Geese maintenance and care. How do you know if your diet is wrong? How long does it take to grow

Breeding geese at home is beneficial both from a financial and consumer perspective. This is a promising way to replenish the family budget by selling not only meat and eggs, but also other components: feathers, down, fat. Maintaining and raising a flock of geese on a farm does not require large financial investments or energy costs. Birds are easy to care for, quickly adapt to any conditions, and rarely get sick. The popularity of this trend is due to the intensive growth of young animals. After just 2 months, the bird gains significant live weight. If you start breeding geese correctly, you can succeed in this area in the first year.

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Breed selection and productivity

For beginning poultry farmers, it is important to choose the right breeds for breeding.. There are about 40 breeds of geese, differing in egg production, final yield of meat products and living conditions. The choice is made depending on the purpose. More often, geese are bred for their tasty dietary meat and nutritious liver. The most popular is the meat-fat category of birds.

The table shows the productivity of the most common bird breeds.

These breeds are characterized consistently speed dial weight, low maintenance, high immunity. In addition, the liver grows to a rather impressive size. Therefore they are often bred in large quantities at poultry farms. If obtaining eggs is a priority, then pay attention to the Japanese variety.

• In terms of profitability, geese of the Legart and Linda breeds are profitable. With low feed consumption, 20% below the standard, they quickly gain weight. Already at two months of age, the gosling weighs about 6 kg.
• The Arzamas breed is one of the ancient ones, originally listed as a fighting breed. Later she moved to the rank of meat, but she did not lose her former endurance and stamina.
• Gorky specimens were bred through selection in the last century. They are distinguished by equally high egg production and meat productivity. However, geese lack the instinct to hatch eggs.
• The Italian breed is valued for its quality meat and liver, as well as high egg production. Geese, unlike previous varieties, are excellent hens.
• The gray goose breed is effective in producing fatty and nutritious liver. They are actively gaining live weight. Suitable for the role of hens.
• Kholmogory geese stand out as beautiful external exterior. Along with decent productive indicators, the birds are endowed with an easy-going and friendly disposition. Quickly adapt to environmental conditions.

When mating a Chinese goose and a Kholmogor or Toulouse gander, viable young are obtained. With the appropriate feeding ration, such goslings are raised as broilers for meat.



Conditions of detention



Summer period

The first option is suitable for obtaining meat in small quantities for your own needs. In summer, geese constantly graze outside, which does not require the construction of fundamental economic structures. The main thing is to ensure unhindered access for birds to extensive pastures.

For a short-term enclosure, it is enough to build a canopy and cover it with metal mesh. Drinkers and feeders are placed inside.

The most critical period for the care and maintenance of young animals is the first 60–70 days after birth. If pastures are nearby, the goslings begin to be accustomed to walking for 8–10 days. They graze geese in any territory; even swamps, ravines and difficult-to-pass places are suitable for other animals. For comfortable walking, it is necessary to equip the space, preferably with perennial grass cover. The normal amount per head is: for young animals - 1 sq. m, older than 2 months - 5 sq. m, for adults - about 14–15 sq. m. In the mornings and evenings they feed with grain.



When raised in a country house, it is problematic to let geese out to graze on their own. This is due to the lack of sufficient nearby free space. Then they choose aviary housing, and give the birds ready-made diet. This does not cause any particular difficulties, since already at 3-4 weeks the goslings are able to feed on food waste. Usually the goose menu includes grain, feed, vegetables, fresh grass.



Winter care

Geese are left for the winter for the purpose of obtaining eggs and breeding offspring. To obtain a good result, create appropriate conditions: light and temperature regime, balanced diet. This allows you to increase egg production and preserve the integrity of the eggs for further incubation or hatching.

First of all, a purebred herd is selected, with special requirements for the selection of a breeding gander. A strong constitution, healthy plumage, and pronounced characteristics of a meat breed are required. For every three females there is one male. Egg laying occurs at the end of February, but the dates can be changed by artificially extending daylight hours. Starting in December, daylight hours gradually increase, up to 14–15 hours. After installing the backlight lamps, the geese begin to lay eggs within 30–40 days.



To prevent the eggs from being affected by hatchability due to low temperatures, they are immediately removed from under the goose, cooled to a temperature of 12–13 °C and stored for no more than 10 days, while incubation is possible.

Before laying and throughout, the female and male are fed balanced feed compositions according to a specific schedule. Three meals a day are divided as follows: in the morning and evening - a mash of wet food and grain crops, at night they give sprouted grain. They provide for fattening the ganders in advance, since they spend a lot of energy and effort during the egg-laying period. As a result, individuals may lose weight. For support physical fitness include oats, carrots, fish oil and fish bone meal in the diet.

In winter, walking is not canceled, but the territory is limited, clearing it of snow cover. An acceptable alternative would be a solarium based on 1-2 square meters. m per individual.

Winter maintenance is not limited to obtaining eggs as a food product. In the future, their incubation or natural incubation is implied. It is recommended to use the latter option, since the mother goose is more sensitive to her offspring. This increases the percentage yield and safety of young animals. The hens are left in the same nests, only fenced off from each other to avoid fights. During incubation, they are provided with food, drink and peace of mind.



If it is not possible to use natural incubation, use an incubator. A small unit is suitable for home breeding. It creates an optimal temperature regime - 37–38 °C. If the temperature is lower, the duration of incubation increases, and the goslings hatch weak.

Requirements for premises and equipment

A stationary poultry house is necessary when breeding a flock of geese all year round, in order to obtain offspring and eggs. If there are no suitable buildings, you will have to start construction from scratch. The work will require wood and bricks made from straw and clay, homemade. You can use any available material, which is always in abundance in your garden.

The ideal design for geese is a spacious box without gaps. They eliminate drafts inside and additionally insulate them by puttingty and plastering the walls. Geese are not afraid of frost, but the “walking wind” is destructive for them.

The roof is made sloping on one side and covered with roofing felt. The floor is being finished wooden planks or add more soil to eliminate dampness from groundwater. The area is calculated depending on the number of livestock and age. For adults, 1 square meter is enough. m per unit. The room is divided into two rooms of different sizes: the large one is used for feeding, the geese sleep in the small one.

In winter, the floor is additionally insulated with straw, peat, millet, and sunflower husks. It is important to create comfortable conditions for the birds so that there is no dampness and cold, then they are less likely to get sick and die. The litter is changed as it becomes dirty, approximately once every 4–5 days.



The goose barn is equipped with quite convenient drinkers and feeders. Wooden troughs are suitable for dry food, and metal troughs for liquid food. It is important to ensure a free approach to food and water, without crowding. To prevent the litter from getting wet when drinking, drinkers are installed on pedestals covered with mesh. In winter, refill regularly hot water to prevent ice from forming.

