Benefits from breeding geese. Wild geese: habitats

Breeding domestic geese has long been popular in Rus'. Birds tolerate cold well, and if proper conditions are provided, they are not afraid of even severe winter frosts. Goose farming can easily provide your family with nutritious food, and you can get a good income from selling excess goose meat and eggs.

It is especially advisable to raise geese if there are pastures, unused grassed and wetlands, small lakes or ponds nearby. Geese are able to eat up to two kilograms of greenery per day. With this amount they can fully meet their daily nutritional needs.

If the farm does not have the possibility of grazing geese, then they are kept in special pens. At the same time, the birds are regularly fed with cut greens. Geese are swimming animals and love water. Therefore, special tanks for bathing are equipped in the pens.

As a rule, geese begin grazing immediately after the end of the egg-laying period, which ends approximately in the second half of June and early July.

In order to more economically consume feed for geese, they are often grazed along the stubble, where, after the grain harvest, they feed on carrion grain. With this diet, birds grow quickly and gain good weight.

In order for geese to spend more time on pasture, they need to be constantly provided drinking water. Therefore, if there are no bodies of water nearby, you need to ensure there is a drinking bowl that can be brought to the grazing site.

The most suitable time to herd geese is early in the morning, when the dew has already subsided and the heat has not yet set in. In extreme heat, it is better to drive the goslings home and then turn them out to pasture again in the evening.

If this is not possible, then it is worth looking for trees or shrubs near pastures that could create saving shade for birds during the heat.

In order to protect birds from the sun, light portable canopies made of boards or brushwood can be built at the grazing site. It would also be good to place drinking bowls with water under them. As the pasture becomes depleted, such sheds can always be moved to another location.

To make the goslings more willing to return home at night, in the morning, before pasture, and in the evening, after it, they are fed with concentrated green feed and nutritious grains.

Some believe that breeding geese in the absence of nearby bodies of water is inappropriate, since in this case the incubation qualities of their eggs deteriorate. Research experience refutes this opinion and shows that when good feeding and proper maintenance, you can achieve high productivity from them and obtain eggs with high incubation characteristics.

Stay on fresh air very important for small goslings and adult geese. The action of sunlight stimulates the production of vitamin D in their body. And its deficiency can lead to rickets, softening of bone tissue and impaired mineral metabolism.

Thus, geese grazing is very important for birds. In the fresh air, they feel their unity with nature and develop harmoniously. Also, regular walking of geese promotes their rapid growth and weight gain, and improves hormonal development.

Seeing geese in a dream means family well-being. Hearing them cackling in a dream portends the revelation of a secret, false rumors, or an accident.

To see a flock of geese grazing on the grass means to earn respect in reality. Seeing geese swimming means that the luck that left you will certainly return.

Flying geese - you will have to make excuses for something.

Feeding geese in a dream and calling them together means acquisitions and profit. Catching geese - for marriage, buying - you will be honored, selling - incurring losses, plucking - experiencing disappointment, killing - to receive an inheritance, frying - paying a visit or receiving a guest, eating a goose in a dream - to great but dubious luck, which can turn into disaster.

A plucked goose is a sign of forgery and fraud, a dead goose is a sign of dissatisfaction and impending losses, craning its neck and hissing is a date with a friend, running away is a sign of loss, crow's feet are a sign of luck, goose feathers are a sign of annoyance.

Dream Interpretation - Geese

Seeing geese is a date with distant relatives, a sign of gaining respect and honor.

No matter how much this news upsets you! Because counting geese in class is the same as counting crows.

In this article we will look at the features of organizing and running a business related to breeding geese. The publication will tell you about all the nuances of business; reference materials and scientific literature on the topic are available for download.

Contents of the publication “Geese Breeding”:

2. Age-related changes in the growth of geese

3. Room

4. Features of temperature and light conditions

5. Requirements for the poultry house

6. Grazing

7. Plucking

8. Use of droppings

9. Benefits of raising geese

As practice has shown, breeding geese in private subsidiary farms profitable business. To form a productive herd, you first need to purchase young stock. Subsequently, replacement young animals will be selected from their broods, and this requires the presence of an incubator, which you can either buy or make with your own hands (see ““). In the absence of an incubator, hatching of young animals is always possible under a goose (the number of eggs laid under a goose is from 9 to 15). Eggs intended for incubation must be clean, medium in size, and defects are not allowed.

Raising geese and age-related changes in growth

The main critical period for goslings is the first 20 days after hatching. It is at this time that young animals of this bird species experience intensive growth, the deficiency of which is problematic to compensate for in the future. The live weight of one-day-old goslings is about 100-120 g, and that of one-month-old goslings is more than 2 kg.

To increase the growth rate of goslings and the egg production of geese, appropriate feed additives should be used in their diets. In this form entrepreneurial activity one should strive for a larger mass of young animals, and this requires the inclusion of a variety of feeds in the diet. Please note that the green mass fed to young animals must be juicy. That's why best time The time for mowing grass will be early morning and late evening.

The development of young geese must be under constant close control. In this case, indicators such as body build, plumage, ethology, in particular their changes, should be taken into account. As a rule, in goose farms the breeding of this bird species is extensive. Small goose farms are no exception. In such poultry farming facilities, eggs and meat are obtained only in spring and summer period s. Intensive breeding of geese will require multiple recruitment of parent flocks and several laying periods. This can only be achieved with the help of some zootechnical techniques. We must remember that the first egg laying of geese hatched in the spring will occur in January-May, and the next one in August-October. Between ovipositions there will be a molt, during which there is no egg laying.

