Poultry farming is a typical and interesting activity for our latitudes. And the goose is a traditionally Russian bird. These birds have been kept at home for centuries, and they are still bred today. Geese do not bring much trouble, and the benefits of raising them are obvious. How to breed geese at home or at a dacha for beginners - we’ll talk about this in our review.

Features of cultivation

Raising geese at home for beginners it promises the following benefits:

Raising geese at home requires raising a high-quality breeding flock that will be able to reproduce healthy offspring. Sexual maturity occurs at 8-10 months, which is quite late compared to other domestic animals. However, offspring can be obtained from the eggs of a good female for 3-4 years. The breeding herd is formed from strong and healthy individuals. Gusaks are selected so that their weight exceeds the average of the livestock by 10%.

The weight of the goose should be at the average level; it is undesirable if the weight is less. The hereditary and exterior qualities of individuals are also taken into account. When forming a broodstock, remember that there should be three times fewer males than females. Experienced breeders select a pair or several geese for males. A herd of several families can be raised in one place.

If the ganders have a tough temperament when kept and they defend their territory, then they are separated and each is given a small pen. In this case, quarrels do not arise in goose families, and high egg production and fertility reign in the breeding stock. To understand the question of how geese are raised at home, you need decide on the method of breeding them. To get young animals, you can use an incubator; an old one will do. traditional method, when in leading role the mother goose appears. We bring to your attention a video about how little goslings are born through an incubator.

Egg culling

If the eggs are selected correctly, the goslings are born after 4 weeks of incubation. For this reason, it is necessary to reject substandard eggs before placing them in an incubator or under a hen. Eggs may look like this:

• Irregularly shaped
• With blood clots that are visible when x-rayed,
• With shell damage, such as a crack,
• Large with one highly mobile yolk or two yolks,
• With an incorrectly located or very large air chamber that can be seen in the light.

It will be easy for beginners to keep geese at home, since they do not need special knowledge and conditions. These birds are resistant to diseases and are unpretentious. Therefore, raising geese in the country or on your own farm is a common thing. The main requirement that feathered pets have when breeding is good bedding, which is constructed from hay, straw or peat. These birds are frost-resistant, since the subcutaneous fat layer warms them well, but the beak and paws are sensitive to cold, so it is necessary to lay bedding in the goose coop.

If you decide to breed several breeds of geese, then it is better to place them separately. Please note that geese most They spend time in the wild, so it is not advisable to keep them indoors all the time, since they are able to obtain the lion's share of their diet on their own.

The room: what should it be like?

Breeding birds involves a building that must be clean, dry, and light. In order for each individual to feel comfortable, it needs approximately 1 sq. m. If the room for keeping birds is damp and dark, then this can lead to frequent colds. This feature should also be taken into account: geese experience evaporation of water from about 10 heads - 2 liters. This indicates that it is necessary to establish good ventilation. The floors of the room are lined with wood or filled with clay; the main condition is dryness, since geese spend the night on the floor.

In winter, the room temperature should be at 0 degrees. The walls and ceiling of the goose barn are insulated with mineral wool; other sealed material is also suitable; in this case, additional insulation is not required. The optimal temperature will be maintained due to the heat coming from the bodies of the birds. Ventilate the room periodically winter time to avoid stale air, which can cause illness. To do this on a short time release the geese into the yard.

Inventory Features

It is necessary to properly place equipment in the room. This will save space and make cleaning easier. For example, it is better to take a feeder with a high side so that the feed is used sparingly. To do this, you can use troughs made of wood or plywood, dimensions based on 15 cm per goose. To avoid quarrels and crushes put up several feeders. For mineral feed, separate containers 20 cm high from the floor are used; geese eat green feed better from mangers installed in the wall.

Buckets, troughs and other containers serve as drinking bowls. You can also make your own from large pipes that are installed on special baking trays. In winter, to prevent the water from freezing, heated water is added to the drinking bowl. Nests are installed indoors a month before the expected egg laying. The size is as follows: width - 40 cm, length - 60 cm, height - 30 cm.

Feeding geese

Successful raising of geese at home depends on the quality of feeding. If the walking area is large enough, then they will not go hungry. These birds are herbivores; one goose is capable of pluck about 2 kg of grass. Particularly preferred are clover, dandelion, wheatgrass, and alfalfa, which grow in abundance in any area. Cereal greens are also used, but geese love them more until they bloom.

Breeding in winter differs in that the green diet is replaced with hay, bran or herbal flour. Of course, you won’t be satisfied with grass alone and it cannot satisfy all the needs of the goose. Complete diet consists of grains; birds prefer oats, wheat, barley, rye and corn. They also love root vegetables, such as potatoes, carrots, and beets. The stomach of geese is able to cope with fiber, while for other birds living at home, this is a difficult-to-digest product.

Due to the fact that feeds containing a significant amount of fiber are cheaper than others, keeping geese is economically profitable. The benefit is that geese use the energy of the food they eat better than other birds living at home. Chickens use energy from feed by 65%, geese by 70-80%. Therefore, goslings grow quickly and without problems. Please note that geese also eat at night, so they need to place feeders with food at night.

In general, there are no problems with feeding geese, especially in the summer, when geese return home from “free bread” only in the evening. Many bird breeders at home release their pets onto the plots after harvesting, as they clean the garden well, eating the remains of root vegetables and greens. The video for beginners shows in detail how geese live at home and what they eat.

Care

The goose is one of those birds that can feed themselves and provide minimal living conditions. That's why they readily bred at home. However, they still need some care.

If you properly care for geese, even in small areas you can raise an excellent flock. In order for the bird to gain weight well, don't skimp on food, you also need to monitor the conditions of detention. In this case, by the slaughter season you will receive a generous reward consisting of tasty meat, fatty liver and fluff.

