Where to start keeping geese
Geese were common in Russia until the 18th century, but with the advent of broiler breeds of chickens, turkeys and ducks, fewer and fewer farmers decide to have this bird. Nevertheless, geese remain the second most abundant poultry species in the world.
They are grown for their down, which is used as a filler for winter clothing. Goose liver is the main ingredient in the French foie gras dish. The meat of this bird is very high-calorie and satisfying, so it is used by athletes to gain muscle mass.
Aviary for geese
Keeping geese is different from keeping chickens, ducks or turkeys... Unlike other poultry, geese need free grazing. These birds can eat up to 6 kg of green food per day, so it is undesirable to keep them in a cramped aviary.
Due to the lack of green food, geese will not gain muscle mass. Their immunity will decrease. In a cramped aviary, the risk of infection with helminths increases many times over, so it is better to keep geese on free grazing.
Geese can be kept in a closed enclosure, but this is not beneficial. You will have to harvest a large amount of hay for the poultry and carry out the prevention of helminthic diseases every three months.
In addition to harvesting green food, you need to follow a few more rules for keeping geese:
- Clean up the aviary regularly. Geese, unlike chickens, do not trample droppings and hay, therefore, without cleaning the room, the risk of coccidiosis increases.
- Enclose it with a dog net.
- To breed your own livestock, use incubators, remove eggs from the goose house in time, so as not to provoke the incubation instinct.
It is worth remembering that geese are very noisy birds, so if this is the first time you have them, then make an agreement with your neighbors in advance.
How to choose geese
Choose the goose breed based on your needs. There are three directions of rocks:
- meat;
- downy;
- fatty.
Research breed information and contact poultry breeders. The ideal option would be to find a breeder who will check the geese's compliance with breed standards, show the main herd and the main producers. Strong parents will produce quality, healthy offspring.
If there are no suitable geese in your area, contact breeders from other areas. Geese perfectly tolerate transportation in the luggage compartment of the aircraft, so they can deliver the selected breed to you even from non-CIS countries.