The first egg laying of geese that were bred in the fall will occur in May-August, the subsequent egg laying will occur in November-February.

In animal husbandry, to stimulate egg laying, the greatest practical importance is to increase the daylight hours daily by half an hour, starting from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. In this way, you can get the first egg laying within 30 days; its duration will be at least 120 days.

When egg laying is complete, a forced molt will be required (according to intensive breeding). For this purpose, the bird is kept without lighting for three days, that is, in the dark, without watering or feeding. After this, the duration of illumination will be 7 hours during feeding. Crude protein of the feed should account for 13%. Metabolic energy should be at the level of 982-1003 kJ. Such indicators are possible only if the feed mixture is enriched with grass meal in an amount of up to 30% of the nutritional value of the diet. Afterwards, it is necessary to extend the lighting to 13 hours. From this time on, geese should be switched to the main diet. The duration of molting is 2 months. The duration of the next egg laying should be 3 months. The scheme of the next forced molt is similar to the first.

Naturally, each breed of geese has its own productivity indicators. Therefore, you need to carefully approach the choice of breed for breeding on your farm. Below we consider the productivity indicators of some breeds of geese:

1. Gorkovskaya. Weight of females – 7 kg, males – 8 kg, egg production – up to 50 pcs.;

2. Italian. Females weigh 6 kg, and males - 7 kg. Egg production reaches 48 pcs.;

3. Large gray one. Females weighing 6 kg are capable of producing up to 45 eggs in 1 oviposition cycle. Males weigh about 7 kg;

4. Kubanskaya. The egg production of females of this breed reaches 85 pieces, and their weight is 5.5 kg. The average weight of males is 6 kg;

5. Rhine. The weight of females is 6 kg with an egg production of up to 45 pcs., the weight of males is 7 kg.

When purchasing young animals, preference should be given to early goslings. It is advisable that their age does not exceed 1 day. To transport young animals, you will need windproof baskets, at the bottom of which you will first need to put hay or straw. For older young animals, you will need to additionally insulate the baskets, in particular, put warm heating pads and hay in them.

If hypothermia of the young animals occurs during transportation, then the temperature in the room intended for keeping them will have to be raised above normal by 3 degrees. This will reduce the mortality rate of goslings in the very first weeks.

In terms of increasing the safety of young animals, feeding, stocking density and other factors that must be taken into account play an important role.

Room

The main purpose of breeding this bird is to obtain feathers, fat, and down. Feathers are soft and light, which makes them wide application at enterprises that produce pillows, blankets, jackets, suits, sleeping bags, etc.

The purpose of raising geese may be to obtain meat from them, but this will require the creation of appropriate housing and feeding conditions.

A room intended for keeping geese does not need to be additionally insulated (install a heating system) or finished, since low temperatures are commonplace for this type of bird. Often it is enough to provide the bird with dry bedding. It is advisable to equip the floor with wooden flooring. Wall surfaces must be plastered and whitewashed. The height of the windows above the floor surface is 50 cm. It is advisable to organize the keeping of the birds in sections. You cannot live in a room without a ventilation system.

Window openings and manholes should be made on the south wall.

Litter material can be straw, sawdust, shavings, peat, and corn cobs. In any case, the quality of the litter should be at high level, since otherwise the bird may die.

IN winter period It is advisable to cover the floor with straw; in summer you can use sawdust or sand. Remember that there should be about 40 kg of bedding material per head. We focus on the fact that the cleanliness of the feather and its ability to retain heat is significantly affected by the humidity of the litter. Indoors, birds should have free access to feeders and drinkers. Therefore, they must be installed directly on the floor.

Features of temperature and light conditions for keeping geese

Due to the characteristics of their down, geese are able to withstand fairly low temperatures. For a short period they tolerate -25 degrees. However, we note that an excessively low temperature will cause a decrease in egg production and freezing of eggs. Under natural conditions, geese lay eggs in February-March. If you increase the duration of illumination and the temperature in January, then the start of egg laying can be expected at the end of the same month.

In the case when the duration of natural light does not exceed 14 hours, then it is rational to have artificial sources Sveta.

This is interesting: read our other articles - “ “, “ “, “ ” and “ “.

Poultry house requirements

We continue to talk about breeding geese, it’s time to move on to the requirements and standards of the poultry house. The norm for poultry house area per 1 bird is 1 sq. m., in a mobile facility - 0.5 sq. m. Outdoors, the density of geese per 1 sq. m. can be increased to three individuals.

Feeders must be positioned in such a way as to reduce feed loss to a minimum. The main requirements for feeders: ease of use, lightness. The following materials are applicable for the manufacture of feeders: boards, plywood, and other materials. The optimal height of the feeders is 20 cm.

Taking into account the physiological state (productive period), geese are fed per day:

Oats – 50-150 g;

Oatmeal – 50-100 g;

Oat chaff – 50-100 g;

Wheat bran – 50-70 g;

Hay, hay dust – 150-300 g;

Beets, rutabaga, carrots – 50-200 g;

Boiled potatoes – 200-300 g;

Raw potatoes – 50-100 g;

Bone meal – 0.5-3 g;

Salt – 2-2.5 g.

Drinkers can be represented by cement troughs, buckets, which should be placed on baking sheets and covered with a net. In cold periods of the year, in order to eliminate the possibility of water freezing, drinking bowls must be insulated.