In addition to the basic devices, it is necessary to have nests for geese. They are made in advance so that by the time the goose lays eggs, it can adapt to the new place. For nesting, use any wicker container, be it a basket or tray. If it is an ordinary wooden box, then a removable pallet is placed on the bottom. This makes it easier to remove the eggs.

Feeding

Long-term breeding of geese requires the preparation of feed in advance so that it is enough for the entire cold season. Normally, this is 15–20 kg of hay and 35–40 kg of succulent food per adult. Any grass or specially sown alfalfa with clover is suitable as hay. Forbs can be ensiled, that is, preserved by fermentation. Popular succulent foods include carrots and sugar beets.



Supplements in the form of tree branches (linden, aspen, birch), pine needles, dried river plants, and acorns will be no less valuable. Geese love to eat earthworms, which can be collected in the summer and stored in the basement until cold weather.

Little goslings grow rapidly and have an excellent appetite from the first days of life. Until the fortieth day, it is recommended to feed babies with formulas containing wheat bran, boiled potatoes, chopped herbs, crushed grains. Feed with boiled egg and fermented milk products. Upon reaching one month old You can start introducing whole grains, grass, and mineral supplements (gravel, bone meal) into your diet. The goslings also enjoy eating live food - frogs, tadpoles, beetles, and worms.

Diseases in geese

Geese differ from other poultry in their stable immunity. They rarely get sick, but only if they have a competent and caring attitude. Preventive actions against the development of diseases:

Frequent diseases among the goose population are paratyphoid fever, rickets, vitelline peritonitis, aspergillosis, echinostomatidiasis, cholera, and poisoning.

Paratyphoid is considered the most terrible and dangerous illness for young goslings. It is epidemiological in nature and kills up to 95% of young animals. The first symptoms are lethargy, lack of appetite, suppuration of the eyes, liquid stool. Is a consequence improper care, lack of vitamins. With a lack of sunlight, geese develop rickets. Leads to inhibited development, softening of the beak and bones. IN medicinal purposes It is recommended to increase the hours spent in the fresh air, and vitamin D is introduced into the diet.

Females are susceptible to vitelline peritonitis, which occurs in stressful situations and with poor quality nutrition. The source of inflammation is localized in the peritoneum. The disease has not been fully studied, making it difficult to treat. Prevention is to maintain cleanliness in the poultry house, to protect the geese from negative impacts, good food. Aspergillosis cannot be treated - fungal infection which amazes respiratory organs. Some individuals carry the disease on their legs, then it progresses to chronic stage. Death occurs.



Unfortunately, not all diseases can be cured, even if discovered early manifestations. Therefore, farmers are faced with the task of preventing the spread of the infection. You must always keep the enclosures clean, change the water regularly, provide only high-quality food, and take the geese out into the fresh air to graze every day.

The goose business is promising and profitable in many ways. With a small investment of initial stage it is possible to gradually expand the farm to an industrial scale. The payback on such an investment comes in short term, since the demand for goose products is consistently high. In this way, you can not only make a profit, but also provide your family with environmentally friendly and healthy products.

It is profitable to breed geese in your own backyard or in farming. They do not require careful care, are unpretentious in food, and grow quickly. You can make good money by breeding them; they are a highly productive bird with dietary meat, delicious eggs and valuable liver.

Breeds of geese - Arzamas, Gorky or Japanese?

The peculiarity of breeding geese is that they are not kept in cages, like chickens. It is profitable to grow them if there is pasture for walking and some kind of body of water: a river or a pond. Geese need space, they constantly need to move and walk. Due to the great physical activity, the muscles of geese have a large number of blood vessels, so their meat is much darker than chicken.

A novice farmer should understand the breeds of geese, as each has its own characteristics. Below are the most popular breeds and their productivity:

• Arzamas. Weight of gander - 7-8 kg, goose - 6-7 kg, eggs - 170 g. Characteristic features: unpretentiousness, fast maturation, high survival rate. Raised for meat.
• Gorkovskys. Males weigh 7-8 kg, females - 6-7 kg. Geese are white in color, meat and egg type. Geese have a weakened brooding instinct. They bring up to 45 eggs.
• Italian. A gander can reach a weight of 7 kg, a goose - up to 6 kg. The breed is bred for its meat and liver. High meat productivity. They bring up to 50 eggs per year.
• Chinese. The weight of a male is 5 kg, and that of a female is 4 kg. Hardy, have high egg production, egg weight - 120 g.
• Large gray ones. The weight of a gander is from 7 to 9.5 kg, and that of a goose is from 6 to 7 kg. Meat geese with a bias for fattening to obtain fatty liver. Egg production – 37-47 eggs per year. The eggs are large, weighing 150-200 g. Geese hatch eggs well and are used as brood hens. The breed is very hardy.
• Tula. The breed is bred as a decorative breed and for meat production. In the past it was a fighting breed. Males weigh up to 6 kg, females – 5.6 kg, egg weight – 150 g.
• Toulouse. Geese are characterized by low mobility and can be kept in cages. If taken out for walking, they grow poorly. Ganders weigh up to 12 kg, geese - up to 10 kg. The liver weighs up to one kilogram. Eggs - about 200 g. They produce up to 40 eggs annually.
• Kholmogorsky. The weight of a gander is from 8 to 12 kg, a goose’s weight is from 7 to 9 kg. The weight of goslings at two months of age reaches 4 kg. Geese have a calm, friendly character, grow quickly, have high growth rates, and are unpretentious in maintenance.
• Japanese. This breed is recommended for those who want to get as many eggs as possible.

From a mature goose, the farmer has 6 kg of meat (2.5 months old - up to 4 kg), delicious liver, 2.5 kg of fat, down and feathers that do not allow water to pass through and retain heat. If you have decided on the breed, let's create the appropriate conditions for raising geese.

Caring for and maintaining a flock - how to make a home for birds?

The conditions for keeping geese depend on the breeding season: only in the warm season or all year round. The area of ​​the room is determined by the number of geese - 1 square. meter for each individual. In order for productivity to be high, high-quality lighting must be provided in the aviary with poultry. Daylight hours can be increased by turning on electric light. For example, turn on the lights in the morning at 6 o’clock, and turn them off only at 8 pm. Having created such conditions, you can expect that the geese will begin to lay eggs a couple of months earlier.