Unfortunately, such a branch of poultry farming as geese breeding is not gaining much momentum. But it turns out in vain! Domestic geese are a source of excellent dietary nutrition. These birds also provide humans (albeit in small quantities) with a most valuable product used in medicine - and a wonderful natural filler -.

- this business is not only quite profitable for the poultry farmer, but also very interesting. Geese are very smart birds, they know and respect their owner, and never leave his side. Another undeniable advantage of breeding geese is the unpretentiousness of these birds to their living conditions. Feeding geese is also not difficult; they eat almost everything. Geese grow very quickly; in just 2 months they increase their live weight by 40 times!

From this article you will learn all the details of breeding geese at home. Let's touch on the topic of breeding geese in an incubator, as well as in a natural way.

- this is a great business that will allow you to provide for your family very important product food - goose meat. In addition to the fact that you can provide your family with a healthy product, you can sell the leftover products on the market or to friends. Breeding geese should definitely be done by those people who have unused areas around their plot of land, and if there is a pond near their house, then God himself ordered them to do this wonderful thing. Since free grazing will provide very large savings on feed, the birds will only need small supplements with grain feed.

Good pasture is very desirable if you are planning to breed geese. An adult goose can eat up to 2-3 kilograms of fresh grass per day. Therefore, if you keep geese only indoors, then in any case you will have to give green food. You can give geese tops from root vegetables: potatoes, carrots, cabbage or beets.

At home, there are two ways to breed geese - natural and artificial. The natural way characterized by the incubation of eggs by a hen goose, and artificial way- This is the breeding of goslings in an incubator.

Before incubation, no matter artificial or natural, it is necessary to select eggs. For incubation and further breeding, eggs of the correct oval shape, with a clean shell without external deformations, are selected. Otherwise, the eggs are considered unsuitable for incubation and can be safely eaten.

For a more thorough check, you can shine each egg under the light. U good egg uniform shell, dark yolk located exactly in the center. Also, the yolk should slowly and evenly move away from its place during rotation and just as smoothly return to its original position. The white should be thick and without spots.

Incubation of eggs by a hen goose

The breeding season for geese begins in early to mid-March. From this moment on, the geese experience increased egg production. A goose, whose breed has not lost the instinct to incubate eggs, lays several eggs and sits as a hen. How to determine this period? Yes, it’s very simple, the goose begins to pluck the fluff from its chest and becomes aggressive. At this time, it is important to provide the female with a good nest and a quiet, dark place. You can even remove the nest and move it to another room. It is important to remember that the temperature in the room should not be lower than + 12 degrees, and there should be no drafts. There must be access to water and food in the feeder near the nest. How many eggs can you put under a goose? And it all depends on the size of the bird, on average 10-13 eggs, it is important that all eggs are covered by the body. The hen incubates the eggs for about a current. When the goslings begin to hatch, they need a little help by picking out a little shell near the peck.

The advantage of raising goslings under a broody hen is that they require less care. After hatching, the goose herself will take her geese for walks, feed and care for them. All you have to do is create the necessary conditions.

Small goslings can also be hatched in an incubator. Main advantage this method breeding is that thanks to the incubator it is possible to breed a larger number of goslings than with a hen. At home, you can use small incubator models that can hold from 50 to 300 goose eggs. If you really want, you can even make an incubator yourself with your own hands.

Raising goslings in an incubator is quite a troublesome task. Even the smallest missed detail will undoubtedly affect future offspring, so it is important to follow the incubation regime for goose eggs.

Incubation mode for goose eggs

In order to successfully hatch goslings in an incubator, it is necessary to follow a certain incubation regime. The first thing to consider is the air temperature in the incubator. What is noteworthy is that during the first period of incubation the temperature should be higher than in the second part of the period. This is due to the fact that as the embryo develops, gas exchange increases and the embryo is partially able to provide itself with heat.

So, the temperature that should be in the first part of the incubation period (1-8 days) is 38 degrees. In the middle of the period (9-21 days) it is lowered to 37.5 degrees, and at the end of the incubation period (22 and until the end of the brood) - 37.2 degrees. Starting from the 16th day, the eggs are cooled 2 times a day by opening the incubator lid for 20 minutes.

The second important factor in egg incubation is relative air humidity. Numerous studies have confirmed that air humidity should be maintained between 55-70% during the initial incubation period. More humid air is undesirable for many reasons.

During the second period of egg incubation (starting from 15 days), the humidity must be reduced to 46%. However, during the hatching of the goslings, the relative humidity is again increased to 80-85%. This humidity is established in order to satisfy the goslings’ need for oxygen.

During incubation, eggs should be constantly checked with an ovoscope. Discard poorly developing embryos.

For the full development of the embryo in the egg, they must be periodically turned 90 degrees. This is usually done once every 3-4 hours. Three days before the expected hatch, the eggs stop turning.

Breeding geese - feeding goslings

- These are very early maturing birds. In this regard, at an early age they have a very fast metabolism. Accordingly, feeding goslings in the first days of life should be frequent and at a certain time. In the first month - 40 days they are fed 6-7 times a day. The first feeding must be done immediately after the goslings have dried and warmed up a little. As a rule, they begin to eat the food immediately, but if this does not happen, you need to tap the food with your finger, then the goslings will become interested and approach the feeder.

In the first days of life, goslings are fed wet mash, which consists of ground grain, bran (preferably wheat), boiled potatoes and chopped grass (preferably nettle). In the first 3-5 days, you should also add a crushed hard-boiled egg and prepare a mash based on dairy or fermented milk products. In addition, goslings should not be limited in mineral feeding.

Constant access to water is also important for goslings. To do this, use special feeders for goslings.

Starting from the age of one month, goslings can begin to be fed with whole grains. At the same time, do not forget about green food; grass should be available at all times. Special feeders should always contain mineral supplements - shell, gravel or bone meal.

