Many poultry farmers prefer to raise chickens and ducks, but not geese. There is an opinion that these birds are more of a concern than other bird species. They are too noisy, they love greenery and walking. That's why raising geese at home for beginners it will seem quite problematic and troublesome. To avoid various unforeseen situations, they first create conditions in the poultry yard for breeding geese, and then they are bred.

In what Features of breeding geese

An important point for a beginning poultry farmer will be the choice of breed. Since the goose is not an ornamental bird, its productive indicators are important: weight, egg production, terms of active growth and maturation.

Breeders took care to develop meat. They are characterized by rapid development, gain weight up to 7-8 kg, are friendly to other inhabitants of the poultry yard and have contact with people. Italian, Toulouse, Kholmogory, Gray, etc. are considered suitable. These breeds bring income to poultry farms, so they are bred in large quantities.

If we consider the pros and cons of breeding geese, then there will be more advantages:

• They are smart and quickly get used to their owner. No wonder there is a parable about how these birds saved Rome;
• Poultry of this species grow quickly, increasing their weight by 40 times in two months;
• The chicks are resistant to diseases, so the flock of geese is very productive;
• The output is several kilograms of dietary meat, delicious liver, medicinal fat and soft fluff;
• Goose eggs are used in cooking.

The appearance of the little goslings is touching. Their friendly coexistence in the poultry yard with other pets makes it possible not to separate the geese into separate compartments. Thanks to characteristic features This waterfowl is bred on an industrial scale.

Raising geese for meat

Raising waterfowl on your own farm is not difficult. First you need to choose one that has a large percentage of meat in the output.

Goslings can be purchased from specialized farms or on the market. It is possible to hatch chicks in an incubator. For this, purchased material or eggs from a domestic goose are used.

Growing conditions

Geese love to live in company, so it is important to start breeding with no less than 2 individuals. From birth, goslings get used to each other and will no longer allow a stranger into their flock.

• dry bedding, which is changed every day;
• ventilation without drafts;
• maintaining temperature;
• lighting 10-15 hours a day.

The size of the room must correspond to the number of individuals in the flock. If the birds are crowded, they will begin to get sick and be stunted in their growth. A walk for the geese is set up near the poultry house.

Adults are not afraid of winter cold, so they also walk in severe frosts. In summer they can be driven out to the meadow for grazing. It is necessary to carefully monitor the presence of birds in the pasture.

It is better for the farm owner to fence off a certain area near the poultry house so that the geese do not escape. Poultry is heavy and rarely flies. But the call of nature may be stronger, and they will find a way to freedom.

If other types of poultry are content with ordinary dry food and water, then geese will not be able to develop normally without green food. At all little goslings They already know how to pluck grass. Raising geese at home for meat is done in two ways:

• in closed conditions;
• with access to pasture.

The second method simplifies the raising of poultry. Geese are fed indoors or on a stationary walk, and then they are sent to pasture. Ideal option considered a meadow near a pond.

Geese are waterfowl, so they love to be near water. If there is no natural reservoir, the owner makes an artificial pond where the birds can swim, having had their fill of the grass in the meadow. Feeders can be placed near the watering hole so that the birds combine food intake with water treatments.

It is more difficult to raise waterfowl in enclosed yards where there is no access to greenery or water. Conditions close to natural will have to be created for the geese. For their active growth and development it is necessary:

• install drinking bowls with sufficient amounts of clean water;
• organize a spacious place for swimming;
• add chopped grass to dry compound feed, and in winter - grass meal.

Geese do not go overboard with food and supplements. But it is better to use herbs that contain a sufficient amount of vitamins: alfalfa, clover, nettle, cabbage leaves, beet and carrot tops. In measured quantities, fresh vegetables, grated - zucchini, beets, carrots, etc. - are added to the birds' diet.

The goslings begin to be fed with dry feed with a small amount of greens, bone and fish meal, and vitamins are added. Pure water should be in drinking bowls at all times. Geese not only drink water, but also moisten their feathers with their beaks, regulating humidity and temperature.

Waterfowl feathers are lubricated and do not collect moisture. But little goslings are covered in down, so they can get wet if the bedding gets wet. It is necessary to change the bedding in the room and remove goose afterbirth on a regular basis.

Raising geese as a business

If the first steps have been taken, you can develop a business plan and breed geese for profit. Geese are considered meat poultry. They grow up to 5-8 kg, from which the output is up to 65% pure meat.

