Breeds of geese at home for beginners. Tips for breeding geese at home for beginners. What breeds for home breeding to choose

Domestic birds belong to waterfowl, which man has long tamed in order to obtain high-quality meat, valuable, nutritious eggs and warm fluff. Growing geese at home does not require excessive efforts, subject to certain rules, a novice poultry farmer can handle them quite well.

Why breed geese

Geese are bred to obtain:

• liver;
• down.

Did you know? Geese in the domestic bird kingdom are long-lived, demonstrating the ability to live up to 30 years.

How to choose young animals when buying

Having decided on, you can start acquiring goslings.
At the same time, experts do not recommend resorting to the services of bird markets, where it is impossible to guarantee the purchase of a healthy gosling of the required breed. A guarantee can be provided only in a specialized poultry farm.

But even there, when buying young animals, certain rules should be followed:

1. It is best to choose week-old goslings, since younger chicks are less able to withstand transportation, and older birds become uncontrollable due to shyness.
2. The yellow fluff on the body should be dry, soft and fluffy to the touch.
3. There should be no crusts on the overgrown umbilical cord, as well as on the fluff under the tail there should be no residual discharge.
4. Should alert the sagging belly of the gosling.
5. Nothing should stand out from the nostrils on the beak.
6. The most active chicks are also the healthiest, less mobile and sleepy-looking goslings may turn out to be sick.
7. The healthy state of the chicks can be judged by their reaction to new objects or sounds, which should be fast.
8. Healthy goslings already know how to stand firmly on their paws.
9. Purchased chicks must have all the vaccinations required at their age.

Gosling care

If you follow all the rules for caring for fast-growing goslings, then a good result will not be long in coming.

It is best to place purchased goslings in a pre-equipped goose house, but it may well be suitable for this and small barn, which must be prepared accordingly:

1. Before moving the chicks into it, the shed must be disinfected, the walls whitewashed, and a thick (at least 15 cm) layer of straw should be placed on the floor.
2. With the help of additional lighting, goslings need to create a 14-hour light regime.
3. Very important for little goslings and temperature regime. They need heat until they reach two to three weeks of age.
4. With a lack of heat, the chicks will huddle together and, at the same time, may accidentally crush one of their brethren. And excessive heat can be fatal for small geese.

To create the optimal temperature regime, experts recommend:

• for one-five-day-old goslings, the temperature should be maintained in the range from 27 to 28 ° C;
• for one-two weeks - from 24 to 26 ° C;
• for two to three weeks - from 18 to 23 ° C.

Important!In no case should goslings be kept in cramped cages. Chicks need space to move.

The room where the chicks are kept must be equipped with drinkers and feeders, be clean with constantly updated straw bedding. If the weather is warm outside, then goslings can be let out for a walk from the first days of life, but not for long, gradually accustoming them to fresh air. With stable warm weather and the presence of overgrown grass, goslings can be taken out to pastures under supervision. And 45-day-old and older, you can already drive to the reservoirs.

Feeding ration

For very young goslings, oatmeal or millet porridge is prepared, adding chopped boiled egg or cottage cheese there. After three days, finely chopped grass can be added to the feed. For monthly goslings, the diet is expanded by the inclusion of grated, which is given five times daily.

Goslings really like mixtures of such products:

• porridge;
• carrot;
• cottage cheese;
• greens.

Important!Since geese are not able to recognize how hot or cold the food offered to them is, the temperature of the food given to the birds should be carefully controlled.

This "dish" is served to the chicks up to six times daily and should not be watery.

Grown up chicks love fresh grass most of all. A gosling at the age of one month is able to eat about a kilogram of grass during the day.
At the same time, he has preferences in the form of:

• dandelion;
• sorrel;
• nettles;
• clover.

In addition to food and drink, goslings should be provided with access to fine gravel or coarse sand, which help the bird's stomach grind food.

Preventive actions

Without stable immunity, goslings are often defenseless against infectious diseases. Every second caterpillar that falls ill at a young age dies. Therefore, timely vaccination against the most dangerous diseases is extremely important for chicks. When goslings should be vaccinated and from what diseasesdepends on several factors.

This takes into account:

• the prevalence of the disease in the region;
• the quality of the vaccine;
• parental immunity.

For example, to prevent salmonellosis waterfowl with unvaccinated parents, goslings are vaccinated already at two to four days of age. If the geese have been vaccinated, then the chicks are vaccinated at eight to ten days of age. Vaccinations given at an early age are usually repeated when the geese mature. This is explained by the fact that early vaccination develops in goslings only short-term immunity to a particular disease, while in vaccinated adult birds it remains for life.

Geese do not show excessive demands on the conditions in which they are kept. However, this does not mean at all that they are indifferent to the environment and do not respond to self-care.

poultry house requirements

Although geese mostly stay in the fresh air, looking for pasture in the pasture, a room for keeping them is still necessary. For this, a special goose house is erected, or sheds, cowsheds, even greenhouses are adapted for it. The main thing that should be taken into account is the area on which the geese are located.

Each bird needs at least a square meter of "housing". Crowding in the goose house provokes a decrease in egg production, weight loss and a deterioration in the quality of feathers and down. It is desirable that the poultry house is connected with a nearby pasture and a reservoir.
The following basic requirements are imposed on the goose itself:

• there should be no drafts in it, the room should be dry, since excessive humidity is fraught with the occurrence of diseases;
• although heating is not required in the goose house, its walls and roof must be insulated;
• on the floor of the goose house, a litter of at least 30 cm thick should be made of straw, hay, shavings or sawdust, which must be clean and dry;
• for geese in the poultry house, it is necessary to equip nests, which are usually made of wood and provide them with a bottom to protect them from the cold from below;
• artificial lighting should provide the bird with a 14-hour daylight hours, which increases the egg production of geese;
• although geese do not like drafts, ventilation in the goose house is nevertheless necessary, so it is installed in the form of ventilation holes in the wall on one side only, precisely to avoid creating drafts.

Did you know?Geese, expressing their emotions, are able to make up to a dozen sounds of different tonalities. But the famous goose “ha-ha-ha” can only be reproduced by geese.