Nests are installed on the floor surface along the walls, but not near them. They need to be installed 30 days before the expected egg laying. There should be one nest for two females.

The nest should be 5 cm wide, 65 cm long with a threshold height of 1 cm. Only clean, dry and warm nests are suitable for geese.

Grazing

Geese grazing is possible both inside and outside the paddock. When grazing in a paddock, it will need to be equipped with a container of water that will imitate a natural reservoir. An enclosure intended for young animals should have an area (per 1 head) of 1-5 sq. m., for adults – 15 sq. m. It is imperative to equip the walks with canopies, which will avoid the negative effects of direct sunlight.

Grazing on pasture is allowed only after egg laying. The advantage of such grazing is that the bird meets the bulk of its nutritional needs from grass. And in this case, the bird should be protected from the sun. Preference should be given to those pastures near which there are bodies of water.

Plucking

The frequency of plucking adults is 2 times a year. In this case, the first plucking should occur in May-June, the second - after about a couple of months. With periodic oviposition, the frequency of plucking is reduced to 1 time - May-June.

The frequency of plucking young animals is 2 times a year: at 70-80 days of age (down yield per head is 60 g), at 120-130 days of age (down yield per head is 100 g). From an adult you can get up to 110 g of feathers and up to 40 g of down.

Birds with clean feathers are allowed to be plucked. It is more rational to pluck the entire livestock in portions - first one part, then the second. However, it is not advisable to keep plucked and unplucked geese together.

The poultry farmer should pluck while sitting on a chair. The goose is placed on his lap with his back down (the bird's limbs are pre-tied). The operator removes small feathers using the thumb and index finger of the right hand, starting from the lower part of the cervical region. Feathers remain intact on the following parts of the exterior: wings, upper neck, tail, hips, shoulders.

Feathers and down are subject to subsequent drying and storage.

Geese droppings

Breeding geese produces droppings that can be used as fertilizer. To obtain high-quality organic fertilizer from goose droppings, you will need to regularly add superphosphate to the bedding material (application frequency - once a week in an amount of 0.2 to 0.4 kg per 1 square meter).

Benefits of breeding geese

This kind of business attracts everyone every year large quantity entrepreneurs. The fact is that this type of bird, in comparison with other birds raised on private farms, is less demanding in terms of housing and feeding conditions. Several types of products are obtained from geese, which is also the reason for the growing interest in poultry among businessmen.

An important factor that contributes to the development of this area of ​​entrepreneurship is the safety of products (meat, eggs, feathers, down). It's no secret that people have recently been striving to purchase products without preservatives and other chemical substances, which has a beneficial effect on the sale of poultry products.

Mandatory conditions necessary for profitable breeding of geese:

Breeding value and purebred of replacement young stock. To purchase 10 heads you will need 1-2 thousand rubles;

Feeding young animals under the age of 1 month only starter compound feed, at an older age - a feed mixture (corn dirt, bran, potato peelings, grated zucchini, boiled fish leftovers), inclusion in the diet, starting from the 2nd month of life, grass, vegetables, grains, duckweed This approach to feeding will allow you to obtain an individual at the age of 2 months weighing about 2.5 kg;

Mechanization production processes(plucking, gutting, etc.), registration with the veterinary service in the case of large-scale farming of geese. For private household plots, a flock consisting of several dozen birds is sufficient.

Only with this approach can you be sure of a high level of profitability in breeding geese. For example, with an initial investment of 6-20 thousand rubles. you can receive a monthly income of 4-20 thousand rubles. The payback period does not exceed several months. Evidence of this is the results obtained by many businessmen who breed this type of bird. However, you can look at others and there are more profitable types of activity for an entrepreneur.

The wild goose is a waterfowl that is an intermediate option between ducks and swans: it is much larger than the former, but smaller than the latter. Like them, it is part of the duck family – Anatidae.

Description of a wild goose

All wild geese have short legs and a fairly long neck. Unlike swans, their frenulum (the space between the beak and the eyes) is fully feathered. The beak is high and compressed at the sides. The plumage depends on the species of wild geese and can be completely white, black, gray with black markings, brown, dark in combination with light spots (for example, in the chest or wing tips). The color of males and females is the same, and not different, as is the case with most ducks. On the edge of the beak of wild geese, along the inner side there are tooth-like transverse ridges - special plates designed for filtering food particles from water and silt. The paws are large, webbed, adapted for scooping up water when swimming.

Types of wild geese

In total, there are 14 species of wild geese, which form several genera. It is also customary to include related geese in this number. Main types of wild geese:

• Anser anser – gray goose (in addition to its gray color, it differs from others in its much lighter plumage and an extremely narrow line at the base of the beak; it usually gains weight up to 6 kg 600 g);
• Anser fabalis – bean goose (has gray-brown feathers and a dark orange band in the middle part of the beak; its body weight reaches 4 kg 500 g);
• Branta canadensis - Canada goose (distinguished by its gray-brown color, black neck and head, light chest, white line on the tail and a spot of the same tone on the cheek; has a body length from 64 cm to 109 cm; when flying, the birds form a wedge);
• Anser albifrons – white-fronted goose (with gray-brown feathers, a white forehead and a light sickle in the area of ​​the rump; body size reaches from 66 cm to 86 cm);
• Anser cygnoides - dry-nosed goose (it got its name because, in case of danger, it immerses its body in water, leaving only its head outside; but it can also completely hide under water, following to a safe place);
• Eulabeia indica – mountain goose (has a light gray color and a white head; the back is slightly darker than the rest, in wavy lines; weighs from 2 kg to 3 kg 200 g);
• Anser erythropus – lesser white-fronted goose (the smallest representative of geese – the body weight of adults does not exceed 2 kg 500 g);
• Chen hyperborea – white goose (white bird with black markings along the edges of the wings; body length reaches from 58 cm to 79 cm);
• Philacte canagica - white goose (distinguished by its gray-blue color with a white-black pattern in the form of scales and a white head; it grows up to 66-71 cm in length);
• Branta rufiolis – red-breasted goose (the brightest of the representatives of the anseridae order, has a red chest and neck with a light border, exactly the same spots on the cheeks; the back and belly are black, 2 white marks are located in the beak area);
• Branta bernicla – black goose (this species of wild geese has a black chest, neck and head, a dark gray back, a neck with a white stripe in front);
• Branta leucopsis – barnacle goose (distinguished by light plumage on the head, with the exception of the occipital part).

Habits of geese

Wild geese are migratory birds. In the spring they return quite early, when the vast majority of reservoirs are still under a layer of ice, and the first thawed patches are just beginning to appear in the snow. In the south, this period usually falls in March, in the north – in April.

During migration, wild geese like to stay in flocks. As a rule, they line up in the sky in a wedge and less often in a line. The number of individuals in herds varies and can range from a few units to hundreds. When stopping for feeding and rest, all the wild geese gather together, forming an unprecedented spectacle. They arrive at nesting sites in already formed pairs. Only some species form pairs in situ. They prefer to build nests near the homes of falcons or buzzards, which boldly drive away dogs, foxes, arctic foxes and often even humans from the surrounding areas.

During molting, wild geese tend to be secretive. because they lose the ability to fly. During this period, they move to quiet and remote places. With the completion of molting, they become active again. They go out to feed when the sun sets, and return to the shallows at night. At dawn they go out again in search of food until late in the morning.

Where do wild geese live

The most traditional habitats of the wild goose are wet meadows, grassy swamps, estuaries and lakes overgrown with dense thickets of aquatic vegetation, and river floodplains.

The gray goose inhabits the Eastern Hemisphere, living in the Black Sea region, the Caspian region, in the forests of Europe and in the southern part of Siberia. The bean goose nests in the taiga of Eurasia and in the tundra. The Canada goose occupies the North American continent and nests from the northern United States to the Arctic. Behind last years acclimatized well in Scandinavia and Great Britain. The white-fronted goose is an Arctic species that lives in the tundra zones of Eurasia and America.

The dry-nosed goose inhabits a small habitat in the eastern part of Asia, where it has chosen both flowing and stagnant bodies of water. The mountain goose lives in the mountain-steppe, steppe and desert landscapes of Kyrgyz meadows. The lesser white-fronted goose is found in the forest-tundra of Russia. The white goose settles mainly along the Arctic coasts. White-tailed goose occupies mainly Alaska. The red-breasted goose nests in the eastern part of the tundra of Siberia. The black goose lives in the tundra zone of Eurasia. The barnacle goose lives only in the Eastern Hemisphere, nesting in mountainous tundras from Novaya Zemlya to Europe.

What does a wild goose eat?

By the nature of the food they consume, wild geese belong to herbivorous birds. In spring, wild geese feed in ponds, where they feed on shoots of aquatic plants. On the ground, they find food in the fields of winter seedlings and meadows, plucking young grass. During nesting, they almost completely switch to semi-aquatic and aquatic food; they most readily eat pondweed - they eat the most tender parts of aquatic vegetation. After they fly, wild geese mainly feed on ground vegetation, seedlings in fields, and seeds of cultivated and wild plants.

Wild goose nesting

Wild geese enter the breeding season only in the 3rd or 4th year of life. Nesting sites are occupied immediately upon arrival, and construction begins only after the ice and snow have melted. The nest is built by the female. Any aquatic plants can be used on its outer part, and in some places woody materials (branches, twigs) are also used. The inside of the tray is covered with soft and dry herbs.

A clutch of wild geese contains from 4 to 10 white eggs with a slight fawn or greenish tint (usually 4-5). The color of the shell depends on the type of wild geese. Egg laying occurs mainly in the spring: March (second half), April and May. Sometimes the first summer month is also captured. During the brooding period, the female does not leave the nest. Staying close to him even at the time of feeding (at this time she covers the clutch with down and dry grass). In general, evaporation lasts about 27-28 days.

Wintering of wild geese

The departure of wild geese for wintering occurs in the second half of September in the northern zones and at the end of October in the southern ones.

The bean goose, for example, waits out the winter on the Atlantic coast - in Germany, England, as well as in Japan, China and India (Siberian bean goose). In the fall, the gray goose leaves for the African and European coasts, the British Isles, and stops in Indochina, India, Afghanistan, Iran, and China. The white goose migrates to the Pacific Coast for the winter, occupying places from Mexico, Texas, Louisiana to North America. Partially settled in Japan. The white-fronted goose migrates to the western coastal states, and the white-fronted goose migrates to the subtropics. The Lesser Lesser Goose prefers to winter in Greece, China, the Caspian and Black Sea coasts.

The goose is a large, heavy bird, therefore it is more advantageous as a hunting trophy compared to smaller representatives of waterfowl. In nature, there are several varieties of geese, each of which lives in its own ecological niche.