In addition to the mandatory feed, which must be present in the diet of goslings, you can add additional feed of animal origin. Goslings eagerly eat earthworms, frogs, chafers and many other insects.

Remember, feeding goslings is a very responsible matter; the health of future geese and successful breeding depend on it.

Breeding geese - keeping goslings

A very important issue in breeding geese is the maintenance of goslings. It is best to keep goslings warm at home in the first days of life (up to 10 days). They can be equipped with a warm box with heating and lighting. An ordinary incandescent lamp is perfect for these purposes. Starting from 10 days, the goslings can be sent to free range. It is important that the weather permits. In any case, it will be necessary to make a canopy from possible rain. At night the goslings will need to be driven indoors.

There are no special tricks in keeping goslings. Birds need to be felt - if they are pressed against each other, then they are cold, if not, then there is no reason to worry.

The method of keeping goslings separately, that is, ganders separately from geese, is often used. This method of keeping has a beneficial effect on the growth of birds. However, in order to use this method, it is necessary to determine the gender.

Determining the sex of goslings

The sex of goslings can be determined right from the age of one day. To do this, the small gosling is taken in the left hand, while fixing the legs with the fingers. The gosling's head should be down. Left thumb and finger right hand stretch the anus. After that thumb the right hand should open the cloaca. Sometimes you don't have to do it this procedure, you just need to pull back the tail to see the genitals. In males, you can observe a spiral-shaped penis, approximately 3-4 millimeters in size. Females do not have such an organ. This method of determining the sex of goslings makes it possible to determine it with an accuracy of up to 98%.

In older goslings, determining the sex is not particularly difficult. For example, already at one month of age, opening the cloaca is not difficult. By the age of one month, the penis in males reaches a size of 6-7 millimeters, and by the age of 2 months the size is 9-10 millimeters.

Geese breeding - accelerated rearing of young animals

Such a branch of poultry farming as geese breeding sets itself the task of obtaining meat. For this purpose, a method of accelerated rearing of young animals is used to obtain meat and is designed for slaughter of goslings at the age of 2-2.5 months. With this method, a goose at the age of two months will weigh 4-4.5 kilograms.

This rearing system involves keeping young animals in limited pens. The goslings are given free access to green feed and grain. The main method of raising young animals is to keep them up to 20 days of age in a limited, warm room. In warm weather, goslings can be released into the pen. The room should be equipped with electricity and low power light bulbs should be used - 15-40 watts.

Before feeding, green feed should be chopped and placed in dark areas of the poultry house.

Wet mash is given to goslings in such quantity that they can eat it within 30-60 minutes. Otherwise, the food may spoil or the goslings may simply spill it and trample it. After the goslings have eaten the first portion, they can be given a second. The amount of feed in the diet of goslings must be constantly increased. With this method of rearing, in 75 days one bird consumes 10 kilograms of grain and about 25 kilograms of green feed.

Intensive rearing of goslings implies the following feed consumption per head: in the first 10 days, 20 grams of grain and 50 grams of greens, and at the end of rearing, at the age of 70-75 days, 200-250 grams of grain and 700 grams of green feed. Once again, it should be recalled that you need to increase the amount of feed daily.

Geese are slaughtered at the age of 70-75 days. By this time, their weight will be more than 4 kilograms. At this age, goose meat is considered the most valuable.

Breeding geese - forming a parent flock

So, our goslings have grown up and the time has come to form a parent flock for further breeding. All other geese should be culled, fattened and sent to slaughter.

Domestic geese must have all the necessary breeding qualities, so it is important to conduct breeding work correctly. The breeding stock of geese must pass on their productive and external characteristics to their offspring - this is the basic rule of any poultry farmer. The last selection of birds for the tribe is carried out in October. Males and females are left for the tribe, based on the following calculation: 1 gander for 3-4 geese. Geese that were not included in the tribe are fattened for meat or fatty liver, and then slaughtered.

Also, when selecting geese for a tribe, it is necessary to remember that the herd has its own hierarchy and its own relationships. Pugnacious birds should not be allowed into the general population; it is better to slaughter them for meat, as they can cause much more problems. You also can’t leave geese to the tribe, which are constantly being beaten.

A very important factor to consider is the purity of the breed. Preferably, the breed should be free of impurities. You also need to pay attention to productive qualities - egg production and live weight. Even during selection there must be external qualities. Birds must be well feathered and must have a slender and graceful physique without external defects.

When selecting, special attention should be paid to ganders. They are the ones who influence future offspring to a greater extent. The quality of hatching eggs also greatly depends on them. In a breeding herd, ganders are kept for four years, and geese for 4-6 years. The highest productivity of geese is observed at the age of 2-4 years.

Maintenance and feeding of the parent flock

Breeding geese at home involves organizing the right conditions maintenance and feeding.

Domestic geese have the shortest egg-laying period, which makes breeding of these birds difficult.

Particular attention at home should be paid to the maintenance and feeding of geese in the winter season. The winter diet of one goose is approximately the following: grain feed 130-160 grams, hay 100-150 grams, root crops or silage 300-500 grams.

Separate special feeders must contain mineral supplements (chalk, shell or bone meal).

Before the start of the breeding period for geese (in February-early March), it is recommended to increase the amount of grain and flour feed in the diet, giving 200-250 grams per bird. Also, before laying eggs, it is advisable to add food of animal origin to the diet - milk, dairy products, cottage cheese, boiled eggs, meat production waste. It is very useful to feed geese with sprouted grain.

Particular attention must be paid to ganders. They should be moderately well fed. If the ganders are too thin, then the amount of feed should be increased.

In winter, water can be partially replaced with snow. However, you should not completely deprive geese of water.

By the time egg laying begins, it is necessary to equip the goose coop with nests in which it is necessary to lay a thick layer of straw.

Geese lay eggs mainly in the morning. Eggs for incubation should be collected immediately to prevent them from getting dirty.