Pasture for walking

Being a mobile bird, geese do not tolerate long imprisonment locked up. They need a place to run and graze. Ideal for this purpose is a pasture with access to a reservoir. The best for pasture is a meadow covered with low grassy vegetation. It is also useful to graze geese on land where cereals used to grow. The remains of the grains give shoots there, which are extremely useful for the bird.
To determine the area of ​​​​a pasture or aviary for walking geese, one should proceed from the fact that each individual, in order to feel comfortable, on average, needs at least ten square meters of territory. It is useful to have some kind of canopy at the place of walking the bird to protect from excessively burning sun or rain.

Access to water

Since geese are waterfowl, they need you need a reservoir. Indeed, enclosures with an artificial reservoir or pastures with access to a pond or river are ideal for keeping geese. However, as a result of many years of research, scientists have come to the final conclusion that the absence of a reservoir when keeping geese does not in any way reduce their egg production or meat growth.

Sand trough, feeders and drinkers

Feeders for these birds should be made so that:

• food from them was not lost;
• they provided access to food for all birds at the same time, providing a feeding front of at least 15 centimeters for each bird;
• were easy to manufacture and maintain.

Many poultry farmers hang feeders, raising them above the floor to a height of 20 centimeters, and for feeding geese with greens, nursery-type feeders are best suited.
Geese love not only to swim in the water, but also to drink it. An adult, on average, consumes about a liter of water daily. This should be the starting point when arranging bird drinkers. The main requirement for goose drinkers is to minimize spillage of water on the litter, since its moisture adversely affects the health of the bird. To avoid this, drinkers are necessarily placed with large trays underneath to collect spilled water. The designs of drinkers are very diverse: starting from a primitive trough and ending with technologically advanced factory-made devices.

In the poultry house, be sure to have special containers for coarse river sand, fine gravel, chalk, shells and crushed eggshell. This is necessary for optimal digestion of the bird, during which fine mineral fractions help grind the feed in the goose stomach. In addition, these mineral supplements saturate the bird's body with the necessary elements.

What to take care of in winter

Before the onset of winter, it is necessary to carry out the following activities:

1. In winter, in the middle latitudes, goose houses are usually not heated, but they are carefully insulated from the side of the walls and ceiling. A thick litter of hay, straw, shavings, sawdust or sunflower husks is laid on the floor of the goose house. This bedding should be changed frequently and never wet.
2. Since geese do not like to stay indoors for a long time, they must be released outside even in winter. Geese are able to briefly withstand frosts down to minus 25-30 ° C, however, the snow from the goose paddock must be removed, replacing it with straw. Walks in frosts down to minus 10 ° C can last up to an hour and a half.
3. You should also pay attention to the smell, which is characteristic of any poultry house and does not at all add comfort to the existence of birds. To eliminate it, it is recommended to use superphosphate, which is sprinkled on the floor at the rate of 0.4 kilograms per square meter.
4. Particular attention in winter should be given to drinking bowls, the water in which can freeze. To avoid this, it is necessary either to insulate the drinkers, or to constantly replenish them with hot water.
5. In order for the egg production of geese not to decrease in winter, care should be taken to provide artificial lighting in the poultry house, which would provide 14 hours of daylight hours.

Feeding ration

Feeding geese in summer and winter differ radically from each other.

During the summer

As a rule, the cultivation of geese at home takes place in the warm season, so they “make up” a summer nutritious diet for themselves in the pasture.

Among the herbs they consume, preference is given to:

• nettle;
• yarrow;
• plantain;
• sorrel;
• clover
• dandelion;
• alfalfa.

If there is a reservoir near the pasture, then waterfowl get food suitable for themselves there. Herbs especially disliked by these birds include sedge, cuff, and goose foot. Since geese especially like fresh greens, it is recommended to mow the pasture regularly.
Average, daily these birds eat about two kilograms of grass, fully satisfying their daily need for green fodder. But this does not exclude the evening feeding of the bird in the goose, which, in addition to replenishing the goose body with additional calories, is also a stimulus for the active desire of the bird to go home from the pasture.

In the evening, add to the diet of waterfowl coarse succulent feed in the form:

• any grain;
• chaff;
• carrots.

Mineral supplements must be available for poultry to aid their digestion.

In winter

In winter, goose food should be richer in proteins that provide any grain, such as oats and chaff. It should be borne in mind that due to the forced restriction in movement in the winter, geese can become overweight, which negatively affects their egg production. In winter, you need to feed the geese twice a day. In the morning, they usually give a mash of potatoes, vegetable peels, cereals, carrots, and beets. In the evenings, they are fed dry food made from oats, barley or wheat with the addition of bone or fish meal.

Man has been breeding geese for about three thousand years, but has not changed them much, so domestic geese, although they do not know how to fly like wild relatives, can perfectly get their own food. They also have excellent immunity and adaptability. Find out what you need to grow geese at home, how to feed them, how to keep them in summer and winter, their diseases and preventive measures.

Benefits of Goose Breeding

Goose meat has many admirers. The famous goose with apples will leave few indifferent, and goose liver pate (foie gras) is considered a delicacy.

• Geese should also be bred because of the following advantages:
• unpretentiousness to feed and conditions of detention;
• fast weight gain;
• precocity;
• fodder savings in grazing;
• disease resistance;
• quick payback - during the summer season you can grow a lot of geese weighing up to 6 kg with minimal cost for feed.

In addition to meat and liver, other related products come from geese. Goose fat is used in cosmetics and medicine. Goose feathers have long been used for writing, and are now being produced souvenir products and shuttlecocks for badminton. Goose down is used for sewing pillows and down jackets.

Breeds of geese for breeding

The main breeds for breeding are not so few, there are plenty to choose from:

This is an incomplete list of goose breeds, but they are considered the most popular and payback, have good quality meat. The Toulouse, Lindovskaya and Kholmogory breeds are most suitable for growing broilers.

In principle, any early maturing crop is suitable for growing broiler birds. meat breed, which is kept in limited conditions and intensively fed.

Growing geese at home

For growing geese, you must have an appropriate room. It is optimal if there is a reservoir near and the opportunity to organize walking on the grass.

Gosling care

Goslings should be purchased no earlier than their 5-day age. It is best if they have already reached 2-3 weeks and can spend time grazing.