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Now let's put the dolls aside and play toy soldiers! Just not the kind that go on and on and on and on and on and everyone is lying around. And in such a stable role-playing game, in which the child plays...

Geese are the first birds with whom humans have established friendly relations. So I’m going to start breeding birds with 20 - 80 Geese purchased from a good breeding goose farm.

Geese - their breeds

To purchase Geese and further breed them, first of all, it is necessary to analyze the characteristics of the breeds and prices.

If you want to get a lot of meat, then the best breeds for this are the Arzamas and Kholmogory breeds. The weight of these birds can reach 9 kg at 12 weeks.

They adapt well to weather changes and do not go overboard with food. The meat is very tasty and tender.

In my opinion, the following four rocks are of greatest interest: Kholmogorskaya, Vladimirskaya clayey, Lindovskaya and Large gray. Each breed of geese is good, but I am going to start a mono-breed flock of Vladimir Clay Geese and Geese, since the city of Vladimir is quite close, and there are decent goose farms in its vicinity.

Vladimir clay geese. Birds with a compact body, clay-colored plumage; the head is small, rounded, the neck is of medium length, and there are one or two folds of skin on the abdomen. The average weight of ganders is 7.5 kg, geese 7 kg, young animals weigh 3 kg.

Laying hens produce 36 - 40 eggs, weighing 160 - 180 g. Geese of this breed are characterized by high productivity in the first year of their rearing. Geese are good, diligent hens. The meat of these geese has a high taste.

Here additional information about Vladimir clay geese (ferma-biz.ru/domashnyaya-ptica/gusi/vladimirskie-glinistye-gusi.html):

Vladimir clay geese were bred at a poultry farm called “Pioneer”, located in the Vladimir region. Vladimir geese have “clay” colored feathers, which is why this breed was named so.

Selection for crossing took place as follows: between the Kholmogory and Toulouse breeds they were selected for suitable plumage color, high weight, endurance, as well as good qualities reproduction.

Vladimir geese are not very common today, but are kept in some household farms.

What is the difference between geese of the Vladimir breed?

Firstly, they have a very compact, but at the same time dense physique.

Secondly, as was written earlier, their feathers are clay colored. These are the main differences between Vladimir geese.

I would also like to say a few words about the characteristics of these birds. The chest is wide, the neck is not very long, but not very short. On the abdomen, Vladimir clay geese have one or two skin folds.

This breed of geese is quite large, the average weight of males reaches 7.5-9 kilograms, and females 6-7.2 kilograms. The average egg production of geese per year is 35-45 eggs.

The eggs are quite large, their weight is 190-200 grams. The hatching of young animals from eggs is not very high, only 50-55%, but the survival rate is high and can reach 100%. By 2 months, the average weight of young animals can reach 4 kilograms.

It is noteworthy that in the first year you can get quite a lot of eggs from geese of the Vladimir breed. Vladimir geese are wonderful hens.

Vladimir clay geese are a fairly hardy and unpretentious breed, and also productive. They produce very high-quality fluff and excellent quality meat.

Today, Vladimir geese are of great value to poultry farmers, as they have an excellent gene pool. Now this gene pool is used to develop new breeds of geese.

As always, at the end there are photos of Vladimir geese

I note that it is difficult to distinguish the Gander from the Goose outwardly. Usually the Geese are larger, but the Goose can also be fed... The easiest way to distinguish them is by their behavior. Over time you will figure it out and, if you want, mark the Geese of different ages multi-colored stripes on their necks, so as not to confuse them with geese and to easily determine their age.

It is best to purchase your first batch of goslings at two weeks of age, when they are already stronger and accustomed to feeding on their own.

Goslings are the cheapest place to buy daily allowances; besides, at this age they still don’t understand anything and easily tolerate transportation. But then you will have to tinker with them a fair amount, heating them in boxes installed indoors, and spend a lot of money on feeding them with eggs, crushed grain, wholemeal flour and the “Solnyshko” premix. The price of each Gosling in the first weeks of life increases by about 10 rubles per day.

I decided to try to start raising Goslings at the dacha in 2017, I added the page “ “.

It must be taken into account that a herd of Geese rushing to a reservoir is like the Tatar-Mongol cavalry on the attack: they will trample everyone who gets in the way - even their relatives! Therefore, I will make one of the sections of the fence liftable and three meters wide in order to expand the front of the goose attack and reduce the likelihood of losses among the attacking Geese.

For each Goose you need an average of about one hundred square meters. m of free grazing area, that is, one hectare is needed for one hundred geese!

Geese need extensive pastures - real meadows. All day long the Goose walks by itself and feeds on meadow grasses, eating more than two kilograms a day.

It should be borne in mind that Geese can browse grass only when the grass cover is low, so the meadows must be constantly mowed. So figure out whether you can provide walking for a whole flock of Geese.

In summer, grass will serve as the main food for Geese (up to 90%). It will only be necessary to regularly update the water in a small reservoir and daily in drinking bowls, and also toss the Geese with freshly cut grass mulch, finely chopped Jerusalem artichoke leaves and a wheelbarrow of vermicompost with worms.

When the Geese choose and eat the worms, I will distribute the vermicompost with a rake over the surface of the soil or take the vermicompost to the Garden. Although Geese, unlike chickens, are not predators, they will, however, undoubtedly eat worms with pleasure. Obviously, they also realize the enormous nutritional and health benefits of eating worms.

In order not to transport biocompost with worms into the Goose Pen in wheelbarrows, I consider it necessary to make an unfenced vermicomposting pile inside the Goose Pen - let the Geese eat as many earthworms as they can get.