To keep poultry in winter, you need to build a special room, ensuring its heating is not lower than 10 degrees. The construction must be made of good quality, preferably with a vestibule. Seal all cracks to eliminate drafts, as cold air has a negative impact on the health of livestock. Windows are needed in the room, because geese are comfortable in a dark room only when sleeping. Insulate all doors and windows. Install the flooring on the floor. The distance to the ground should be at least 25-30 cm. Install drinkers and feeders in the goose barn. In addition, place mineral supplements in a separate container.

In summer, the herd is kept in an open enclosure outside. So that the birds can hide from bad weather and sunlight, we build a canopy. Make an artificial pond in the pen, where you change the water regularly. If it is not possible to allow geese to walk on pasture, you can fence off additional area around the paddock with chain-link mesh. Thanks to walks, the growth period of the bird increases; it gains slaughter weight in 4 months. Fattening before slaughter should be plentiful, including feed that corresponds to the purpose of rearing.

In order for geese to gain weight well, they need movement, so they are released into the open air when they reach a week of age. To allow geese to go outside on their own, equip special exits indoors. It is better not to release the chicks in bad weather. Walking time is gradually increased by half an hour. Goslings 2-3 weeks old are left outside all day, driven indoors only at night. The presence of a natural reservoir and abundant vegetation allows you to save on feed and simplifies the care of the livestock.

Breeding basics - what to feed and water your charges?

Since geese grow quickly, the chicks have an increased metabolism from birth, so for the first 40 days they are fed 6-7 times a day. Some farmers feed the chicks every three hours for the first week. The first time they give food, as soon as the chicks dry out. The diet consists of mixed feed or a mixture of crushed grains, buckwheat, peas and other cereals. Added to the main menu boiled egg V chopped form, cottage cheese, alfalfa, green onions, clover and nettles. All ingredients are finely chopped and added in a 1:1 ratio.

For older chicks, we add cake and boiled vegetables to their diet. The grain mixture is given in the following proportions: one part each of cake, bran and beans, two parts of crushed wheat grains. In addition, you can give insects, worms, boiled frogs, and introduce boiled potatoes and corn into the diet.

As mineral supplements Chopped shells and crushed chalk are suitable. If geese are raised for meat, three-week-old individuals are intensively fed without walking and kept in cages. From the first days you need to take care of the availability of drinking bowls; they must be safe for the goslings. We change the water every day. When the chicks grow up, we put larger containers so that the goslings can swim in them, like in a pond. The sides of drinkers should be low.

We introduce new food in small portions, gradually increasing its content compared to the total volume of food. While walking, geese feed on pasture; it is especially useful to let them out in the morning, when the grass is most nutritious and juicy.

There are two ways to breed geese: natural and in an incubator. They reach sexual maturity at 9 months. To breed birds at home, you need to have a flock of geese in which the number of geese is three times greater than that of geese. Beginning farmers can do without creating goose families; with experience, in order to obtain good offspring, they should select a mate for the male.

Hatching eggs - what conditions should be created for the hens?

With the natural breeding method, it should be taken into account that one hen can produce 13-14 birds due to the large size of the eggs. If you use a hen for breeding birds, select a dry, well-ventilated, draft-free room for hatching. The temperature inside should be maintained at 14-15 degrees. To organize a nest, select a separate place in the goose coop. To train geese to lay eggs and protect eggs from being trampled, lay boards along the wall, with a bed of straw or sawdust.

Keep the hens separately from the flock. This is due to the fact that other geese can lay eggs in the incubated clutch during the absence of the hen, in which case the brooding process will be delayed, which will negatively affect the further development of the chicks. Make sure the nest is always dry. If an egg breaks, remove it; wipe the remaining eggs if they get wet. Geese have a highly developed maternal instinct; they can transfer the eggs of other hens to themselves while they are away. With a large number of eggs, it is more difficult to heat them all at the same time. In addition, the likelihood of their damage increases. Therefore, if there are several hens, fence each one off with a partition.

If the hen leaves the nest, you need to make sure that she returns to it without confusing it with the neighboring one. If the hen is absent from the nest for more than 20 minutes, drive her back. Feed the hens selected grains and change the water daily. Hens take care of their offspring independently, transferring eggs for uniform heating.

The chicks hatch after 28 days. The hatched chicks are placed in a separate box and provided with heating. When all the chicks appear, they are placed in the nest with the hen. You can add to them several chicks that appeared in the incubator. It is better to carry out replanting in the evening.

Incubation is an alternative method of hatching chicks

Incubation goose eggs This is more difficult than for chicken eggs, since the eggs are larger and contain a lot of fat. A good result is considered if 70% of the goslings have hatched. For successful incubation, adhere to the following rules:

• Select eggs for the incubator that are no more than 10 days old;
• Only healthy eggs with an ideal shape should be selected; they should not be washed;
• for disinfection, a solution of potassium permanganate can be applied to the eggs with a spray bottle;
• Before placing them in the incubator, warm the eggs to a temperature of 39 degrees for 3-4 hours;
• after laying, maintain the temperature in the incubator at 38 degrees for the first 4-5 hours, then reduce it to 37.8 degrees;
• to prevent dehydration of the embryo and the inner shell from drying out, maintain the air humidity in the incubator between 60 and 65%;
• to avoid congestion harmful gases after 15 days after laying, periodically open the incubator to ventilate it;
• so that the eggs are heated evenly and do not stick to the mold or mesh, they need to be turned 6 to 8 times during the day;
• since the air exchange in goose eggs is 12 times more intense than in chicken eggs, organize proper ventilation to avoid oxygen starvation of the embryos;
• two weeks before the chicks appear in the incubator, lower the temperature to 29-30 degrees every day for an hour, this will make it possible to get rid of excess heat.

If the incubation rules are followed, the chicks appear a month after being placed in the incubator.

If you plan to raise goslings without a brood hen, the temperature in the room must be 26 degrees. The growth and survival of chicks depends on access to feed and water. If the goose coop is crowded, the chick may not reach the feeder and die of hunger. For 10 goslings, at least one square meter should be allocated.

How to avoid diseases in geese - preventive measures

Breeding geese requires compliance with the rules of care, good nutrition.The following preventive measures are recommended:

Some diseases cannot be cured, therefore, in order to reduce the risk of diseases, you need to keep the goose barn clean, provide high-quality feed, change the water in a timely manner and ensure that the flock is allowed to walk. With proper care you can achieve high productivity.

Breeding geese at home, at your own dacha or on a farm, provides the breeder with ample earning opportunities. Keeping geese will not be difficult even for beginners. These birds are unpretentious in food and do not require special attention and care, are characterized by high productivity.