If the goslings have already been bred on the farm, then the following must be done for them:

1. For only hatched chicks, a temperature of + 26 ... + 28 ° С is provided. Drafts and dampness should be absent.
2. In the first three days the place of detention is lit around the clock, and then every day the lights are turned off for 40 minutes and the period of darkness is increased daily until the daylight hours are 17 hours.
3. first week goslings are fed every 3 hours at least 6 times a day. Gradually, the intervals are increased and, when the bird grows up, it already eats 3 times a day. The basis of nutrition is feed and cereals.
4. The room where the goslings are located should be equipped with feeders and drinkers. Fresh water must always be available. The drinking bowl must be protected with a grate so that the chick does not climb into the water, but can drink.
5. On the fifth day life can be given grass, and from the 7th day - walk. Two-week-old goslings can already spend the whole day walking and swimming in ponds.

At what age do geese start laying eggs

Geese begin laying at the age of 8–10 months and reach their maximum productivity by 2–3 years of age. Egg production begins in the spring and lasts approximately 5 months. The number of eggs per year depends on the breed characteristics and can range from 10 to 85 pieces in one season.

Before the start of egg-laying, the goose shows concern, begins to build a nest. She becomes heavy and walks with her tail down.

How long do geese live

Without slaughter, domestic geese, with good care, can live up to 18–25 years, but in a herd of geese they are kept up to 4 years. a good laying hen can leave up to 6 years of age. Gusakov per tribe with excellent characteristics can be kept up to 8 years.

Did you know? Wild relatives of domestic geese are long-lived and can live up to 80 years. And the turkey vulture is considered the longest-lived bird, which reaches the age of 118 years.

Features of nutrition and what to feed when breeding for meat

Geese are fed wet, dry and combined feeds. You can not often give dry food, because against the background of a lack of drinking, this can cause blockage of the esophagus.

The main food should consist of the following components:

• green grass and algae;
• vegetables;
• silo;
• meat and bone meal or crushed shells;
• lactic acid products.

Half of the meat geese ration for sale should be green mass, to which soybean or sunflower cake, crushed grain are mixed.

Basically, two methods are used for fattening for meat:

1. Quick. For the fastest weight gain, broilers are limited in movement and fed mainly on corn, oats and wheat.
2. Lugovoi. This method is the most economical and requires a pasture overgrown with grass.

With a well-chosen diet, early maturing species can be slaughtered in 60–70 days.

Often, geese are fed for fattening during the summer season, since such cultivation is most economically profitable. It does not require a poultry house - it is enough to have a fenced area for walking or equip a canopy near the lake.

The place of residence of birds should be provided with drinkers, feeders and nests. It is optimal if there are areas with grass for walking and water bodies. Meadows with alfalfa, legumes and clover are most preferred, but geese also eat wheatgrass very well. But they prefer to avoid sedge and some other plants.

For each little gosling, 1 square meter is enough. m of walking, but as the needs grow, they increase, and in adult specimens they are already 15 square meters. m per head. In the conditions of a summer residence or a household, such areas are usually inaccessible and it will be optimal to keep them in an aviary with feed.

A pond can serve as a good source of green food in the form of algae, as well as shells and small fish. However, with such a diet, it should be taken into account that infections are often introduced along with aquatic food. Then the bird is treated with antibiotics, but over time, her body gets used to this lifestyle and ceases to need treatment.
Feeding birds with compound feed during summer walking can be reduced to 1 time per day (in the evening). Geese themselves come from a meadow or a watering hole for evening feeding - they can remember the way home.

Did you know? The ability of geese to eat weeds is used in the US on cotton plantations. These birds do not like cotton crops, but the rest of the plants consume well. A flock of 25 geese successfully cleans a field of 10 hectares from unnecessary vegetation.

Goose house construction

The area of ​​the goose house depends on the number of birds and the conditions of their keeping. Usually a room for geese is built at the rate of 1 sq. m per head. With constant grazing, which can be organized in the southern regions, it is possible to compact up to 2.5 individuals per 1 sq. km. m.

The best place for a goose is on an elevated place near a lake or when grazing. In the absence of this, the poultry house makes an aviary for walking from a metal mesh. The building is made on a foundation of crushed stone with concrete. Walls can be made of brick, timber, concrete blocks. They must be insulated.

At least 2 openings are made for windows and they should face south to ensure the longest possible daylight hours. Make 2 manholes for geese measuring 0.5 × 0.5 m.

The floor is made raised by 20 cm and with a slope for more convenient cleaning of waste products. For the convenience of cleaning and additional heat, the floor must be covered with bedding, which may consist of straw, sawdust, sand, peat.
The roof is made simple, with one or two slopes, but it is best to make it with an attic for storing hay. It must be insulated and covered roofing materials(for example, roofing material).

Important! Crowding in the poultry house causes a delay in sexual development in goslings. In addition, darkness combined with poor lighting leads to pecking in birds.

Goose house arrangement

After the construction of the goose house is completed, it is important to properly equip it.

Feeders and drinkers for birds are chosen so that you can easily care for them. For dry food, wooden containers are installed, and metal is well suited for wet mashers. 1 individual should have 20 cm of the working surface of the drinker or feeder. To save space, food containers are hung at a height of about 0.5 m.

It is also necessary to allocate an area for ash baths. They are made of wood and filled with a mixture of ash and fine clay in equal parts.

Depending on the number of geese, they set - taking into account that 1 nest falls on 2 females. Nests are fixed in a calm, shaded area of ​​​​the room so as not to disturb the birds while the goslings are hatching. Be sure to equip separate compartments for adult birds and for chicks.

You should also carry out lighting and heating in the house, take care of ventilation.

Geese have a fairly dense plumage, so they normally tolerate a cold period and frost. But it should be noted that the legs of birds are sensitive to cold, and they do not tolerate drafts.
In order for the birds to endure the winter without problems, certain conditions must be observed:

• pour a litter on the floor of the goose coop for additional warmth so that the geese's legs do not freeze in the cold;
• it is good to clean the paddock for walking in the fresh air from snow;
• nests should have a bottom made of wood;
• you need to make sure that there are no drafts, all the cracks are sealed, and the house itself is well insulated.