I came across an interesting statement:

If a bird eats almost any food, this does not mean that it does not have favorite foods. Eat. And birds give preference when possible. Geese eat whole grains in the following sequence: oats - millet - barley - corn - rye.

I will add a grain of wheat to this five and place six piles with signs in front of the Goose to test this statement. For the purity of the experiments, I will conduct separate experiments with three Geese and three Geese. I will report the results after the experiments. Perhaps I’ll even publish a Video so that everyone can clearly see the preferences of Geese and Geese.

When harvesting grain, Geese cleanly collect grain that has fallen on the surface of the soil. It makes sense, on occasion, to invite the Geese to feast on grain.

In summer, it is better to keep Geese on pasture, since the Goose is a herbivorous bird, and an adult Goose eats up to 2 kg of grass per day. Grass Bad quality, plants from abandoned meadows and ravines Geese will not eat. Therefore, the pasture should have good, lush grass.

Geese prefer wild herbs plantain, dandelion, sorrel, young nettle, yarrow, sow thistle, bindweed, bird buckwheat.

But don’t let them out into meadows with tall grass; they simply won’t eat that kind of grass. Fresh green feed can be fed without restrictions, replacing up to 70 - 75% of concentrated feed in the diet.

Geese can be fattened on any good quality feed, except rye And wiki- these feeds degrade the quality of fat.

When raising Goslings, you can use frogs, chafers and other insects, and earthworms as animal feed. To catch frogs on the shore of a reservoir, they dig holes with steep walls or use dragnets.

The frogs are boiled for 30 minutes and chopped. They are given as part of a mash. Frogs and shellfish can be prepared for the winter: they are dried at a temperature of 75-90 degrees, and before being fed, they are crushed.

If you have the opportunity to give your goslings fish or meat and bone meal, you don’t need frogs.

In summer, geese should be fed once and only in the evening, so that they learn to come home at night. In a barn or other room it is necessary to place a feeder with mineral supplements and clean fresh water; it is also good to place a container with gravel or coarse river sand.

Accelerated cultivation

Such young animals are kept in pens, given plenty of grain feed and greens, without being released to pasture. With this method of rearing, the weight of 70-75-day-old young animals reaches 4-4.5 kg; the yield of edible parts in the carcass is 63-65%, and the amount of fat in meat is 18-24%. The result is very tasty, juicy, young meat.

If the family does not need a lot of meat in the summer, the intensive method of raising Goslings can be combined with regular grazing, that is, several heads are raised in an accelerated way, and the rest of the Geese are released to pasture and fed normally.

The methods of intensive rearing of goslings are as follows: young animals up to 20-30 days of age are kept in a warm room, as usual. Straw or dry peat is first used as bedding, and then sawdust. In warm weather, goslings from the first days of life are released into a fenced-off pen. In order for the Goslings to behave calmly, at night the room can be equipped with lighting with low power bulbs - 20-40 W.

20-30-day-old goslings can be allowed into a pond if the water temperature in it is not lower than 16-18 degrees. But you can raise goslings without a pond.

It is better to give fresh chopped greens to young animals in the morning and evening, when they do not dry out so quickly. Feeders with greens are always placed in shaded areas.

To avoid souring, moistened crumbly mash is placed in feeders in such quantities that the goslings eat the entire portion within 30-40 minutes. After eating the first portion, add the second, etc.

If it is not possible to provide food often, add more crushed grain or soaked peas to the feeder so that the goslings can eat this food whenever they want. You cannot leave the mash in the feeder for a long time.

The amount of feed is increased gradually. In just 75 days of cultivation, 10-12 kg of grain feed and 25 kg of green grass are consumed.

With intensive rearing, each Gosling consumes daily: from 20 g of grain in the first ten days, to 220-250 g at the age of 71-75 days.

Greens - 50 g and 700 g per day, respectively; up to 1.5 months, the premix “Solnyshko” is added to the food, then the Gosling is transferred to the “adult” premix – “Ivan Ivanovich”.

Premix “Ivan Ivanovich” is specially designed for large, fast-growing birds - Geese, Turkeys, Ducks, Guinea fowl.

I remind you once again: Beware of counterfeit premixes! Now there are a lot of unscrupulous businessmen seeking to make a quick profit. The premix must be packaged in high-quality opaque polymer film. Only this film ensures the safety of vitamins!

When purchasing, be sure to pay attention to the date of manufacture (the shelf life of the premix is ​​6 months!). The date must be punched automatically on the grooved weld seam.

They score Goslings are aged 70-75 days, when their weight exceeds 4 kg. When slaughtered at an older age, the quality of the carcass deteriorates, since it is at this time that the bird begins to form new feathers and the entire carcass will be covered with stumps.

If the Goslings are not slaughtered before the age of 75 days, they must be kept until 120-130 days of age, when the growth of new feathers has completely finished. But this is unprofitable, since the growth of the bird practically stops and increased fat deposition occurs.

On an individual farm, it is also beneficial to fatten adult geese for 1.5-2 weeks. Such Geese are not allowed out for walking; sometimes they are even force-fed, given steamed grain. All costs for such fattening pay off in excess.

Geese spend most of their lives on pasture. This is their main advantage and difference from all other types. poultry. Breeding Geese without grazing is not as profitable as with it.