Geese meat and feathers are very popular

From them we obtain meat with dietary properties, egg products and offal (liver), down and feathers. At the dacha or garden plot It will be possible to raise a family of up to five heads, weighing up to six kilograms. By autumn, breeders receive up to 60 kg of meat products from each female.

Breed and productivity

Currently, approximately 40 species of this bird are bred in the world. It is recommended to start breeding geese by selecting a breed. Among the popular ones, breeders name:

• Arzamas: meat type, gander - 7-8, goose - 6-7 kilograms, egg weight - 170 grams. It is characterized by unpretentiousness, vitality and precocity.
• Chinese: a gander weighs 5, and a goose weighs 4 kilograms. High egg production (weight 120 g), endurance.
• Toulouse: inactive, adapted for living in cages, grows poorly on pastures. The weight of the gander is 12, and that of the geese is 10 kg. Fatty liver weighs up to a kilogram. Egg production – up to 40 pieces weighing 200 g annually.
• Gorky: meat and egg variety of white color, male weight - 7-8, geese - 6-7, bring up to 45 pieces of egg production. Females have a weakened brooding instinct.
• Italian: gander weight – up to 7, goose – up to 6 kg. They are bred for meat and liver (up to 7%).
• Large gray: male weight - from 7 to 9.5, female - from 6 to 7 kilograms. Meat breed, suitable for fattening fatty liver, do without a pond. Geese are used as hens.
• Kholmogorskaya: male weight - from 8 to 12, female - from 7 to 9 kilograms. Young animals at two months of age weigh 4 kilograms at the time of slaughter. High growth, early maturity, friendly and calm character. Unpretentious to living conditions.
• Tula: bred for meat and for decorative purposes, former fighting breed. A gander weighs up to 6, a goose weighs up to 5.6 kg, and an egg weighs 150 grams.

The Tula goose can reach 6 kg in weight

On average, one sexually mature specimen brings to the breeder (in kilograms):

• meat – 6 (at two months of age – up to 4.5);
• fat – up to 2.5;
• offal (delicious liver);
• down and feathers (which retain heat and keep water out).

Productivity indicators vary depending on the breed.

Conditions

Keeping geese in a country house or farm requires compliance with conditions that are determined by the breeding season - all year round or only during the warm period. The area of ​​the room depends on the number of people per head. square meter. If it is kept all year round, then take care of heating the room (temperature not lower than 10 degrees). In the summer, the flock is left outside and you do not need to care for it.

Geese require minimal care in summer

Winter bedding is made from straw, peat, wood shavings or sunflower husks. Summer - made of sand or sawdust.

Caring for geese is reduced if there is a pond with running water and rich vegetation near the place of keeping. Under these conditions, feed consumption decreases. An artificially created pond or container helps. Sow cereal crops in fenced grazing areas. For the pen, allocate a covered room with access to the water, a clay floor and blank end walls. In winter frosts, the herd is still allowed outside.

The presence of a pond greatly simplifies caring for geese

Diet

IN summer period Geese feeding is based on forbs growing in the grazing meadows. In winter, they are given dry alfalfa and clover, harvested before the flowering period. They are fed bran and grains (wheat, corn).

Compound feed with the addition of vegetables (fodder beets, potatoes, carrots, etc.) is used. Ground berry crops (viburnum, rowan, rose hips, etc.) are added to food.

By eating this way, they quickly gain weight. For fattening, they are additionally given grains a couple of times a day (35 g each). For the last two weeks they have been kept in cages (when kept at a dacha or farm), not allowed out for walks, and fed with steamed grain up to four times daily. They are sent for slaughter at two months of age and weighing 4 kilograms or more. During the growth stage of new plumage, it is better to wait until three months of age until this period ends.

Proper feeding and maintenance of geese in the winter at the dacha or farm guarantees productivity even with short period egg-laying, for which these birds are famous. In cold weather, 130-160 grams of a mixture of grain and flour are given per head, bean hay - 100-150 grams, root vegetables - up to half a kilogram.

Wheat and other cereals are the basis of the geese’s diet

Breeding

Puberty occurs at 8-10 months. In the second year, egg production increases to twenty percent. For this, make a nest from wood materials with dimensions of 50 by 75 cm (one for 2-3 heads). The nests are periodically cleaned. The period of intensive oviposition lasts three years, in exceptional cases – up to four years.

To form goose families for keeping in the country, first select strong, healthy, well-built goslings.

After two months, an assessment is made of the rate and intensity of growth and other external indicators (feather condition, constitution). Males with a weight that exceeds the average weight by ten percent are allowed; females have a weight not lower than average. When the birds are 4 months old, breeders make a final assessment of the flock. This is how the parent herd is formed.

The parent herd is formed from the best representatives of the herd

Maintain the proportions of specimens by age:

• over a year old – 26%;
• over two years old – 24%;
• over three years old – 23%;
• young animals – 27%.

There are three times more female representatives than ganders. Breeders select a family of two or three females for one male. Several such associations make up a herd. Geese breeding allows ganders to stay in the same pen as long as they are not aggressive towards each other.

If you don’t know where to start breeding geese at home, then place nests on the floor 30 days before egg laying.

Choose a place hidden from light where there are no drafts. A clean straw flooring is placed on the bottom. Oviposition begins at the end of winter and lasts until May. Feeding geese during the breeding period includes oat sprouts (100 g per head) or a mixture of ground grain (80%) and animal food (20%). Do not overfeed so that this does not affect the fertility of the livestock.

Before you start laying eggs (in the morning, once every two days), expectant mother worried. If the temperature is below zero, remove the eggs and place them in a ventilated room (for no more than 10 days). If they are stored longer, turn them every few days.

Goose eggs should be kept indoors in winter.

Incubation

Raising geese at home is carried out naturally(geese incubating eggs). Another option is breeding offspring using incubators. Eggs selected for this purpose:

• fertilized (candling after a week) - at least 87 percent;
• with the hatchability of goslings (determined by the ratio of the emerging young to the initial number of egg-laying animals - at least 65 percent);
• not contaminated with excrement.

• with the presence of a double or moving yolk;
• irregular outlines;
• with cracks and other defects in the shell;
• with translucent blood clots;
• an air chamber that is too large or incorrectly positioned.

The temperature in the incubator is maintained at 37.5-37.7 degrees. At lower rates, the embryos are delayed in development, and the young hatch weak. If you increase the heating, this will speed up growth at first, but then the chicks appear small and sickly. Maintain air humidity of 60-65 percent: dryness causes dehydration of the embryos, and the inner membrane dries out.

The humidity in the incubator must be maintained at least 60%

Air exchange in goose eggs is 12 times more intense than in chicken eggs. Ventilation in the incubator protects the embryos from oxygen starvation.