In the cold period, it is necessary to adjust the nutrition of geese and feed them 4 times a day. In the morning and evening, give grain feed, and during the day - wet mash with vegetables. It will be useful to feed from roughage (hay, tree branches), germinated grain.

How to hack and pluck a goose

It is carried out mainly in the fall, when she is gaining more weight. Individuals that were left to the tribe, but have already worked out themselves, are sent for meat at any time.

On the eve of the slaughter itself, the selected individuals are not given food for 10–12 hours. They are left in an empty room with nothing to eat. It is necessary to give salt water so that the carcass is stored longer. Before the process itself, limbs (legs and wings) are tied with a rope.

At home, the simplest method is used - separating the head with an ax. Then the carcass is hung by the legs so that all the blood flows out.

After slaughter, the bird follows. This process can also be done in several ways. The easiest is to pluck dry immediately after slaughter. To facilitate the work, it is better to use a tool such as a slicker.
If the carcass lies down a little, then it will be difficult to clean it of feathers. Often, the carcass is doused with boiled water to facilitate the process, but the feathers lose their presentation. In addition, after treatment with boiling water, the carcass is not stored for so long.

Important! Meat breeds are slaughtered on the 60-75th day of their life. But if you miss this moment, then you need to wait until 125– 140 days, since in this time period the birds will begin to change feathers and they will lose weight, and the meat will lose its taste.

At the very end of the plucking process, the carcass must be singed with fire to get rid of small remnants of feathers. Sometimes tweezers are used to pull out small feathers.

Breeding geese as a business

If you have successfully raised geese at home and are familiar with the challenges and benefits of raising geese, then you might want to consider making it your own business. When there are no problems with the sale of meat and fluff, you can decide on capital investments and buy an existing poultry house.

Near it should be a reservoir and a couple of hectares of land unsuitable for arable land. In the absence of a natural reservoir, an artificial pond should be made.

For such an occupation, you will need to register as an entrepreneur and collect a package of permits from the sanitary and epidemiological station, the veterinary service, and firefighters. You should familiarize yourself with all the requirements for the goose and products before starting entrepreneurial activity and capital investment, so that later there are no obstacles to sales.

Important! Rospotrebnadzor prohibited the establishment of a goose farm in settlements and use reservoirs near the residential sector for keeping geese, since these birds are too noisy and aggressive.

Common illnesses

Geese are susceptible to diseases that affect waterfowl.
The most common diseases are:

1. coccidiosis. This disease often affects small goslings. It manifests itself in the form of diarrhea, which causes dehydration, as well as exhaustion of the body. Renal coccidiosis affects the kidney canals - in this case, diseased individuals lose activity and appetite, sit ruffled, which also leads to severe exhaustion. Coccidiostats (Baykoks) and sulfanilamide preparations are used for treatment.
2. pasteurellosis. This dangerous disease quickly affects the bird and often leads to its death. In this case, the goslinger is quarantined and all sick birds are slaughtered. Treatment is with antibiotics and sulfonamides.
3. Paratyphoid. In adults, the disease can pass without any symptoms, but goslings do not tolerate paratyphoid easily. There is severe diarrhea, conjunctivitis, exhaustion, respiratory failure, the chicks begin to limp. Lethal outcome occurs in 3-4 days. Paratyphoid is treated with antibiotics such as tetracycline and nitrofuran, but treatment does not work in all cases.
4. Helminthiases. Geese can become infected with trematodes, cestodes, nematodes. Treat with anthelmintics and Ivermectin.

In low temperatures and drafts, birds can become ill with viral diseases that cause inflammation in the frontal sinuses and sinusitis. Antibiotics are used for treatment.

Non-contagious diseases of geese include hypovitaminosis, which occurs due to a lack of essential vitamins and minerals.

Disease prevention

Instead of treating a disease, it is better to prevent it in advance - especially since some infectious diseases can cause a mass death of a bird.
Experts recommend taking the following preventive measures against various diseases:

Did you know? Goose owners often complain about the noisiness of these birds, but it was this quality that once saved Rome. The historical work of the ancient historian Titus Livius “Stories from the Foundation of the City” tells how in the 5th century BC the Gauls tried to capture the Capitoline fortress at night, but the geese, noticing them, raised a noise and woke up the defenders of the fortress.

So, the desire to engage in goose breeding appeared. In this regard, beginners have many questions.

We solve priority tasks

First, we settle the issue with the neighbors. The solution depends on where you live:

• private sector of the city,
• or village.

The goose is a noisy bird. If you live in a city, then not every neighbor will like it. Why, as they say, you need unnecessary trouble and tension. Better then give up this idea and get another bird.

If you live in a village, then there should be no questions. There is a place, free grazing. Creating conditions for content is much easier.

Secondly, in the first year it is not necessary to set large-scale goals. Especially if you are a beginner poultry farmer. The first year is better to try, take a closer look, understand whether you like this activity. Geese breed a lot of dirt. They need to be constantly cleaned up and cleaned up. It may turn out that this is not yours and it is better to breed another bird. For example, chickens also require constant cleaning, but due to the fact that they row, it is much easier to clean up after them.

Thirdly, equip the goose coop. The goose is an unpretentious bird, it is not afraid of low temperatures, but it still should have a house.

Goose house arrangement

Geese can be kept in any adapted outbuilding. But you can build a special goose coop.

What should be a goose

It should be:

• dry,
• with good ventilation, but without drafts,
• clean,
• light,
• spacious.

Measures to fulfill the basic requirements

Based on these requirements, the place where the goose will stand should not be heated during spring floods. It is better to place it on the south side. So it will be better illuminated and warmed up.

It is good if the floors are made of boards and raised above the ground by 20 cm. Then the soil water will not get inside.

The area of ​​the goose house should correspond to the number of birds. Norm 1 goose - 1kv. meter. If it is not observed, the air in the goose house will be unbearable not only for people, but also for the geese themselves. In such a stinking atmosphere, pathogenic microbes will actively multiply. As a result, various diseases will begin to cling to them.

The floor of the goose is covered with bedding. The following materials are used for it:

• shavings
• sunflower husk,
• sawdust,
• hay,
• chopped corn cobs
• sphagnum peat.