Breeding geese are kept in warm rooms without drafts. The floor is covered with a thick layer of bedding - hay, straw or sawdust. At home, for successful breeding, it is most profitable to keep geese on a free range.

Geese are very hardy birds and are adapted to the cold; in winter they can tolerate temperatures down to -25 degrees.

- this is a great help. When breeding geese, in any case, you will have the remainder of the products that were obtained through this activity and they can be sold or shared with relatives.

Breeding geese at home video

From the video you will learn a lot about breeding geese. After reading the article and watching the video you will get a lot of theoretical and practical advice for breeding geese.

This video is the main points of our article:

So, the desire to get into goose farming appeared. In this regard, beginners have many questions.

We solve priority problems

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, not every neighbor will like it. Why, as they say, do you need unnecessary troubles and tensions? Better then give up this idea and get another bird.

If you live in a village, then no questions should arise. There is a place there, free grazing. It is much easier to create conditions for maintenance.

Secondly, you don’t need to set large-scale goals in the first year. Especially if you are a novice poultry farmer. The first year is better to try, take a closer look, see if you like this activity. Geese make a lot of dirt. They need to be constantly cleaned up and cleaned up. It may turn out that this is not your thing and it is better to start breeding 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, set up a goose barn. The goose is an unpretentious bird, not afraid low temperatures, but she should still have a house.

Arrangement of a gooseneck

Geese can be kept in any suitable outbuilding. But you can also build a special goose barn.

What should a gosling be like?

It should be:

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

Measures to fulfill basic requirements

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

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

The area of ​​the goose barn must correspond to the number of birds. The norm is 1 goose - 1 square. meter. If this is not observed, the air in the goose barn will be unbearable not only for people, but also for the geese themselves. In such a stinking atmosphere they will begin to actively reproduce pathogenic microbes. As a result, various diseases will begin to cling to them.

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

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

It insulates the floor, dries the droppings, thereby improving the air in the goose barn. One goose requires about 40 kg of bulk material per year. The litter should not be wet and preferably always clean. To do this, it needs to be changed more often. Do not allow the pen to become dirty. Feathers are an important element of thermoregulation in the body of geese. A clean pen will help you avoid many diseases.

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

For enriching goose manure minerals Mineral fertilizers, such as superphosphate, are sometimes sprinkled on the litter. It not only improves future manure, but also increases air dryness.

Nests are installed in the poultry house. They should be in sufficient quantity. It is calculated so that there are no more than three geese per nest. Do not place them near a cold wall or in direct sunlight. Approximate Dimensions:

• height - 50 - 55 cm,
• length - 60 - 65 cm,
• width - 40 cm,
• sill height - 1 cm.

They use regular litter, just change it more often. It's better to update in the evening. Then in the morning the goose will lay eggs 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.

To build a feeder, you can use boards, old pipes, and other auxiliary materials. Only when making them, one must take into account that one goose needs at least 15 centimeters for comfortable eating. Then there will be no crowding during feeding. Install or suspend the feeder above the floor at a height of 20-25 cm.

Any container can be used for drinking bowls - it can be a bucket, barrel, or boiled water. In winter, you need to make sure that the water in the drinking bowl does not freeze.

Temperature and illumination of the goose barn

The goose is a cold-resistant bird. It can exist in a goose barn without any problems 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 the goose house be warm. To do this, the walls are carefully insulated.

Plus temperatures and artificial lighting in the goose barn will speed up the start of geese laying eggs. They lay eggs with a day length of 14 hours. This means we need to lengthen the day artificially. To do this, we leave the lights on from 6 am to 8 pm. And we do this until the natural daylight hours become equal to 14 hours.

Geese usually start laying eggs at the very end of winter. But with such lighting, egg production can occur much earlier (closer to the end of January).

Placing geese in summer

Everything that was stated 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 you buy goslings in March-April, and by the fall you decide whether it’s worth doing this business or not.

In spring and summer, geese may remain outside. On the economic territory where they will be located, it is necessary to fence off the enclosure, and build a small canopy in it. Under it there 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 bird to live comfortably in the enclosure, it is necessary to place containers with water in which it can splash around. These can be simple galvanized troughs and boil-offs. And then you can do without a reservoir.

Geese breeds

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

Table 1. Popular breeds of geese that are bred in households.

Geese breed	Characteristics
Kubanskaya	The plumage is gray-brown. A characteristic brown stripe runs along the entire length from beak to tail. It's called a belt. Belongs to light breeds. Gander weight - 6 kg. The weight of the goose is 4.5 kg. Lays up to 85 eggs per year. One egg weighs about 160 grams. A two-month-old gosling weighs about three kilograms. Bad hens. Unpretentious.
	Belongs to heavy breeds. The bird is beautiful, white plumage, popular in households The weight of an adult goose reaches 10 kg. Gains weight quickly. Can hatch eggs. An unpretentious bird.
Kholmogorskaya	The best meat breed. They are difficult to confuse with other representatives of the goose tribe. They have a growth (bump) above the beak, 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 feet are characteristic orange- yellow color. They are long-lived - they can live up to 17 years (usually geese live about 6 years). It can lay up to 30 eggs per year. Weight - about 12 kg.
Large gray	Hardy. Capable of covering long distances. The plumage is gray. A small head with a thick short beak. Paws are orange. The male and female weigh approximately the same - about 10 kilograms. Egg production per year is 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 a medium build. Males and females of this breed are equally heavy. Their weight is about eight kilograms. The plumage is white. The legs and beak are orange. Have distinctive feature - Blue eyes. They can lay 40 eggs per year. The average weight of an egg is about two hundred grams. Thrifty breed. Requires 20% less feed than others. Their goslings grow very quickly and gain weight. Already at three months of age they weigh 7 kilograms. They are distinguished by high-quality down. They have a meek, calm disposition and cackle little.