Periodic turning will ensure uniform heating and prevent the embryo from sticking to the walls.

After two weeks and until the end of incubation, the temperature drops to 29-30 degrees for half an hour once a day. This will remove excess heat. The chicks will hatch within a month of starting.

Incubation period

When the egg-laying stage comes to an end, the birds pluck out their down and line the nest with it. It is better if the breeder chooses an older specimen as a hen. If the female is young, she is checked first. She is experimentally given unfertilized eggs and left alone for three days. The goose passes the test if it does not leave the nest during this time and drives the person away with hissing.

In this case, it is left to incubate in the same place. 11-13 eggs are placed under it. If several hens are together, they are separated from the rest of the herd and from each other so that they do not get nervous and fight. They leave the nest to eat and drink.

Geese incubate their eggs and breed their offspring on their own.

While incubation is in progress, inspect the clutch twice: after a week and a half and after three weeks. The light ones, without an embryo visible through the light, remain unfertilized and are removed. Specimens with a dead embryo are also removed, which during the first inspection appears as dark circles, and during the second as a dark spot.

When the female begins to worry, this means that the chicks are about to hatch.

If you are breeding a breed heavier than 6 kg (such as Kholmogory), then remove the eggs from under the hen 2 days before the birth of the young. The goslings appear one after another, and it is better to place each of them in a box with a temperature of 26-28 degrees until all of them hatch. Afterwards, the brood is returned to the mother (with the addition of other one-day-old goslings).

Raising young specimens

If hatching goslings using an incubator or as a result of natural hatching is not possible in a country house or garden plot, then breeders purchase one-day-old young animals from farmers who breed these birds. Create a temperature of 26-28 degrees until the fifth day, from the sixth to the tenth day reduce it to 24-22, then over the next days - to 22-15. Allow enough space for each head to avoid crowding. Breeding geese at home requires an area of ​​one square meter for 10 one-month-old specimens or 4 two-month-old ones.

One goose can lead up to 25 goslings

If the brood returns to the mother to care for the offspring, then do this in the evening. See if she has accepted all the chicks. At the same time, give her the young from another egg laying. An experienced female leads up to 20-25 heads of young animals, a young one – 12.

Monitor the temperature to prevent it from rising and the cleanliness of cages or other areas. From three weeks of age, heating is not needed. Provide ventilation. The lighting continues around the clock for the first week, then for 17 hours. Pay attention to painful specimens.

If the chick has trouble standing on his feet, tie his limbs loosely with braid until he learns.

Care

To raise a healthy flock, change the water every day. Feeding of geese begins from the day they are born. During the first week, food is given up to 7 times a day; some breeders feed the chicks after three hours. The diet includes mixed feed or a mixture of crushed grains of wheat, peas, buckwheat and other cereals. Chopped boiled yolk and white, cottage cheese are added to it. Greens (nettle or clover) are also finely chopped there with a ratio of 1 to 1. Give the birds boiled frogs, insects, and worms.

Geese need walks

Birds need movement, for which they are given pastures. You can start releasing them into the open air from the first days of life. When it's windy or rainy, leave them at home. In the second and third weeks of age, the young flock spends the entire day outside (only bring them indoors at night).

After a few days, boiled vegetables and cakes appear on the menu. Small pebbles are poured into the feeder nearby. Crushed chalk and shells are given as additives.

Young animals are released outside from a week of age for half an hour, gradually increasing the walking time. From two weeks onwards, the stay on the street lasts the whole day.

Raising geese for meat involves intensive feeding of three-week-old specimens without going outside, in cages. This diet contains mixed feed and fresh green food in a ratio of 1 to 1. They give a grain mixture of two shares of crushed wheat and one each of bran, beans and cake, with mineral additives - crushed shells, crushed chalk, table salt.

If you properly care for the livestock, then even in small plots at your dacha you will be able to raise a well-fed herd. It quickly gains weight, for which you will need to give plenty of food and monitor the conditions of detention. Then by the slaughter season you will receive meat, fatty liver, down and feathers.

Farming. This topic is of interest to many. Some people dream of having a large farm of their own that will bring significant profits, while others want to have environmentally friendly products on their table that they are confident in their quality. Caring for, breeding and keeping geese is an interesting and profitable business.

Breeding geese is a profitable business, especially if you take proper care

A lot of meat, delicious liver and fluff - all this can be obtained by breeding. Fast growth young animals makes goose farming an excellent activity during summer holiday in the country and a profitable business.

If you have never kept poultry, choose which goslings to buy. Here are several popular breeds that provide good profits at relatively low costs. Currently there are 3 types of geese: heavy meat breeds, decorative, fighting. At dachas and in private farmsteads, large birds are often raised for meat. Best breeds for personal use.

1. Large gray geese. Males weigh up to 9 kg, females - 6 kg. The breed is characterized by high productivity, unpretentiousness to feed, can do without a pond, geese are excellent mothers. Ganders are strong and hardy and are often used for crossing and creating hybrid species. In 2 months, geese reach a weight of 4.5-5 kg.
2. Italian. The breed has been bred in our country for the last 30 years. Delicious meat, tender liver, which reaches a weight of 600 g. The weight of an adult gander is 6-9 kg, a goose is 5-6. They tolerate summer heat well and withstand winter. The presence of a reservoir is mandatory.
3. Lindovskie.
4. Kholmogorsky.

Representatives of the breed are large, with excellent immunity; ganders can reach 12 kg, and geese 8 kg. Females are excellent at looking after their offspring, but due to their heavy weight they can crush the eggs.

Today more than 25 breeds have been bred. Which breed to choose is up to you.

It is better to buy goslings in April-May. With an abundance of green food, good pasture and a small pond for swimming, within 2 months after purchase you will receive your first product.

Selection and purchase of young animals

• It is better for beginners to buy small goslings for raising. You can purchase them from a specialized farm with a good reputation or at the market. It is preferable to buy goslings from breeders of the breed, but this is not always possible. You need to choose your goslings carefully:
• choose large beautiful chicks;
• babies should be active, squeak, stretch their necks, move their paws;
• they should be covered with an even layer of fluff, without bald spots and the impression that the fluff has been matted;
• beaks are clean, bright, without mucus in the sinuses;
• fluff without debris and traces of feces;
• the goslings stand confidently on their paws, which are not tucked in;
• paws are dry, bright in color, without blue on the membranes;
• the cloaca is clean, without traces of feces and mucus;

the seller is ready to show documents for the bird and answers in detail all questions related to keeping chicks and adults.