It insulates the floor, dries the litter, thereby improving the air in the goose house. About 40 kg of bulk material is required per year for one goose. The bedding should not be damp and preferably always clean. To do this, it needs to be changed more often. Don't let the pen get dirty. Feather is an important element of thermoregulation of the body of geese. A clean pen will avoid many diseases.

For the winter, it would be good to pour slaked lime on the floor, and lay it on top warm bedding(peat, hay, straw). When the litter accumulates, it is updated, gradually adding bedding material. In the spring, you will get an excellent fertilizer for the garden.

To enrich goose manure with minerals, it is sometimes poured onto the litter. mineral fertilizers such as superphosphate. It not only improves future manure, but also increases the dryness of the air.

Nests are installed in the poultry house. There should be enough of them. It is calculated so that there are no more than three geese per nest. Do not place them against a cold wall or in direct sunlight. Approximate dimensions:

• height - 50 - 55 cm,
• length - 60 - 65 cm,
• width - 40 cm,
• the height of the nut is 1 cm.

The litter is used as usual, only change it more often. It is better to update in the evening. Then in the morning the goose will rush in a clean nest.

Equipment for feeding and watering geese

In the place where the bird will live, there should be containers for food and water. You can make them yourself.

For the construction of the feeder, you can use boards, old pipes, and other auxiliary materials. Only when making them, it must be borne in mind that one goose needs at least 15 centimeters for a comfortable meal. Then there will be no crush when feeding. Install or hang the feeder above the floor to a height of 20-25 cm.

Any containers are adapted for drinking bowls - it can be a bucket, a barrel, or a boil-down. In winter, you need to make sure that the water in the drinker does not freeze.

Temperature conditions and illumination of the goose house

The goose is a cold-resistant bird. It can exist without problems in a goose house even at minus 10 degrees. She is not afraid of short-term drops to minus 25 degrees. But if geese are kept for breeding, such conditions will adversely affect the egg production of geese. Therefore, it is desirable that it be warm in the goose house. To do this, the walls are carefully insulated.

Positive temperatures and artificial lighting in the goose house will speed up the start of laying eggs by geese. They rush at a day length of 14 hours. So, it is necessary to lengthen the day artificially. To do this, leave the lights on from 6 am to 8 pm. And we act in this way until the natural daylight hours become equal to 14 hours.

Usually geese begin to rush at the very end of winter. But with such lighting, egg production can occur much earlier (toward the end of January).

Placement of geese in summer

Everything that was reported above is important and necessary if you decide to start breeding geese seriously. If you are just a beginner and this is a trial experience, then usually goslings are bought in March-April, and by the fall they decide whether it is worth doing this business or not.

In spring and summer, geese can stay outside. On the economic territory where they will be located, it is necessary to fence off the aviary, and build a small canopy in it. Under it are containers for food. Then it will not get wet in case of rain. Under the same canopy, geese will be able to hide from bad weather.

For a comfortable existence of a bird in an aviary, it is necessary to put containers with water in which it could splash. It can be simple galvanized troughs and boils. And then you can do without a reservoir.

Goose breeds

Before you start breeding geese, you need to decide what breed you want to have. For home breeding well suited: Kuban, Lindovskaya, Kholmogorskaya, Gray and Legart.

Table 1. Popular goose breeds that are bred in households.

goose breed	Characteristics
Kuban	The plumage is gray-brown. A characteristic brown stripe runs along the entire length from the beak to the tail. It's called a belt. Belongs to light breeds. Gander weight - 6 kg. Goose weight - 4.5 kg. Bears a year - up to 85 eggs. One egg weighs about 160 grams. A two-month-old gosling weighs about three kilograms. Bad hens. Unpretentious.
	Refers to heavy breeds. The bird is beautiful, plumage is white, popular in households The weight of an adult goose reaches 10 kg. Gaining weight quickly. Can hatch eggs. Unpretentious bird.
Kholmogorskaya	The best meat breed. It is difficult to confuse them with other representatives of the goose tribe. Above the beak they have a growth (bump), which reaches a maximum size of 2 cm by the age of five. Their plumage can be different - from dirty gray to white. The beak and legs are a characteristic orange-yellow color. They are long-lived - they can live up to - 17 years (usually geese live for about 6 years). It can lay up to 30 eggs per year. Weight - about 12 kg.
large gray	Hardy. Able to travel long distances. The plumage is grey. Small head with a thick short beak. Paws are orange. Male and female weigh about the same - about 10 kilograms. Egg production per year - up to 45 pieces. The weight of one egg is about 170 grams. The hatchability of goslings is very high. Reaches 60%. good hens. Not demanding on the presence of a reservoir.
	They have an average build. Males and females of this breed are equally heavy. They weigh about eight kilograms. The plumage is white. Paws with a beak are orange. They have a distinctive feature - blue eyes. They can lay 40 eggs a year. Average weight eggs about two hundred grams. Thrifty breed. They require 20% less food than others. Their goslings grow very quickly and gain weight. Already at the age of three months they weigh 7 kilograms. They are distinguished by high-quality fluff. They have a meek, calm disposition, they cackle a little.

Buying young animals

Having decided on the breed, we acquire goslings. When buying, you may encounter unscrupulous sellers. They can slip goslings of the wrong breed or not quite healthy.

It is good to buy from a poultry breeder at home. Then there is the opportunity to see the mother herd. See what conditions it is in. What kind of geese, are they strong, are they large, do you like them. And then if the seller is not afraid to show all this, then he probably will not deceive.

It is better to buy not daily goslings, but those who are five days old. They cost a little more, but their survival rate will be slightly higher. When buying goslings, follow these recommendations.

• Pay attention to the behavior of the goslings. It is good if they are peppy and active, they squeak loudly, and their necks stretch up.
• The navel should be overgrown without crusts.
• The abdomen is tucked up.
• Nothing stands out from the nostrils of the beak.
• Check the paws for any dislocation.

Rearing of young animals

If the goslings were originally strong, then it is not difficult to feed and raise them. At the beginning, they are given oatmeal and millet porridge, adding a finely chopped egg there. It is good to feed them fresh cottage cheese. Almost immediately, you can start giving starter feed. The diet of goslings is similar to that of broiler chickens.