Purchasing young animals

Having decided on the breed, we purchase goslings. When purchasing, you may encounter unscrupulous sellers. They may slip in goslings of the wrong breed or not entirely healthy ones.

It is good to buy birds from a breeder at home. Then there is an opportunity to see the mother herd. See in what conditions it is kept. What kind of geese are they, 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 won’t deceive.

It is better to buy not day-old goslings, but those that 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’s good if they are cheerful and active, squeak loudly, and their necks stretch upward.
• The navel should be overgrown without crusts.
• The tummy is toned.
• Nothing stands out from the nostrils of the beak.
• Check your paws for sprains.

Raising young animals

If the goslings were initially strong, then feeding and raising them is not difficult. At the beginning they are given oatmeal and millet porridge by adding a finely chopped egg. It is good to feed them fresh cottage cheese. You can start giving starter feed almost immediately. The diet of goslings is similar to that of broiler chickens.

They are fed often - at least six times a day. From the fifth day of life, you can start giving the goslings chopped grass - dandelions, nettles and everything that appears in the spring. A one-month-old gosling can eat almost a kilogram of grass.

Don't forget about the pebbles necessary for digesting 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 per day.

By autumn, the geese grow up and already then you can make a conclusion about whether you should do this business. If you like it, then you can form a mother flock from these geese by purchasing one or two ganders on the side. This is necessary to renew the blood and produce healthy offspring.

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

For your information:

By the way, the delicacy of foie gras is goose liver. It is very fatty, but not harmful to our blood vessels. Doctors say that the fat in it is polyunsaturated fatty acids. And they are just reducing their presence bad cholesterol in organism. As a result, blood circulation and brain function improve, and tone increases.

Breeding geese at home for beginners and experienced farmers is a rather labor-intensive process, but it cannot be called difficult. The main thing that needs to be done is to provide the birds with proper care in the first decade of life. It is most important for young animals. If the owner has successfully completed this task, it will become much easier in the future. By adhering to the basic recommendations for nutrition and maintenance, it will be possible to raise all the young animals.

Breeding geese at home for beginners and experienced farmers is a rather labor-intensive process, but it cannot be called difficult

Domestic geese are bred to obtain large quantity valuable products. Healthy and strong birds provide valuable dietary meat, high-quality down and feathers, and delicious liver. All these goods have a fairly high price and, when sold, bring a significant profit to the owner. At the same time serious material costs not required for keeping and breeding geese.

Birds are distinguished by their intelligence and unpretentiousness. They can adapt well to harsh weather conditions and are highly resistant to many diseases. Even if the farmstead is small, you can easily raise 3-5 birds on it. This property allows you to raise pets not only in private homes. Many city residents have geese in their dachas. At proper care by autumn, each individual gains 4-6 kg of live weight.

If you decide to start raising birds, the first thing you need to do is decide on the breed of birds. There are many varieties of geese. Only a few of them are optimally suited for keeping in the household:

1. Kholmogory geese are one of the best options. Birds of this breed grow quickly and as soon as possible reach quite large sizes. Thus, adult males grow on average to 8-10 kg, and females - to 7-8 kg. Another distinctive feature of the breed is its high egg production. Geese produce about 30-40 eggs per year. The average is 200 g. Geese are gray, piebald and white.
2. Gray birds, like Kholmogory birds, are representatives of the heavy type. Adult ganders weigh about 8 kg, geese - about 6 kg. IN natural conditions The female lays 30-40 eggs per year. The brooding instinct in geese is poorly developed, which can cause difficulties with the appearance of offspring. It’s good if the farm has an incubator. Geese have high resilience and adapt well to environmental conditions.
3. Toulouse geese were brought to our country from France, which explains their love and adaptability to warm climates. This breed is not very suitable for keeping on pastures, since the birds move little and do not eat plant food well. Toulouse - the largest and fattest geese of all existing breeds. Males often grow up to 12 kg, and females - up to 10 kg. From them you can get tasty and fatty liver weighing up to 1 kg.
4. Landbirds are native to Hungary. They were bred to produce fatty liver. Some particularly large individuals produce a delicacy weighing over 0.7 kg. Adult birds grow up to 5-8 kg.
5. White Italian geese have high fattening characteristics and produce tasty large livers. Adult representatives of the species grow to 6-9 kg. A feature of the breed is the rapid development of young animals. Already at the age of 2 months, the weight of the chicks exceeds 4 kg.
6. Chinese geese grow small, but produce a lot of eggs - 50-70, and the best geese produce 100 eggs per year. This breed is often used in breeding to increase the egg production of other species. Adult ganders grow up to 5.5 kg, geese - up to 4.5 kg. Birds are dark gray, less often white or brown.

You need to choose a breed taking into account the goals you are pursuing. If the choice is difficult, consult with specialists.

Breeding geese (video)

Selection of birds for the tribe

If you want to get strong and healthy goose offspring, you need to approach the choice of birds for the parent flock with all responsibility. Sick and weak individuals will not be able to produce high-quality goslings. Therefore, you need to carefully cull and purchase only the best birds.

In geese, unlike many other poultry, sexual maturity occurs quite late. They are ready to reproduce only at 8-10 months. Over time, egg production in laying hens gradually increases. Therefore, they are used not for 1 year, but for 3 or even 4.

When choosing individuals to form a parent flock, it is necessary to take into account both the individual characteristics of each bird and the hereditary qualities. Experienced farmers carry out selection in several stages. It begins immediately after the birth of the offspring. At one day of age, goslings that are too small and poorly developed are discarded.

The next stage occurs after the young are 8 weeks old. At this time, several indicators are assessed at once: body features, live weight gain, plumage. Only those ganders that have a weight exceeding the average by 10% get into the parent herd. For geese, this indicator should not be lower than the average value for the batch. The final assessment takes place at 26 weeks. Experts evaluate the exterior qualities and weight of the raised individuals. Typically, about 30% of geese are culled at this stage. Those who have passed all levels of control enter the parent herd.