When buying goslings, make sure they are clean and healthy. You can buy day-old goslings, but week-old chicks are more viable. High price

not an indicator of quality.

Requirements for living conditions for goslings

Poultry house

Breeding geese at home will not cause difficulties if you arm yourself with knowledge.

Before buying kids, you should take care of housing for them. A clean, dry shed with lime-whitened walls is ideal to protect against mold and mildew. Capital construction is necessary for year-round keeping of birds. Geese are sensitive to room cleanliness and drafts. Comfortable conditions

will ensure a healthy, strong livestock.

Birds need clean, dry bedding. Straw, sawdust, peat, millet or sunflower husks are used for it. Be sure to install drinking bowls. It is better to place them on special trays so that splashing water does not wet the litter and does not increase the humidity in the room. With pallets it is easier to clean the house.

If there are few goslings, they are kept at the rate of 10 pieces per 1 square meter. m. If there are more birds, make separate enclosures and divide the population. Chicks, when there are many of them, can crush each other. Goslings different breeds

If you plan to keep the geese at the dacha only in the summer and a large permanent barn is not provided, you can place the kids on a closed veranda or in a summer kitchen, fencing off a pen for them. After only 7-14 days, they grow enough to pluck grass on their own. To keep them in the summer, you don’t need a warm barn; it is enough to protect your pets from rain, wind, and predatory animals.

Nutrition

For the first three days of life, chicks are given hard-boiled egg yolk, millet or oatmeal crumbly porridge with cottage cheese. Feeding every 2-3 hours. When caring for young animals, keep in mind that the water must be boiled.

There should be boiled water in the drinking bowl for young animals.

IN next days The goslings are given a mash of finely chopped green onions, yolk, and young finely chopped grass. Eggs are excluded from the fifth day, cottage cheese is added little by little: this will provide the chicks with vitamins.

Week-old goslings are fed soaked peas, passed through a meat grinder, and finely chopped grass 1:1. Fish oil and grated carrots are added to the food. Bone meal is an additional source of vitamins.

A little potassium permanganate is periodically added to the drinking water of older goslings. Pale pink water - excellent remedy prevention of diarrhea. The water is no longer boiled, but drinkers and feeders are washed after each feeding.

From the second week, vegetables (potatoes, zucchini, pumpkin) are introduced into the chicks’ diet. Leave the peas and increase the amount of grass. From the third week, the chicks are fed like adult birds, 3 times a day.

Birds also eat at night, so there should always be food in the feeders.

Shells and chalk are mixed into the food for good digestion.

What should be in a goose barn

If you plan to keep geese all year round, you should equip a warm, light barn. It can be made of wood or adobe (a mixture of clay and straw), foam and cinder blocks are suitable for construction.

The main thing is to seal the cracks well so that in cold weather the birds do not suffer from frost and drafts. You can insulate the walls of a wooden structure with mineral wool, plaster and whitewash them with lime.

Good ventilation is necessary in the goose barn. Excessively dry and too humid air are harmful to the bird population.

Windows are required; they provide birds with light. If possible, it is worth installing electricity. Good lighting improves the well-being of the flock and has a positive effect on egg production.

The floors in poultry houses are made of wood or earthen; bedding 5-10 cm thick in summer and 15 cm in winter is required. Change the bedding in the feeding area once every 5-7 days, in the sleeping area - once every 10 days.

Geese's feet especially suffer from the cold; the presence of bedding is very important.

The goose barn room is divided into several zones.

1. Feeding area, in which there are feeders and drinking bowls. There you need to put a container with a mixture of sand, sulfur and ash. By bathing in this mixture, geese get rid of ticks and feather eaters.
2. Sleep zone. Geese spend the night in it. It should be remembered that these are large birds; it is necessary to calculate the area so that there is 1 square meter for each adult bird. m of space.
3. Chick incubation area. Geese are housed here and hatch their chicks. Birds are especially anxious during this period; they are separated from the rest and created comfortable conditions.

In the spring, after warm weather sets in, “general” cleaning should be carried out in the poultry house. Thoroughly clean the room of droppings, ventilate, dry, and re-whiten the walls.

Feeders and drinkers

It is better to use long metal troughs for them. Birds eat together; long feeders will help avoid crowding. Containers can be made of wood, but they are more difficult to clean and wash. You should provide special dishes with shells, gravel and small pebbles that birds need for normal digestion.

Feeders and drinkers are located at a height of approximately 20 cm from the litter level. In such feeders they place wet food. Make sure that the mash does not turn sour. Anything left uneaten should be removed.

Any uneaten food must be removed from the feeders, otherwise it will turn sour.

Several wooden boxes with dry food are attached along the walls of the goose barn. They make a special window in them so that the geese can eat whenever they want.

In winter, drinking water is heated to prevent the birds from catching a cold.

Walking for geese

It is optimal to provide a goose flock with pasture with good set herbs: birds love nettles, clover, dandelion, 15 square meters per adult. m of walking area with low-growing plants. For young animals, 5-7 square meters is enough. m.

Your pets can be outside all summer long; you just need to build a shelter so they can hide from the rain. If at the same time the birds have access to a pond, then this is just a dream.

If the area is small, or the geese live in the country only in the summer, place them in enclosures where they can roam freely, place several large containers for swimming, and provide food yourself.

Features of winter and summer care

Winter content

We have already talked about a warm, clean goose barn. In winter, geese should be let out for a walk, unless there is severe frost. Walking 1-1.5 hours a day strengthens and improves immunity.

If it is impossible to change the litter, sprinkle it with superphosphate once every 7-10 days. Single and double are suitable, 400 and 200 g, respectively, per 1 square. m. It dries the litter, reduces the release of ammonia, and enriches it with mineral components.

Don't forget that dirty, damp feathers no longer retain heat..

Nests

Nests are built near the side walls of the goose barn. Usually these are boxes made of wood or plywood 60x50x50 cm (length, width, height). The bottom protects the masonry from hypothermia and reduces the likelihood of breaking or damaging the eggs.

Each nest must be separate and with bedding

The end of the nest rests against the wall, on the opposite side there is a hole for the goose with a small 10 cm threshold so that the bedding does not scatter. Nests are arranged in shaded corners of the barn, each should be separated by blank walls.

Geese sitting on nests are separated from the rest of the population: they will worry less and will not abandon the clutch.

Nutrition

They are fed mash of mixed feed, boiled vegetables, corn and peas in various combinations. Add fish and bone meal, fish oil and cottage cheese as a source of vitamins, carrots to enrich the diet with carotene. The food should be moist but crumbly. Hay, oats, millet and mixed feed are used as dry food. Birds love silage, so you should take care of preparing it in advance. Feeding 3-4 times a day and a balanced diet will help you survive the winter without problems.