Do the math: the amount of feed consumed when kept on pasture is reduced by 50-60%, and in general, for a number of breeds (PEREYASLAV, URAL), grazing and water can be made the only source of nutrition. (I’ll say right away that with intensive fattening, the strategy is completely different; in this case, they feed concentrated feed, which is expensive at first glance, but they benefit from the speed of fattening).

The flock of geese goes to pasture until the snow. The bird must gain fat by winter, then it will be easier for it to endure frosts. If the winter is snowless, then the Geese find food near the river (reservoir) and in it. After bathing, Geese become cleaner and more cheerful.

The pasture provides the Geese with a sufficient amount of food, but no matter how good the “free” food source is, the Geese still need to be fed. The diet of Geese should consist of large quantity green, as well as succulent and roughage.

In the summer, an abundance of forbs replenishes the bird’s body with amino acids, vitamins and minerals. Green food contains estrogenic substances that affect reproduction processes.

In the meadow, Geese eat grass selectively. Geese completely refuse to eat plants such as mantle, goosefoot, water pepper, hare sedge and some other plants.

Geese eat legumes with great pleasure: clover, alfalfa, vetch, soybean, meadow china. Of course, they also love cereals: oats, wheatgrass, rye, bluegrass, timothy grass, white bentgrass etc. However, these herbs remain juicy and tender only until the moment of flowering, then their stems become coarser and their palatability decreases.

Since Geese, in principle, like all other agricultural creatures, prefer young grass, the grazing can be mowed periodically. The coarsened grass will be used for hay, and the geese will continue to graze on the growing young grass with a new appetite.

This happens if the pasture is designed for a larger number of livestock than there are on the farm (in practice, more often than not, everything happens the other way around - insatiable gobbles gnaw everything clean out, and turn the earth into asphalt).

In summer, on pasture, Geese eat about 2 kg of fresh grass per head per day. Having eaten such an amount of green food, they completely cover their needs, which allows them to save concentrated feed in the amount of 50-100 g per head during this period.

If there is not enough greenery on the pasture, then the geese are fed with grain and grain waste. In addition to feeding on the pasture, Geese consume a lot of bulky feed: chaff, grass meal, potatoes, fodder beets, and silage.

Geese should be fed at the same time. In winter, they are fed 2 times a day - early in the morning, as soon as they wake up, and in the evening, when it gets dark. When organizing the feeding of Geese, you should strive to ensure that they have an increased live weight by the beginning of the breeding season.

At the same time, one should not be afraid of an increase in fat reserves in the body as an energy reserve during the productive period. As the breeding season approaches, Geese are fed 3 times a day, and during the laying period - 4 times. They give grain in the morning and evening, and mash twice during the day.

Three weeks before the onset of the breeding season, Geese are fed ad libitum: per adult Goose there should be 250-300 g of concentrated feed, of which 50% should be whole or crushed grain (it is better digestible).

The lowest energy requirement of adult Geese for the vital functions of the body (basic metabolism) is observed at an air temperature in the room of +18...+25 C.

When the air temperature in the room is low, geese should be fed with high-calorie feed. At elevated indoor temperatures, bird feed consumption decreases and appetite worsens.

To provide poultry with the necessary nutrients and energy, diets with an increased level of metabolic energy are used.

During the breeding period, Geese's need for nutrients increases. At this time, they are given complete feed using, along with grain-flour, mineral and other feeds, artificially dried grass meal (up to 30%) and feed fat (up to 3%).

The use of higher dosages of feed fat (up to 10%) does not give the desired effect. The best feed fat for geese is a mixture of animal (50%) and vegetable (50%) fats.

In winter, Geese are fed roughage and concentrated feed, as well as root vegetables. However, Geese prefer to eat soft food, so hay, grass meal, and chaff are steamed and mixed with compound feed before feeding. His Majesty the goose does not eat chopped food with a feed additive, moistened with just cold water.

Wet mash is prepared from herbal flour, root vegetables, and boiled potatoes. A truly delicacy for Geese is a mixture of chopped fodder beets and boiled potatoes, combined with mixed feed.

The winter diet of Geese can consist of 70-80 g of whole grains, 80-90 g of grain-legume mixture, 100-150 g of chopped hay or grass flour, potatoes, beets, 500 g of carrots per head.

Feed for geese is best used in granular form. All grain feed should be given to Geese only in ground and crushed form. Whole grain is less digestible, resulting in reduced productivity of Geese.

Geese eat oats best. Eating corn and barley in their pure form can lead to obesity in poultry. Geese that are too fat will lay unfertilized eggs.

Geese absorb fiber from barley, peas, oats, soybean meal, bran, green and roughage well. In order for Geese to lay full-fledged eggs, it is necessary to introduce green food into their diet: good meadow hay, grass meal, dried young nettles.

It is enough to give 400-500 g of succulent feed. These include root vegetables (potatoes, beets, carrots, rutabaga, turnips, pumpkin, Jerusalem artichoke) and silage.

You can also adhere to the following diet: oats - 90 g, oat bran - 30 g, wheat bran - 50 g, grass flour - 70 g, cakes or meal - 25 g, boiled potatoes - 200 g, shells, chalk - 10 g, bone meal - 3 g, salt - 2 g. Geese are also given sprouted grain.

Geese that lose weight during the breeding season need to be fed. The geese are released for walking in the morning, and the geese are locked indoors and fed.

Feeding consists of sprouted grain, grated carrots and protein feed of animal origin: yogurt, cottage cheese, skimmed milk. After feeding, the Gusaks are released to the Geese.