Dietary goose meat is in demand in stores and on the market. Restaurants are happy to buy goose liver to prepare delicious foie gras.

Don't forget about medicinal properties goose fat, which is used for burns.

Goose eggs are in demand on the market. They are bought for industrial and home incubators and used in cooking. Although the goose has a low egg production - only up to 50 eggs per year, this also brings a stable income to the farmer.

Additional income can come from fluff and feathers collected during the processing of meat products. Establishing sales of down and feathers in pure form or are engaged in the manufacture of finished products: duvets, pillows, etc.

When choosing a profitable direction in poultry farming, you should start breeding geese at home. Unpretentious birds to raise allow you to get several kilograms fresh meat for personal consumption.

An enterprising person always has the opportunity to expand the scale of production in order to sell products that are in demand on the market. In any case, raising geese will not lead to losses.

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Geese are one of the most popular types of poultry for breeding and keeping at home. They grow quickly and gain weight, and do not require complex care or expensive feeding.

In nature, the goose is a waterfowl migrant, therefore, flocks settle near reservoirs rich in aquatic vegetation, as well as in floodplain meadows with lush, tall grass.

The room for geese should be dry and ventilated, but without drafts. The area required for an adult bird is at least a square meter per head. Geese are not afraid of frosts down to minus 10, and some breeds even lower. At the same time, they do not tolerate heat well; if there is a lot of crowding in the summer months, illness and death of the birds is possible.

If you follow these rules, keeping geese is not particularly difficult; it is enough to feed them grain feed twice a day, add bedding and monitor the cleanliness of the water. With this care, by two and a half months you can get a marketable carcass weighing more than 4 kg.

IN summer period Geese can be successfully raised not only in a personal yard, but also in a country house, even in the absence of pasture. You just need to provide them with a spacious walk with access to water and give them fresh grass daily as top dressing.

Breeds of geese for home breeding

The choice of breed depends on the requirements for the bird. Most often, geese are kept for their meat; some breeds, in addition, provide easily digestible fat, large and very delicious liver used for preparing delicacies. Breeds characterized by high egg production are bred to produce not only meat, but also table eggs.

Down is also considered a by-product of geese breeding - it is used to stuff pillows, feather beds, blankets and winter clothing.

In addition, when choosing a breed, you should focus on the conditions of its maintenance, temperature conditions and the method of raising young animals - an incubator or a brood hen. Having studied all these nuances, it is easy to choose a breed of geese that is suitable for specific conditions and meets all the needs of the poultry farmer.

A brief description of the breeds is given in the table.

Where to start: eggs or young animals?

Help: the price of hatching eggs and young animals of different breeds can vary greatly, so when planning a livestock it is worth checking the current prices in your region.

It is sometimes difficult for a novice poultry farmer to decide where to start breeding geese. Prices for hatching eggs are usually much lower than for grown goslings, and at first it seems that by purchasing an egg they will save a lot.

Hatching egg of a goose of the "Large Gray" breed

However, it is worth taking into account such indicators as the percentage of goslings hatching and mortality in the first few days. Even experienced poultry farmers may have hatch rates of 80% or less. Beginning poultry farmers sometimes hatch no more than half of what was originally put into the incubator, so sometimes it’s better not to risk it and buy two- to three-week-old goslings.

In addition, independent hatching of birds involves the purchase of an incubator. These costs are reasonable if the planned population is large and the birds will continue to be kept per breed. In this case, it is more convenient to buy breeding bird eggs from nurseries that have proven themselves among poultry farmers. Eggs are easier to transport over long distances, they are less demanding on temperature during transportation and allow you to regulate the timing of hatching.

Hatching eggs in an incubator

For successful hatching of young animals, careful selection of hatching eggs is necessary, including external examination, weighing and testing with an ovoscope. Upon external examination pay attention to the following signs:

• shape and size of the egg - elongated, small and too large eggs are rejected;
• no damage or cracks on the shell;
• absence of contamination that can cause infections and death.

Most poultry farmers do not recommend washing eggs before incubation, but they can be disinfected in a solution of potassium permanganate or under an ultraviolet lamp.