They are often fed - at least six times a day. From the fifth day of life, you can begin to give the goslings chopped grass - dandelions, nettles and everything that appears in the spring. Monthly gosling can eat almost a kilogram of grass.

Do not forget about the pebbles necessary for the digestion of food. Place a container with coarse sand or small pebbles next to the feeder.

Geese should always have water. They drink a lot. A two-month-old goose drinks up to one liter of water a day.

By the fall, the geese grow up and even then we can conclude whether you should do this business. If you liked it, then you can form a maternal herd from these geese by purchasing one or two ganders on the side. This is necessary to renew the blood and obtain healthy offspring.

Try, experiment! Without trying, you will never know if this bird is right for you or if it is better to do something else.

Note:

By the way, the delicacy of foie gras is goose liver. It is very oily, but not harmful to our vessels. Doctors say that fat in it is represented by polyunsaturated fatty acids. And they just reduce the presence of bad cholesterol in the body. As a result, blood circulation, brain function improves, tone increases.

Geese - very interesting birds, which are often found in farms. Before you start breeding, you need to properly organize the place of keeping and walking, prepare food.

How to start a beginner goose breeder?

The first thing a person who decides to start breeding geese should do is to decide on the breed. These birds are not distinguished by high egg production, but the young are quickly gaining weight. Geese are kept for tasty meat and feathers.

Here is a table with several goose breeds and their main characteristics, which will help a beginner make a choice.

Breed	Live weight (male), kg	Live weight (female), kg	Egg production, pcs	Egg mass, grams	Weight of young animals at 60-70 days, kg
	7-7,5	6,5-7	25-30	170-190	3,8-4
	6,5-7	6-6,5	40-60	170-200	4-4,5
	7-12	6-7	45-50	125-150	3,5-4

Large gray geese- birds of domestic origin. They are often used for fattening foie gras for liver. Meat gray geese has excellent taste. These birds grow well even without a reservoir. An adult goose weighs 6.5-7 kg, a goose - 6-6.5 kg. Egg production - up to 60 eggs per season. Kholmogorskaya is the most popular breed among beginner goose breeders. These birds are unpretentious, quickly gain weight, perfectly adapt to any climate. The main feature of these geese is their calm nature and lack of aggression towards humans. The plumage of a bird can be white, piebald or gray. The weight of an adult goose is 9 kg, the females are slightly smaller - 7 kg. A goose produces up to 25-30 large eggs per year. Distinctive features of the breed are a bump above the beak and a large fold under it.

Geese Linda- very beautiful snow-white birds. The direction of productivity is meat. They have a big bump on their forehead. This breed makes up half of the total number of geese in Russia. The female produces about 50 large eggs per year. The main feature of the breed is intensive growth and weight gain even after 3 months.

Geese breed Linda - photo

Equipment for keeping and walking

A thick layer of bedding is laid on the floor (for an adult bird - about 50 cm, for young birds - no more than 15 cm), straw is most suitable for this purpose, but many use shavings or sawdust. The floor must be raised 15 cm above the ground. Here are the basic requirements for the house:

• ceiling height - 2 meters;
• area: for goslings - at the age of 2-3 weeks - no more than 10 heads per 1 m2, by the age of 9 weeks - no more than 4 heads per 1 m2, for adult birds - 1-2 heads per 1 m2;
• air temperature - for daily goslings it should be 30 degrees, by 2 months it gradually decreases to 18 degrees, a comfortable temperature for adults is 12-15 degrees;
• humidity in the house should not exceed 75%;
• be sure to provide for the possibility of ventilation and the presence of windows.

There is another way of keeping, which does not provide for the presence of deep litter - on a slatted floor. In this case, wooden shields are knocked down from slats, which are located at a short distance from each other (the legs of the birds should not fall into these slots). To clean the litter, the floors are raised.

Geese, like many other farm birds, need walking. 0.8 m2 of area is enough for one head. The exit to the range from the poultry house should have a door that is closed on cold days. The height of the fence of the street platform is not less than 1.4 meters. On the run and in the house, drinkers and feeders must be installed, which should be cleaned and washed regularly. The water of the geese should be fresh.

In the summer, geese spend most of the day walking outside.

If you want to keep the bird only in the warm season, you can not install a full-fledged poultry house on the site, it will be enough to build a wooden frame with a canopy. If the geese do not have access to a pond, put a large container of water in the paddock.

In winter, birds are kept indoors without drafts. Geese tolerate frosty winters well, so additional heating of the house is not required. Birds walk in the paddock, which is pre-cleaned of snow.

Feeding geese: young and adults

Particular attention should be paid to the preparation of rations for geese. The type of feeding will depend on the following factors: age of the bird, gender, season, direction of production.

Types of feed and feeding rates

Geese eat a large amount of green fodder (up to 2 kg per head per day), so in the summer it is best to send them to the meadows. If this is not possible, feed plantain, nettles and dandelions to the bird. Geese love reeds, cattails and other plants that grow on water bodies.

Here list of ingredients that make up the poultry diet, including the average daily rate per head:

• green fodder (fresh grass in summer, silage in winter) - up to 2 kg;
• root crops (beets, potatoes) and tops - up to 500 g;
• pumpkin, carrot, cabbage - up to 100 g;
• whey and reverse - only for goslings up to 4 months up to 50 g;
• grain feed - up to 70 g;
• herbal flour - up to 50 g;
• mineral supplements - up to 25 g;
• fish or meat and bone meal(or fish waste) - up to 50 g.

Many farmers use full-fledged geese to feed their geese. combined feed. In this case, the bird is given only dry food and greens. The daily norm of compound feed for an adult bird is about 350 g.

Feeding goslings

Goslings begin to feed immediately after they are born. In the first 7 days, the chicks are given food up to 7 times a day. It is best to feed goslings with complete feed, but you can replace it with a mixture of grains (peas, wheat, buckwheat, oatmeal, corn). In this case, include cottage cheese, chopped greens and boiled finely chopped eggs in the diet.

Potatoes, beets and cake are given to geese for 3-4 days. The food is well crushed and moistened, shell and chalk are added. Gravel is poured into separate containers.

