, and in the evening - grain crops.

Feeding geese in winter

Unfortunately, it is not possible to feed the geese with grass in winter, so many decide to prick adult geese before winter. But breeders engaged in breeding geese must leave a certain number of adults for breeding. In addition, not all breeds are early maturing, and birds do not have time to gain maximum weight before winter.

Oats are best for winter feeding. This grain contains almost all the microelements necessary for birds and does not lead to obesity, but corn, which is also a good food for birds, can cause obesity in birds.

In addition to oats in winter, you can give the birds hay harvested in the fall. Drying grass for hay should not be in direct sunlight, but in the shade, otherwise most of the nutrients contained in the grass will not be preserved. You should also carefully select the grass for hay harvesting. All stop the choice on the same clover, nettle, swan, cereals and other succulent herbs. You can give hay with dry or steamed boiling water.

In addition to hay, feathered silage made from corn stalks is included in the winter diet. You can also harvest silage from forage beans, and so that the winter ration is no less complete than the spring one, silage, hay and concentrated feed interfere.

You can pamper the feathery dried twigs of fruit trees tied in small brooms. You should not put such brooms in the feeders. They should be hung around the house. It will not be superfluous to enrich the diet with dried algae, ground into flour. They also add coniferous needles to the diet, which are harvested in autumn, winter and early spring. In summer, the needles are too stiff and contain less nutrients. Before adding coniferous needles to the feed, grind them to a powder state.

Tribal work

Breeding geese at home involves breeding. You can, of course, buy young animals on the market every year, but this is not profitable, especially when it comes to a small business. In addition, breeding can also be viewed as a business.

The first thing to do is pick up a pair of geese to breed. These should be individuals with good genetics and excellent health. It is important that the goose and gander are not relatives: this will negatively affect the genetics of the offspring.Since the goose independently chooses the gander, you need to track whether the intended family is developing. If not, then we are looking for another male. It is best to choose a gander for breeding work that actively protects the flock.

When choosing a gander for a tribe, you should pay attention not only to its genetics, but also to its appearance. The bird should be large, have 10 flight feathers on each wing and 10 feathers on the tail. A male that cannot fight back other birds from the flock is not suitable for breeding work.

The bird does not always want to hatch eggs. If the goose does not sit on the eggs, you can put them on another hen. The same can be done with ducklings if, after incubation, the hen leaves the newborns. But at the same time, it is not a fact that another hen will accept someone else's offspring.

Incubation of eggs

When conducting breeding work, you will have to buy an incubator. When choosing equipment, you should pay attention to its functionality. So that the incubation process does not cause a lot of trouble, it is necessary to stop the choice on fully automated equipment. We will not consider in detail the models of incubators existing on the market, besides, the model range is constantly updated with improved options. The consultant of the store in which the purchase will be made will help you to choose the right one.

Shine through before laying eggs. This procedure is called ovoscopy. Ovoscopy of goose eggs can be carried out both with the help of a special device, and with the help of similar equipment made by yourself. But, given the not particularly high price of ovoscopes, there is no point in wasting time building a homemade device that works as well as a factory one.

The broodstock should include exceptionally healthy individuals. Plus, they must have good genetic makeup.

Feeding poultry before slaughter

Before stabbing geese, you need to ensure that they gain as much weight as possible. Accordingly, a few months before slaughter, the birds begin to feed more intensively. At the same time, the diet practically does not change, only the weight of the portion changes. So, for example, the daily rate of potatoes increases to 100 g. In winter, and experienced poultry farmers begin to feed the birds in January, add oil to carrots, include grass flour in the diet, and give root crops.

It is worth paying attention to the store compound feed intended for feeding birds. Despite the fact that the cost of good feed is quite high, it justifies itself.

How much a bird weighs before slaughter depends not only on how well it was fed, but also on the characteristics of the breed.