Domestic geese are bred to obtain a large amount of valuable products.

Features of keeping the parent stock

When forming a parent flock, you should pay attention not only to the external characteristics and health of the geese, but also to their age. It is desirable that birds 1, 2 and 3 years old, as well as replacement young animals, be present in approximately equal numbers. In this case, there should be 3 times fewer males than females.

Keeping geese at a dacha or in a country house should be carried out in compliance with one thing: important rule. It is important to remember that birds highly respect hierarchy in relationships. Often a pariah goose appears in the herd, which causes hostility among the rest of the birds. As a result, it may happen that the female’s egg production decreases, which negatively affects further offspring. To prevent such a situation, you need to approach each bird individually. It is advisable to choose a mate for the male or select several geese for him at once, forming a family.

Each herd includes several families at once. They can get along well in a common pen, but only if the ganders do not show aggression. Otherwise, each family requires a separate room for living.

How should geese be raised so that they produce good offspring? Everything here is extremely simple. It is enough to follow a few simple recommendations:

Usually geese lay eggs in the morning once every 2 days. It is important to remove eggs from nests in a timely manner so that they are not pecked or trampled.

When forming a parent flock, you should pay attention not only to the external characteristics and health of the geese, but also to their age

How to recognize a good hatchable egg

There are several ways to obtain offspring from the parent herd. The natural method involves the use of a mother goose, and the artificial method involves the use of an incubator. Some people who raise goslings at home use both of these methods at once.

To ensure that as many goslings hatch as possible, and that your efforts are not in vain, you need to choose the right eggs. They must meet two basic requirements:

• be fertilized, which can be determined after 6-7 days using candling;
• ensure the hatchability of goslings, as evidenced by the ratio of the number of chicks hatched to the number of eggs laid.

Normally, these values ​​should be as follows: eggs with a fertilization rate of at least 87% and a hatchability rate of over 65% are considered high-quality. Hatching results depend not only on the contents of the eggs. When choosing a material for laying, you should also take into account its external characteristics. Thus, it is not recommended to use eggs that are contaminated with bird droppings. They deteriorate much faster, which leads to embryonic death of the chicks. To prevent this, experienced poultry farmers advise wiping the shells with hydrogen peroxide before laying them.

A thorough preliminary inspection of the eggs is required. There is no need to lay eggs that have:

• 2 yolks at once or 1 moving yolk;
• irregular shape;
• cracks and other defects on the shell;
• blood clots determined by x-ray;
• An air chamber that is too large or incorrectly positioned.

If you follow all the above rules, you will be able to get large and healthy offspring.

Goose farming (video)

Natural incubation

If the geese begin to line their nests with their down, it means that the egg-laying period has ended. Females begin preparations for brooding; their corresponding instincts are much more pronounced. It is advisable that an experienced goose sit on the eggs. If a young bird is preparing to become a hen, you should give it a small preliminary test. For 3 days, eggs are placed on the female for hatching. To make her feel as comfortable as possible, it is recommended to equip the nest in a quiet and peaceful place. If, when a person appears, the hen does not leave the nest, but tries to drive away the stranger with flapping wings and sounds, she has passed the test and is ready to hatch.

If possible, the female is left to sit on her eggs in the nest where she is used to laying eggs. If this is not possible, you should create the most comfortable conditions in the new place. If several hens sit at once, it is recommended to fence them off not only from the entire house, but also from each other. Otherwise, there is a high risk of conflicts and even fights.

When hens hatch eggs, they need to be monitored periodically. You need to check the clutches at least 2 times during the entire period: on the 11th and 27th day. Unfertilized eggs, which are completely light when lumen, without a darkened spot of the embryo, are discarded. Eggs with dead embryos are also thrown away. They are distinguished by dark vertical or horizontal rings, which are also visible in the light. During the 2nd inspection, death is indicated by a solid dark mass in the egg.

If the hen becomes nervous and restless, it means that the incubation period has come to an end. The goslings should be carefully removed from the nest and carried away. However, this should not be done immediately, but after the chicks dry out. In some cases, for example, if you are breeding heavy breed geese, it is better to remove the eggs from under the hen in advance, about 2 days before the chicks hatch. Otherwise, there is a high risk that the massive goose will simply crush its offspring.

Small goslings should be kept at a temperature of +26...+28°C until the entire brood is born. After this, the chicks are handed back to the goose. At the same time, day-old hatchery goslings or young animals from someone else’s brood can be quietly added to the offspring.

How to care for little goslings

Raising geese at home requires compliance with special maintenance rules. This especially applies to cases of caring for newborn offspring. It is important to remember that small chicks are highly sensitive to temperature changes. If goslings grow up without a hen, you need to take care of constant heating of their home. It is advisable that the temperature be kept at +26…+28°C. If the room is too hot, the birds will be more active in drinking water and bathing in the drinking bowl. This can lead to wet litter, which negatively affects its quality. Therefore, the owner needs to monitor both the air temperature in the room and the quality of the coating. The water in drinking bowls should be changed every day.

The survival rate of chicks largely depends on their numbers. So, if too many individuals live in one room, not everyone has the opportunity to approach food and drink, which can cause illness and death. To prevent this, certain standards must be observed. It is optimal if 10 chicks live per 1 m² one month old. As you get older, this figure changes. So, at the age of 70 days, only 4 goslings feel comfortable per 1 m².

Geese begin feeding on the same day they are born. For the first 3-7 days, meals should be very frequent, optimally giving food every 3 hours. It is recommended to give young animals high-quality compound feed; it is advisable to test it on adults in advance. A self-prepared mixture consisting of:

• 1 part rolled oats, buckwheat, wheat, peas or corn;
• 1 part finely chopped greens, cottage cheese or eggs.