Laying rations

A month before the start of laying, the geese begin to feed more intensively. The diet includes more green fodder. Be sure to increase the amount of roughage, as grain often causes obesity.

The basis of the diet of the laying goose in the breeding period is wheat and oats. Be sure to increase the amount of meadow hay, cake, root crops, legumes and flour of animal origin. Females are fed up to 4 times a day: two feedings with a wet mash, two with grain. A week before the start of laying, the geese are fed fortified supplements.

Fattening geese for meat

Goslings from the age of 3 weeks are fattened in two ways: meadow and intensive. In the first case, the chicks are sent to pastures, where they actively eat fresh grass. A month before slaughter (at 3 months), grains (especially oats) are included in the diet in unlimited quantities. Drinkers must be kept in the room at all times.

With intensive fattening, goslings are sent for slaughter as early as 2.5 months. Birds are deprived of walking, kept in cages, fed with wheat, oats, barley and corn. If necessary, goslings are force-fed, for this they prepare special balls of tough dough (the composition includes wheat, corn and barley flour, as well as crushed bran), soaked in water and inserted into the esophagus twice a day with a tube.

Differences between winter and summer feeding

In summer and winter, the diets of adult geese are slightly different. Here main differences:

How to understand that the diet is wrong?

By the behavior of the bird, you can understand whether you feed them correctly or not. With an excess of green fodder, geese experience diarrhea. In this case, limit the amount of fresh herb. A large amount of dry food leads to the development of a cough. If this happens, start giving the geese a wet mash.

Preparing the wet mix

Adults do not eat poisonous plants, but there have been cases of poisoning of young animals with nightshade or hemlock. In this case, give the birds plenty of clean water to drink. In case of indigestion at the beginning of the walking season, treat the geese with antibiotics. After a while, the birds will begin to eat aquatic plants without any consequences.

Breeding features

Geese reach sexual maturity only by 8-9 months, and females are used for breeding up to 4 years (every year egg production increases). For breeding, the best representatives of the breed are selected: the entire livestock undergoes grading several times, during which individuals with low weight, uncharacteristic coloration and exterior defects are culled. There are 3-4 females per male, and for each of them the geese are selected individually.

Females begin to rush in winter (in February). Starting from December, daylight hours are increased in the house (for active egg-laying, it should last 14 hours). It is at this time that it is necessary to provide the geese with nests, 40 * 60 * 30 cm in size (one for 2-3 heads). Since January, the birds begin to be intensively fed.

Geese of some breeds are excellent mother hens, so eggs are often left in the nest. The female is not disturbed, well fed and provided with comfortable conditions. If the goose does not incubate the eggs, they are taken and placed in an incubator. Chicks hatch in 27-28 days.

Selection of eggs for incubation and artificial hatching of goslings

Not all eggs are suitable for laying in an incubator. Here are the basic requirements:

• eggs must be fertilized (checked with an ovoscope);
• the shell is clean, without litter;
• an egg should have only one yolk;
• you can not use eggs of irregular shape, with cracks and a large air chamber.

The temperature in the incubator the most important factor, on which the percentage of hatchability depends. Optimal readings - 37.5 degrees. Increased and low temperature leads to weak or unviable goslings.

Humidity in the room where the incubators are located should be 62-65%. It is very important to provide good ventilation. After 2 weeks of incubation, the temperature is reduced to 30 degrees for 30 minutes a day.

Rearing of young animals

Goslings have a peculiarity - they do not need additional heating already at the age of 3 weeks. In the first 5 days after birth, in cages or brooders where the chicks are located, the temperature is maintained at 26-28 degrees, by 10 days it is reduced to 22, and by 20 to 18 degrees.

After the goslings are 3 weeks old, they are released for walking (provided that it is not cold and damp outside). Summer chicks can walk outside from birth. If goslings are bred for the purpose of obtaining meat, from 3 weeks they are moved to a separate room and begin to intensively fatten.

Common diseases: treatment and prevention

Geese suffer from contagious and non-contagious diseases. In the first case, there is a high risk of loss of livestock, so it is important to monitor the health of the birds. Here are the diseases that farmers most often face:

For many diseases of geese, there is no cure, so it is very important to follow preventive measures: prevent birds from crowding, regularly wash feeders and drinkers, clean the litter, treat the room with lime.

Breeding geese is a very interesting and profitable activity. Be sure to study the information about the maintenance and feeding of this bird, prevent outbreaks of various diseases, observe the temperature regime when raising young animals.

Video - Breeding geese at home

They have long been the favorites of many homeowners and farmers. Unpretentious, rapidly gaining weight, the bird perfectly tolerates both heat and cold, the meat has excellent taste, and goose down and feathers are always in demand as excellent fillers. But those who decide to start breeding geese for the first time should remember that ease in rearing comes with experience.

One of the main problems with poultry- nursing on initial stage in the very first days of life.

Goslings up to a month old are prone to many diseases, require a special diet, violations in the technology of keeping and feeding lead not only to diseases, but also to the death of the livestock.

Barely hatched goslings need light and warmth. Drafts and stale, wet litter cause many diseases and death, so you need to take care of preparing the premises for young animals in advance. In the early days, goslings should be kept in specially equipped brooders, boxes or fences isolated from the rest of the herd, maintaining the required temperature. The conditions for chicks bred in an incubator, under a hen, purchased in markets or farms, are different.

One of the main rules: you should not buy a bird from random people, in bazaars or street markets, where there is a high risk of acquiring culled, weak specimens, sick goslings, which, if they survive, will not be able to justify the funds invested in their cultivation. Vaccination, which is mandatory in large farms, is also questionable.

hatchery chicks

As a rule, the chick begins to hatch from the egg after 28 days. Some cope with the task on their own, getting out of the shell without someone else's help. Those who cannot “be born” within a few hours need human help. To do this, very carefully break the shell with tweezers so that the chick can spread its legs and stretch to its full height.

1. Goslings are transferred to a room equipped for them under the lamps so that they dry out.
2. The first - after 2-3 hours, when they dry and begin to move carefully. It is best to give them crushed boiled eggs in the first days.
3. Boiled warm water should always be in it, it is recommended to add potassium permanganate to it to disinfect.
4. It is good if it is possible to install bathing containers as well - the goslings are very fond of "baths".
5. Fill the drinkers to a height of no more than 1 cm so that the goslings do not “bought”: they are exposed to this danger at the initial stage, like chickens.