Diseases and their treatment

It is impossible to know everything about the diseases of geese. As a rule, treatment is carried out with the help of antibiotics, which only a doctor can prescribe, so you should not even try to self-medicate. Most often, these birds have colds, problems with the digestive tract (blockage of the esophagus, for example), rickets, cloacitis, stomatitis, goiter catarrh, enteritis, aspergillosis, salmonellosis, colibacillosis, cholera. Geese are susceptible to being attacked by parasites. Poison eaters spoil the goose feather, cause problems with the gastrointestinal tract echinostomatidosis and worms.

What you can't do is treat yourself. At the first symptoms of diseases, you need to consult a specialist. It is extremely difficult to make a diagnosis on your own, since many diseases have similar symptoms. In almost all diseases, the bird eats poorly, paddles with wings, does not get up and wheezes, frothy mucus appears from the beak. And some diseases can destroy the whole herd in a few days.

Prevention against viral and infectious diseases consists in providing the birds with proper care while keeping them. Colds are most often caused by drafts.Problems with the gastrointestinal tract are caused by bacteria that grow in dirty feeders, so you cannot leave wet food in the feeder for a long time: it sour, and bacteria quickly multiply in such an environment. To prevent the growth of bacteria, after each meal, remove food debris and wash the feeders. Also, problems with the gastrointestinal tract can be caused by bathing a bird in a dirty pond.

Also, as a preventive measure for diseases, the poultry house should be systematically treated with disinfectants, and in order to minimize the risk of parasites on the body of birds, they make ash baths for them.

Interesting Facts

Consider interesting facts about birds. Few people know how long geese live. With proper care, these birds have a lifespan of 20 years. But up to this age, practically no one keeps geese, since egg productivity significantly decreases with age, and the meat of the old bird is tough.

Although the bird that lives at home is not particularly eager for freedom, do not forget that geese can fly, so she should clip her wings, otherwise in the spring summer you can miss out on feathered pets.

The maximum weight of a domestic goose recorded to date is about 12 kg. Even some world records have been set by geese. So, for example, a goose can withstand frost at -110 ° C. No animal in the world, not even a polar bear, is able to withstand such a low temperature. There is also a record associated with age. The lifespan of one bird from the UK was almost 50 years.

A wild goose is flying at an average speed of 75 km / h. The maximum flight speed is 90 km / h. And if the flight range is far from the record indicators of other birds, then the altitude is impressive: these flyers rise 8-9 km. Such indicators allow geese to fly over the Himalayas. Before leaving, the birds gather in flocks and, having previously rested, set off. The air temperature over the Himalayas drops to -40 ° C, which complicates the flight over them. But the birds successfully overcome all difficulties, following a leader who knows the area, after which they stop to rest and only then continue their journey. It is noteworthy that the birds fly without a map, and at the same time they never go astray.

Conclusion

Poultry farming is a fairly profitable industry, which is good to do even in the country. Such a farm does not require large capital investments, and profits can be made quickly, even if there is a small herd of birds.

We figured out how to raise a goose at home. You can breed a herd of birds and make a mini-farm. As a result of such activities, it will be possible to put up eggs, meat and goslings for sale, but in order for the birds to gain weight, the rules for keeping and caring for geese should be observed. The bird needs a place that protects it from bad weather, proper feeding and maintaining sanitary standards in the poultry house. Before breeding geese at home, you need to disinfect the barn, even if it was built the day before. Violation of sanitary standards in the poultry house is the main cause of diseases in birds. You can even raise geese in the country, provided that people constantly live there.

If the plans include the sale of a feather, then it is advisable to acquire special equipment for plucking it, which is called a feather. Before you peel off the bird, it must be treated with boiling water.

You can not breed birds, but catch them. Man has many tricks to hunt wild geese. He lures birds with a decoy, in order to hide from a goose, a skradok was invented, and the most popular weapon for a goose is the “saiga”. But even with this approach, it is quite difficult to catch a smart bird, especially for novice hunters.