After about 3-4 days, you can introduce cake and boiled root vegetables into the chicks’ diet. It is desirable that the feed be crumbly and moist. Sticky food can clog the nasal passages, which often causes inflammatory processes. Separately, you need to put containers with fine gravel, crushed chalk and ground shells.

From the age of one week, chicks can be released for walks. At first, they should spend no more than half an hour outside. Then this time is gradually increased. At 2 weeks the young can be on fresh air already throughout the day.

How to raise geese for meat? There are some nuances here. Individuals that must rapidly gain weight are selected at the age of 3 weeks. They are deprived of free range and intensively fed. The menu of such goslings should include concentrated feed and fresh herbs. The optimal ratio of these components is 1:1. You can give a mixture consisting of:

• 2 parts crushed grain;
• 1 part bran;
• 1 part legumes;
• 1 part cake.

Additionally, it is recommended to introduce mineral supplements into the diet: chalk, salt and ground shells. If you decide to care for goose offspring using this technology, be prepared that one individual at the age of 70 days will require 11-12 kg of grain and 25 kg of green feed.

Features of winter keeping geese

How to breed geese in winter? There is nothing complicated here. The downy cover and dense plumage of geese reliably protect them in winter weather. However, if birds are kept in unfavorable conditions, such as dry bedding, their feathers become dirty, resulting in much poorer heat retention. As a result, the body's resistance decreases, and birds often begin to get sick.

To avoid possible problems, before the onset of cold weather, the house should be insulated and all cracks should be closed. This will avoid drafts. It is necessary to monitor the cleanliness of the litter and change it promptly. Experienced poultry farmers recommend pouring a layer of superphosphate onto the litter once a week. It dries well and prevents the formation of ammonia in large quantities.

Even in winter, geese can benefit from periodic walks. However, we must not forget that their paws are very sensitive, so very coldy It is better to refuse walking.

Along with chickens, which are kept not only by residents rural areas, but also ordinary summer residents, very popular as Domestic bird Geese also use it. These birds easily adapt to different conditions content, resistant to diseases and at the same time very smart, and, most importantly, quite unpretentious. Even beginners can cope with raising geese at home. At the same time, keeping geese is very profitable and is an excellent help for the family budget.

No matter how trite it may sound, the goose is a useful bird. This is one of the first feathered creatures to be domesticated by humans. Since then, geese have been serving people regularly. These birds are associated with legends, myths, interesting tales and exciting stories. The most famous is about how geese saved Rome by cackling in time and thereby warning the Roman soldiers about the enemy invasion.

Geese are unpretentious birds to keep. If you provide them with a roof over their head in the form of a barn, and on a sunny day you take them out to pasture and give them the opportunity to swim in a pond, then they will repay you handsomely. As a result you will get:

• meat with excellent taste;
• goose liver, which is very healthy and highly valued;
• nutritious and tasty eggs;
• soft fluff that is useful in everyday life.

By the way, people previously used goose feathers in everyday life - they were used as a means of writing. Nowadays, goose feathers can be used to create crafts and decorations.

Which breed to choose

Thanks to the work of breeders, there are quite a lot of geese breeds in our time - about 25. Birds differ in appearance, size, maintenance requirements, growing conditions, egg production and other characteristics. And newcomers to the world of poultry farming often wonder which breed to choose.

Geese breeds fall into three main categories:

• Heavy, simply put, meat breeds. Geese of these breeds produce more meat than others, and it is advisable to raise them for food. Representatives of this category are large, rarely used in industrial poultry farming, since some breeds of birds are difficult to purchase, and they are far from cheap. Heavy geese have low egg production compared to representatives of other categories, and therefore are difficult to breed.
• Medium-heavy Most of the breeds are decorative and are intended to give a personal plot a unique rural charm. Such birds are quite expensive.
• Lungs- small birds that lay eggs well and are therefore easy to breed. Common in industrial poultry farming. They eat a lot, but the masses do not get enough.

The table below shows the main breeds of geese that are most often raised at home.

Table 1. Main breeds of geese for raising at home

Breed	Characteristic
	Belongs to a heavy breed of geese, native to the Nizhny Novgorod region. Beautiful large birds with white plumage. They are used in industrial poultry farming, as they have good egg production for heavy geese. Geese with good character, friendly, easy to care for. Raised for meat. Due to the white color of the feathers, the carcasses are very clean and beautiful, with an excellent presentation. The average weight of an adult goose is from 8 to 12 kg. The geese sit well on the eggs and do not abandon the nest. Goslings grow quickly - at 3 months the gosling already weighs about 4 kilograms.
	The name speaks for itself - the geese of this breed are massive, and the color of the plumage is gray on the back and white on the belly. The birthplace of the breed is Ukraine. The weight of an adult bird is from 6.5 to 9.5 kg. Egg production and clutch viability are lower than those of the Lindov breed. The goslings are actively growing and quickly gaining weight: at 2.5 months the young bird reaches a body weight of 4.5 kg. An excellent breed for producing meat and liver. Unpretentious in care: they don’t even need a pond for feeling normal. There are no problems feeding these birds either.
	A breed of geese belonging to the “medium-heavy” category. Country of origin: Germany. Birds with white plumage, with good meat qualities, excellent egg production for this category. An adult goose weighs 5.5 kg, a gander - 6.5 kg. Goslings gain weight quite quickly: at 2 months, the feathered babies already gain 4 kg of weight. The breed is used for meat and is also fattened to produce fatty liver. Geese do not sit very well on eggs, so it is not recommended for beginners to breed this breed on their own.
	A decorative breed of geese that was bred in Europe. The plumage is white or gray-white. Feature appearance - long curly feathers on the wings, tail, back. Ribbon geese are small in size: the weight of adult birds ranges from 4.5 to 5.5 kg. Productive qualities are low. Geese of this breed are used to decorate personal plots.
	Refers to light geese. The name speaks for itself about the homeland of the breed - these geese were bred in Krasnodar region. The color of the feathers is gray, sometimes with a brownish tint. Birds of this breed have a characteristic brown stripe on their backs – the so-called “strap”. The weight of an adult bird is about 4.5-6 kg. Egg production is quite high, but the geese's incubation instinct is poor. The bird is unpretentious and adapts well to any living conditions.
	White birds come from Italy. They appeared in Russia relatively recently, about 30-40 years ago. The bird is unpretentious to the conditions of its detention (the presence of a reservoir does not matter to it), the young quickly gain weight - at 2 months the goslings already weigh 4 kg. The brooding instinct of geese is well developed. Birds produce meat with excellent taste, and the small size of the carcass allows the bird to be used for smoking. They are also grown to produce fatty goose liver.