In summer

Most of the time, the birds are in the summer pen; a canopy needs to be built in it to protect from wind and rain. Change the water in bathing containers regularly so that the geese can wash their feathers.

Caring for geese in the summer is kept to a minimum. Independent and intelligent birds find food, return home themselves, and carefully care for their offspring.

Incubation

Reproduction of goslings occurs in an incubator or from a brood goose.

You can place more eggs in the incubator, and the chicks will hatch at the same time, but buying an apparatus is not a cheap pleasure. But if breeding geese has already turned from a hobby into a source of permanent income for you, it is completely justified.

Eggs for incubation must be large and clean

The best samples are selected:

• eggs must be clean; there is no need to wash them before placing them in the incubator or under the hen;

• large specimens weighing 160-180 g;
• the shell is smooth, without cracks, damage, or limescale deposits;
• correct shape;
• There are no foreign inclusions, blood stains, or dark spots inside;
• specimens with two yolks, with a displaced yolk and with a large air chamber are rejected.

They are stored at a temperature of +10-12°C in a dry room with a humidity of 75-80%. Lay horizontally, sometimes turning.

Natural incubation

Choose a calm goose that remains on the nest even when a person enters the room. The best hens are birds 2-4 years old. A good female does not stray far from the nest. If a goose is planted for the first time, then someone else's eggs are placed in its nest. Experienced poultry keepers advise covering the nest with the goose with a basket to force it to sit on the clutch. You lift the basket so that the goose can stretch and eat, and she doesn’t run away, which means she will be a good mommy. The bird is kept under the basket for no more than 3 days. During this time, she gets used to incubation.

From 9 to 15 eggs are placed under one individual. The hen should completely cover the nest. Eggs are laid no older than 12 days. The chicks hatch after 4 weeks, often at 30-31 days. A feeder and fresh water are placed next to the goose so that it does not wander too far.

10 days after planting, the masonry should be inspected against the light. In a fertilized egg with a well-developed embryo, it will be visible. Those without an embryo are removed. This is done when mommy has gone to eat. On day 27, another examination is carried out. Eggs with frozen embryos are thrown away.

Artificial breeding

There are two types of incubators - with and without ventilation. A device with ventilation is preferable. Selected eggs are placed in the incubator. From days 1 to 9 you need a temperature of 37.8-38°C. From days 9 to 28, the heat is maintained at 37.5°C, after hatching until hatching - 37.2°C. The eggs are turned 4 times a day. After the 15th day, the masonry must be sprayed with water at 37°C. After drying, the hatched goslings are placed next to the goose with the babies.

Possible diseases

Non-communicable diseases

With good resistance to diseases, birds may suffer from vitamin deficiency when poor nutrition. Lack of vitamins provokes the development rickets, diarrhea, cloacitis. Adding bone meal, fish oil, vegetables and mineral supplements to the food will help avoid problems.

The next subgroup of diseases is caused by room pollution, lack of space, and poor ventilation. These include: cannibalism, enteritis. Symptoms of cannibalism include ruffled feathers that break and fall out, revealing a bleeding back. With enteritis, disturbances in the gastrointestinal tract occur. It is necessary to clean the goose barn, ventilate it and reduce the number of animals in the room. Add potassium permanganate to drinking water; if additional treatment is necessary, consult a specialist.

Lack of fresh grass and quality wet food can lead to blockage of the esophagus, goiter catarrh. At the same time, shortness of breath appears and appetite disappears. The individual may die from suffocation. You should carefully squeeze out the contents of the esophagus through the mouth, after giving the bird a little sunflower oil.

For goiter catarrh, gentle massage will help.

Diseases of the reproductive system. Yolk peritonitis. Only geese get sick; when the disease occurs, the peritoneum and intestines become inflamed, and the bird becomes very restless. There are no treatment methods.

Oviduct prolapse occurs when very large eggs are laid. It is necessary to rinse the oviduct cool water, then - with a cool solution of potassium permanganate. Then carefully straighten the oviduct and place a piece of ice in it. If the goose cannot lay an egg on her own, she needs help. Either carefully remove it from the oviduct using Vaseline, or crush it with your hands and remove the remaining shell.

Infection

Aspergillosis, salmonellosis or paratyphoid fever, colibacillosis, pasteurellosis or cholera. With any of these diseases, loss of appetite occurs, the herd becomes less active, diarrhea occurs, and the temperature rises. It is imperative to contact a veterinarian, who will not only establish an accurate diagnosis, but also prescribe treatment, preventing the death of the entire livestock.

Geese may get poisoned poisonous plants or low-quality feed. It is necessary to carefully monitor the diet and grazing areas.

1. For beginners, the advice of experienced poultry farmers is especially relevant. What should you pay attention to?
2. Buy chicks from breeders who value their reputation. Breeding stock pays off very well.
3. There should be 3-4 geese per gander.
4. Geese are slaughtered before molting begins. If you skip this period, the presentation of the carcass deteriorates. It is spoiled by the stumps of the new feathers that cover the carcass.
5. Slaughter for meat is carried out on 70-75 days.
6. When superphosphate is added to the litter, it becomes an excellent fertilizer for the garden plot.
7. It is better to wash drinking bowls and feeders with the addition of a 2% caustic soda solution.
8. A clean barn is the key to healthy, strong livestock.
9. Be patient, and soon you will be able to happily answer questions about how to keep geese and what is needed for success in this matter.

Summary

Breeding for summer cottage or in personal farmsteads of any living creature requires effort and expense, but it pays off handsomely. It brings us back to closer communication with nature, an understanding of its laws. Caring for poultry is exciting and interesting, allowing you to get delicious food with your own hands. healthy foods and forget forever about the surrogates saturated with various chemical compounds that filled the supermarket shelves.

Many people today have additional income by raising poultry at home. Moreover, people began to breed geese more often than chickens. Below we will tell you how to breed geese at home for beginners, with a description of the most important and difficult moments.