In a herd of Geese, a clear hierarchy is formed by itself, headed by a leader; the herd will be divided into groups of several species. It is advisable that for each Gander there are 3-4 Geese. To prevent conflicts in a goose flock, you need to monitor it and remove offended and overly aggressive individuals.

Geese have very sharp eyesight and excellent hearing, they have a highly developed sense of smell and taste. Geese never eat anything spoiled or smelling bad, they distinguish salty, sour and bitter tastes well, but are not able to distinguish sweet taste.

Geese are considered noisy birds, but they usually make noise if something bothers them, and they often react even earlier than dogs, and calm down later.

Geese may well be watchmen; from afar they sense the intrusion of a stranger into their territory and make a noise. No wonder the phrase “ Geese saved Rome«!

Geese are able not only to be the first to raise the alarm, but also to protect themselves, their flock and their offspring well. They can counteract not only cats and dogs, but also some other enemies. There is a known case when the Lindovsky Goose pinned a goshawk to the ground and held it until human intervention.

When the Geese grow up a little and get used to gathering at my call, I will begin to gradually release them into the open spaces of the eco-park in order to expand their feeding and bathing area. I think they will like it. But I will save one of the Ponds for my swimming.

When the Geese grow up and start laying eggs, it makes sense to get an incubator and place the collected eggs in batches. You need to collect eggs twice a day and immediately wash them with warm water. The incubator will pay for itself very quickly: probably after hatching 50 Goslings. Until the age of 2 weeks, they will have to be taken care of a lot (mainly heating and feeding), and then the Goslings will begin an independent life.

In order to feed the Geese in the fall and feed the Geese left for the winter, in the summer it is highly advisable to grow more potatoes, carrots, beets, zucchini, pumpkins, Jerusalem artichoke, cereals and corn, otherwise you will have to spend a lot on purchasing feed.

By the age of two months, with normal feeding, Geese gain a weight of 4 kg. and can be eaten. It is believed that after two months of age, keeping Geese is unprofitable. In addition to meat, the flock of Geese serves as a source of eggs, feathers, down, valuable liver and goose fat, as well as a valuable fertilizer called Goose compost.

It takes about two hours to slaughter and pluck one Goose. It makes sense to dilute the blood with water in a ratio of 1:5 and pour it into the neck and heart - feed it, eat the rest of the meat yourself or preserve it in the form of stew for the winter. Bones - burn on a fire and crush into bone meal. Down - collected for pillows, duvets and feather beds.

Before eating, Goose eggs should be boiled for at least 15 minutes, although, of course, it is foolish to eat Goose eggs: it is best to incubate them, and feed the young goose eggs with unfertilized boiled Goose eggs.

By October, it is necessary to prepare insulated housing for the Geese so that the 30-40 Geese left for the winter can comfortably overwinter, and it is not so much the insulation that is important, but the absence of drafts. For each Goose you need approximately 0.25 to 0.8 square meters. m of living space, that is, a square with a side of 0.5 to 0.9 m.

In addition to feed (root vegetables, grain and dried herbs), you need to calculate the amount for the winter and prepare sifted in bags, as well as straw and hay in the hayloft, in order to regularly increase and sometimes change the bedding under the Geese. It is recommended to prepare 40 kg of bedding for each Goose per year.

Of course, having decided to have Geese, you need to be fairly prepared for this and read many publications about breeding Geese in order to learn many of the subtleties of their breeding. Just take the information critically: I have repeatedly come across a recommendation to sprinkle superphosphate into the litter. For what?! To obtain a product like “oil”?

Regarding goose excrement, I note that goose droppings mixed with sawdust warm the geese in winter and in a few months turn into a valuable fertilizer called Guse-compost, containing 14% phosphorus and 2% nitrogen. An experienced goose breeder claimed in 2002 that each Goose poops for 4 rubles a day! I think that now this figure has reached 10-15 rubles per day.

What is the value of Guse compost?

Main properties of goose compost:

· Increases the percentage of seed germination;
· Improves the survival rate of seedlings;
· Ensures early ripening,
· Increase in yield of all crops;
· Increases plant resistance to adverse factors;
· Reduces the concentration of nitrates in plants;
· Improves soil fertility.

Goose compost, unlike manure, does not contain salmonella pathogens, weed seeds and heavy metal oxides.
It is 4 times more effective than manure in potassium content, and 3 times more effective in phosphorus and nitrogen content.

Ease of use, low concentration, and low price make working with goose compost convenient and profitable.

Compost is applied under the roots of plants, seeds, potatoes, without mixing with soil or in the form of liquid fertilizer.

Average rate of compost application:

· For bushes – 100 g.
· For seedlings, seeds – 30 g (1 tbsp. spoon)
· Under trees – 200 g.

It is necessary to accustom Geese to carry out certain commands from a young age, then they are quite amenable to training. Geese are characterized by intelligence, affection and devotion. Geese, like dogs, can be trained to walk next to you. To encourage Geese when training, I will use oats or millet or some other food they love.

It is important to know that the Goose is not only not a friend to the pig, but also to many of its relatives: chickens, quails, turkeys. The goose is an important bird. If you keep him together with other birds, then conflicts in the poultry yard are practically unavoidable.

Geese manage to manipulate and control even cats and dogs. So, Geese also have difficulty getting along with Ducks, despite their “common interests”: the same diet and living conditions, love of water and external similarity.

Goslings

In the future, Gusevod’s diary will be published on this page in chronological order.

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