How to choose young animals

So, having studied all the information about the most common breeds of geese, you have made your choice in favor of the one that you plan to purchase and place on your summer cottage. Now it’s time to buy young animals, which you will start raising. But here everything is not so simple: often unscrupulous sellers, trying to make money, sell mongrel goslings, and often even sick ones. Therefore, you need to approach the purchase of young animals with special care.

It is best to go buy goslings in the company of a person who is familiar with this bird first-hand: he will help you choose high-quality and healthy babies from which you will successfully raise a good bird. If such a person is not “at hand”, then follow these recommendations:

1. Research information about the breed you want to own.
2. Exclude “bird markets” from your search for young animals: here you will not receive any guarantee that the goslings are purebred and healthy. If the kids die on your property due to the breeder’s dishonesty, then no one will compensate you for material and moral damage. It's better to go to a poultry farm.
3. Choose those goslings that are already 5-7 days old. Birds that are too small are difficult to transport, while older ones can be shy and difficult to handle.
4. Rate appearance birds: the down on the chicks should be yellow, soft and fluffy, and, most importantly, dry, without pieces of shell.
5. The umbilical cord should be overgrown, without traces of crusts, and the fluff under the tail should be dry and clean, without any traces of any discharge.
6. Examine your tummy - it should not be saggy.
7. Look at the beak - there should be no discharge from the nostrils.
8. Choose the most active birds: sedentary goslings sitting quietly in the corner with their eyes closed may be sick. Small healthy chicks actively react to unfamiliar sounds and objects.
9. The birds must stand firmly enough on their feet.
10. When purchasing goslings, check to see if they have everything necessary vaccinations according to the age.

Requirements for living conditions for goslings

And now you are the happy owner of three, five, and maybe ten little yellow goslings. They are huddled in a box and look at you with their beady eyes, asking: “Where are you taking us?” Of course, before you went to buy goslings, you had to equip a house for them in which they would live.

It is best to place the kids in a specially built goose barn. If this is not available, then a small shed will do. Before moving the young animals into it, the barn is cleaned and disinfected, the walls should preferably be whitewashed, and the floor covered with a 10-15 cm layer of straw. If it is still cold outside and you have already bought the goslings, then place them in the summer kitchen, where it is possible to warm up the room. By the way, goslings are kept in warm rooms until they reach the age of 15-20 days (the weather should also be warm outside by this time).

Temperature is very important: if the birds are cold, they will crowd together and crush each other, and they can also die from excessive heat. In order to make the goslings comfortable, poultry farmers recommend observing the following temperature regime:

Age	Air temperature
1-5 days	28-27 degrees
6-15 days	26-24 degrees
16-20 days	23-18 degrees

The room for babies should have drinking bowls and feeders. To avoid dampness, install drinkers on grates, under which there is a container such as a baking tray to collect spilled water.

Small goslings should not be kept in a crowd - they can overwhelm each other if there are too many of them: divide the room into separate compartments. On 1 square meter About 10 goslings up to 3 weeks old can live peacefully. Moreover, in hot weather, the number of goslings in the same area should be reduced by 1.5 times.

Video - raising geese at home

You can let goslings outside for a while from the first days of life, if the air temperature outside is high enough. Birds are gradually accustomed to walking. It is best to walk them in an aviary so that birds of prey do not get to them. As soon as the warm weather finally settles in, take the geese out to pasture where they can nibble on grass. From 45 days you can visit water bodies with the goslings.

Feeding the goslings

Very young goslings are fed millet or oatmeal with the addition of finely chopped boiled eggs or cottage cheese. After 3-4 days, crushed grass is added to the food. At the age of 1 month, goslings include carrots in their diet - a source of carotene. It should be grated on a fine grater and given 5 times a day. A mixture of porridge, carrots, herbs and cottage cheese is called “mash”; goslings love it very much. It is given to babies 5-6 times a day. The mash should be crumbly, soft, but not watery.

Experts advise purchasing goslings in the spring-summer period, when nature dresses in its green attire: during this period there are plenty of natural pastures around, where the goslings can graze and eat fresh green plants. By the way, a month-old gosling eats almost a kilogram of grass a day. Most of all, kids like nettle, dandelion, sorrel, and sow thistle.

• In addition to food and fresh water, goslings need to be given a bowl with gravel or coarse sand - they are necessary so that the birds’ stomachs can grind food.
• Don't forget about water - geese drink a lot, and water should be available to them at all times. According to observations, one goose at the age of 50 days drinks up to 1 liter of water per day.

• The peculiarity of geese is that they cannot distinguish between the temperature of food, so make sure that food for goslings is not hot or very cold.
• If you are raising goslings for meat, then it is advisable to feed them highly concentrated feed mixtures, and about 50% of the total food should be fresh greens.

Goslings can be slaughtered for meat as early as 70 days of age - by this time they have already gained quite a lot of weight. If you have missed time and the goslings have outgrown this age, then you need to start slaughtering in 60-70 days, when the growth of new feathers has finished.