To breed geese, you first need to decide on the breeds. The following breeds of this poultry are best suited for home breeding:

• Large gray ones. Egg production is 37–47 eggs. They weigh approximately 200 g. Birds are distinguished by their endurance. They weigh about 6–7 kg;
• Chinese. Egg production is at the level of 50–60 pieces. Their weight is 150–170 g. Live weight is 5 kg. Very aggressive, but hardy;
• Kuban. They are a domestic variety. Egg production per year is 80–90 eggs. Eggs weigh about 140 g. Geese weigh 4.5–5 kg;
• Lindovka breed. Egg production rate is 45–50 eggs. Their average weight ranges from 120–140 g;
• Italian. They are distinguished by high meat productivity. Egg production – 50 eggs. Birds weigh 6–7 kg;
• Kholmogorsky. Adults weigh about 8–10 kg. During the year they lay approximately 40 eggs with an average weight of 200 g. They are not aggressive and very calm;
• Emdenskie. They have low egg production. The average weight of a bird is 8–9 kg;
• Toulouse. It is a French species. Geese can weigh 10 kg or more. The birds lay about 40 eggs per year weighing about 200 g. They are distinguished by their inactivity and calm disposition. Well fattened;
• Rhine. This German breed, which with its characteristics resembles the Emden geese;

It is relatively easy to raise any of these breeds at home. The main thing is to know how to make the right choice. You also need knowledge on how to breed and feed geese so that they produce good productivity.

Selection of young animals

The key to successful raising of goslings at home is the correctly selected young stock. First you need to find out which species are suitable for breeding in a particular region. The young animals themselves must be clean, healthy, and also without visible defects in the form of cones and various types damage.

The goslings must have all the characteristics characteristic of the selected breed.

In addition, when choosing, you need to take into account the purposes for which the bird will be bred. If for the sake of meat, then you should use meat breeds of geese that quickly gain good weight. If for the sake of eggs, then preference should be given to breeds with high egg production.

Breeding options In terms of raising poultry, there will be no problems with dachas. You can also raise geese at home in a private home. When the decision has been made to breed poultry, it is necessary to decide how it will be carried out. this process

. After all, you can raise them in different ways: with the help of hens or in an incubator.

How exactly to raise a particular breed is determined by each poultry farmer independently.

mother hen

Geese in the country are often raised using brood hens. This method is considered better among goose breeders than the incubator method. But not every breed has a well-developed maternal instinct.

It is necessary to understand that one hen can produce a maximum of 14 chicks. In this method, maintenance and breeding play a very important role.

It is very important to create optimal conditions for breeding. The temperature in the goose barn should be at +14–15 degrees. You need to keep geese at your dacha clean, dry and in a well-ventilated area. The nest with the hen should be fenced off from other individuals. A broken egg should be removed immediately. To prevent such a situation, it is necessary that the nest is not overloaded with eggs.

After feeding, the geese should take their places. The water in the hens' drinking bowl should be changed every day during the planting period. In breeds that have a pronounced maternal instinct, hens can raise the chick on their own. To do this, they roll the eggs for uniform heating and perform other actions that have a beneficial effect on the offspring. This kind of rearing at home allows you to get your first goslings on the 28th day. It is worth noting that propagation and cultivation of this type

Suitable only for those varieties that have a developed maternal instinct.

If there are problems with the goose (it does not sit on the eggs), then an incubator is used to produce a brood. It is necessary to understand that domestic geese are much more difficult to hatch in an incubator than with the help of hens. This is due to the fact that the eggs of this type of poultry are large in size and also rich in fat. Therefore, a good result is considered if about 70% of the goslings hatch from the egg laying. Despite this indicator, poultry farming often uses incubators to produce broods.

To breed geese in an incubator, you need to know the following features:

• Egg selection occurs within 10 days. Only healthy specimens of correct shape are taken;
• 3–4 hours before laying, you need to warm up the incubator to +39 degrees;
• Eggs are not washed before laying. Disinfection with a solution of potassium permanganate is allowed;
• after laying, you need to ensure that the temperature is at + 38 degrees for 4–5 hours. Then it is lowered to +37.8, and then to +37.5 degrees;
• Eggs must be turned 6–8 times during the day. This is done to ensure uniform heating and to avoid shells sticking to parts of the incubator;
• after 15 days, the incubator is ventilated for 10 minutes.

These requirements are mandatory in goose farming.

Broilers are often raised this way. Knowing how to properly place eggs in an incubator and monitor them can slightly increase the hatching rate.

Room and walk

Young animals should be released into fresh air during the day in a special pen. At night they are walked in the gooseneck. When the birds are 40 days old, they are walked near a pond. Independent grazing is allowed after gaining 2 kg of live weight.

The best time for walking is early morning. At this time, the grass is the most juicy. This type of poultry is characterized by excellent orientation in space. Therefore, after walking, they return home on their own.

The room itself in which birds (chicks, young and adults) are kept must be well ventilated.

Raising goslings from the first days

To ensure that the chicks do not die after hatching, you need to know how to care for them. You also need to know how to maintain them. After all, if certain rules are not followed, death may begin.

After the goslings have hatched, they should be taken from the nest and transferred to a separate box. Newly hatched geese require special care. They need to be heated with a lamp. When all the chicks have hatched, they are returned to the hen. You need to place a few chicks. This is usually done in the evening hours.

Next, you need to know how to properly care for the brood. For the first few days, they should be given the yolk taken from boiled eggs. Also, greens should be present in the diet of goslings. The first two days they are fed 7–8 times during the day. Chicks should always have pure water. However, drinkers should be chosen that will prevent the goslings from choking.

You also need to ensure cleanliness in the place where the chicks are kept. To properly care for goslings, you need to know the characteristics of each breed chosen for breeding.

Geese are kept in special buildings - goose houses or barns. At the same time, you need to know that geese of any breed in household must be in certain conditions (temperature, meeting, humidity). These parameters are selected based on the requirements of the breed being grown. It is especially important to create the right conditions for chicks and young animals.

For newly hatched goslings, the temperature is set at + 28–30 degrees. Heating pads and lamps should be used if necessary. As the chicks grow, this parameter drops to +24 degrees. Three weeks after hatching, the birds can be transferred to natural conditions.

Adults are distinguished by their endurance, as they have a lot of fat and warm plumage. Thanks to these characteristics, they are able to withstand -15 degrees without problems.

Over time, it is necessary to gradually increase the light regime. It must be more than 14 hours. Therefore, you can’t do without artificial lighting.

During the growth process, proper care of geese at home must be organized. There should always be clean flooring or straw in the room. Therefore, the poultry house is cleaned every few days. Birds need to spend a lot of time outdoors. It is best for them to be walked near a pond. During the day, while on a walk, geese are able to eat about 2 kg of grass. They especially love clover, wheatgrass, dandelions, etc.

An important point in caring for this type of poultry is complete feeding. In winter, the diet of geese should include grass flour (can be replaced with bran), grain (oats, barley, corn, etc.), root vegetables (carrots, beets, potatoes). You should know that geese have difficulty digesting fiber. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor this fact when purchasing special feed for this poultry.