You should immediately separate from each other well-developed, mobile, large goslings and their weaker comrades, who eat poorly, hardly move, prefer to doze off. They will probably need enhanced nutrition and additional introduction of vitamins into the feed. Separately, babies with signs of diseases should be kept, the treatment of which should begin immediately.

grazing

Goslings should be let out for walks on warm sunny days from the incubator from the second week of life. The duration of the first walks - no more than 30 minutes. After two or three days, walks gradually lengthen up to 2 hours, by the age of one month - up to 4-6. Be sure to take care of the safety of grazing, the absence of dangerous plants on it, places where predators can attack. Goslings are defenseless, even cats pose a threat to them, so care should be taken to protect the place where the babies are released, covering even the top with a strong net.

You should not leave the bird unattended: the kids are very curious, love to look for opportunities to escape, often get stuck in the cracks of the fences and mesh cells, suffocating.

After the goslings are 1 month old, they can be transferred to free grazing, that is, released into the meadow for the whole day.

Goslings from under the hen

The goslings that the mother hen brought out require almost no human care. If necessary, the mother will take care of timely assistance, warm the chicks, show what and how to eat.

1. Already on the 3rd day, the goose brings the offspring to the pasture, carefully protecting it from any danger.
2. At this time, it is worth paying attention to weakened goslings, which are best isolated from the rest, ensuring proper feeding and treatment.
3. Often the leader of the pack comes to the aid of the goose, and adults do not show aggression towards babies.

Goslings urgently need fresh air, clean water and in sufficient quantities for normal growth and development. Rain, wind, dampness lead to colds, infections. You should not take young animals for walks at this time, they will be safer indoors. If a goose takes care of the offspring, she will shelter them from the weather without relying on people.

room

One of the causes of illness and death of young animals is crowding of goslings in crowded conditions. The requirements for the corral where geese grow up are quite strict.

1. Up to 1 month, no more than 10 goslings can be freely placed on 1 square meter.
2. From 30 to 60 days - no more than 4.
3. After 2 months, 1 pair of birds is placed per square meter.
4. The room should protect young birds from drafts and cold.
5. To protect from rain you need a reliable canopy.
6. The floor must be warm, not accumulating dampness, with bedding.
7. Ventilation openings that provide fresh air - another indispensable condition

Bedding made of straw or sawdust should be changed at least 1 time in 2 days, avoiding the accumulation of moisture and waste products.

Temperature and light conditions

For goslings in the first days of life, temperature is very important, they do not tolerate fluctuations well, so it is recommended to maintain:

• from 1 to 6 days - not lower than 28 degrees;
• from 6 to 14 days - 24 - 26 degrees;
• from 14 to 25 days - not lower than 18.

There should be at least 14 hours of daylight, although many owners prefer to maintain lighting for 24 hours during the first week of the goslings' life.

If the young grow with a goose, everything is much simpler: the mother will warm the goslings and shelter them from the rain. Therefore, a mother hen is always preferable to keeping apart from her mother.

Food

1. The first feeding should be carried out 2 hours after birth. Crushed boiled egg, slightly diluted with boiled water, with the addition of semolina - from 1 to 4 days, 6-8 feedings daily.
2. Then up to 10 days - an egg, cottage cheese, greens (preferably chopped onions), feed 7 times.
3. From the 10th day, you can begin to introduce crushed grain, wet mash from bran, cereals, greens (at least 15 percent of the total amount of food). At this time, the goslings begin to eat cereals (millet, corn, millet), legumes, and boiled potatoes with an appetite.
4. From 16 days, raw chopped root crops are introduced into the diet: beets, carrots, rutabaga, potatoes and others.
5. From 1 month old, goslings are taken out to pasture, where they gladly absorb both greenery and living creatures from reservoirs, if they are nearby.
6. From 1 to 10 days of life, each gosling should eat about 80 grams of food per day: 50 - mixed feed, crushed grains, cereals, 30 - greens.
7. From 11 to 22 - 50 gr. cereals, 110 - greens.
8. From 21 to 30 - 100 gr. cereals, 200 - greens.
9. From the age of one month - 200 gr. cereals, 300 - greens.

From 3 weeks it is good to introduce hay dust, mineral feed, cake, boiled fish, milk and cottage cheese for feeding.

Goslings should always have clean, warm water in their drinkers, into which they drip; in the first days of life, a pinkish solution of manganese is given instead of water to avoid infections.

Disease prevention

Goslings easily pick up all sorts of infections, many of which are detrimental to the entire herd.

1. a bird is necessary in the first hours of life, this will help to overcome most of the diseases.
2. Babies are kept separately from adult birds.
3. Any weakened baby will be isolated immediately, as this may be the first alarm signal of trouble.
4. Disinfect the room once a week, carefully process the feeders and drinkers every day.

Compliance with the thermal and light conditions, the correct diet, timely vaccination and vitamin supplements will help make pets stronger and increase resistance.

What if the hen can't lay an egg? Helpful Hints you will find .

How is the cultivation under the brood hen

If the farm has a goose - a hen, the owners are very lucky.

1. The goose takes care of the eggs by controlling the temperature, turning them over in a timely manner, checking the viability of the embryo and removing the "defective" eggs.
2. It helps with pecking, freeing the chicks from the shell.
3. From the first minutes of life, babies are under her careful control: feeding, heating, walking, protection.
4. At this time, the owners only need to ensure the peace of the mother and, along with food for her, give food to the babies (eggs, cereals, mashes). Pour feed into separate feeders.
5. When the goslings are strong enough, the goose takes them out for the first walk, choosing the safest places. She is very aggressive towards anyone who, from her point of view, is a threat. Both in the meadow and in the pond, the goslings obediently fulfill all its requirements, learn to find grains, tasty grass, catch small insects, fish.

At the age of 1.5–2 months, goslings become almost independent, but they still try not to move far from the goose. Together with adults, they go to the pasture and come back in the evening, get used to the usual routine, do not scatter, “becoming on the wing”, which greatly facilitates the work of poultry farmers