It is not necessary to weigh the eggs; just sort them by size. But for a better result, you can weigh them on an electronic scale and compare the result with the requirements for different breeds

Checking with an ovoscope must be carried out. This device will help identify the following shortcomings:

• incorrectly located or movable yolk - normally it should be located in the center of the vertical axis, be slightly shifted towards the blunt end, and move slower when turning and rocking;
• the yolk should not have damage to the shell and mix with the white;
• the air chamber is incorrectly located - it should be small and located on the side of the blunt end of the egg;
• there should be no blood clots or dark spots inside;
• There should be no veins or uneven thickness on the shell.

Any of these signs is a reason to reject the egg, since it will not hatch into a full-fledged chick.

After inspection and testing, the eggs are placed in the incubator. Its design may be different, and its functionality may vary greatly. Incubators, depending on the model, are equipped with automatic temperature and humidity maintenance, rotation and ventilation functions.

For home hatching, birds usually purchase semi-automatic, inexpensive models that require more attention: only the temperature is automatically maintained in them, and the humidity has to be set using special tanks filled with water. In some models, you also need to turn the eggs manually.

Before starting incubation, it’s a good idea to understand the operating mode of the device, check the stability of maintaining temperature and humidity, and also provide additional source power supply in case of power outage.

Incubation of goose eggs takes 30 days, and it must be done using a certain technology.

1. Before laying the tested eggs, it is necessary to warm up the incubator for two to three hours and set it to the desired humidity - 70%.
2. The eggs are placed on a special grill for goose eggs and placed in the incubator.
3. In the first few hours, the temperature is maintained at 38-38.5ºC, then it is reduced to 37.8ºC and maintained at this level until the fourth week of incubation.
4. On days 8-9, the eggs are briefly removed one at a time from the incubator and checked again with an ovoscope. They should not appear the defects mentioned above, in addition, the first signs of embryo development - threads - should appear circulatory system and the embryo itself in the form of a shadow. If the appearance of the egg has not changed in 8-9 days, then it is not viable, there is no point in putting it back into the incubator.
5. The regime throughout the incubation process is maintained in accordance with the regime indicated in the table, not forgetting to turn the eggs.

Goose egg hatching mode.

Feeding young animals from the first day to three weeks

Hatched or acquired day-old goslings are placed in a special compartment - a brooder, where the temperature is maintained in accordance with their age, and feeders and drinkers are also placed.

The area of ​​the room must be at least 0.1 m² for each individual, that is, for square meter You can place no more than a dozen goslings. If this requirement is not met, weak goslings cannot approach the feeder or drinker and gradually weaken even more.

Feeding goslings in the first days of life
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The main condition in the first days of life of the chicks is maintaining the temperature regime. It must correspond to that shown in the table.

Further, the temperature can be maintained within the same limits until the feathers grow, after which the geese become less susceptible to the cold. The temperature can be maintained using a heating pad, infrared heaters or a convector, while it is also necessary to monitor the humidity, which should be within 66-75%.

It is equally important to feed the goslings correctly. In the first week, the chicks are fed at least 6-7 times, optimally every three hours. It is most convenient to feed goslings with starter feed - it has a balanced composition and includes all the necessary elements. You can replace the feed with homemade feed, consisting of a finely crushed mixture of wheat, corn, peas, buckwheat and oatmeal.

The feed is given in the form of a moistened mash, crumbly, but under no circumstances sticky, otherwise the goslings' sinuses become clogged and they may die.

From the third day, a boiled chopped egg, cottage cheese, finely chopped greens - clover, nettle, alfalfa - are introduced. The ratio of protein and herbal supplements to the grain part of the feed should be equal. From the age of one week, goslings can be gradually accustomed to boiled root vegetables, chopped to a size convenient for the chicks.

There must be constant access to clean and warm water. It is best to use automatic drinkers that prevent contamination and spillage of water onto the litter. Additionally, for better growth and development, it is necessary to place a feeder with fine gravel, chalk and shell rock in the brooder.

Upon reaching a week of age, in dry and warm weather, the goslings are gradually accustomed to walks, starting with half an hour a day and increasing the time by 0.5-1 hour daily. Two-week-old goslings in the summer can stay outside all daylight hours.

The selection of young animals for intensive fattening or breeding is carried out at three weeks of age, after which they are separated. The parent flock is transferred to a poultry house with an area of ​​at least 1 m² per head; fattening geese can be kept in a denser scheme - 4 heads per meter.

Intensive fattening of geese

For early slaughter, geese are kept without walking and fed without restrictions with high-quality compound feed with the addition of fresh herbs, the feed ratio is equal. The feed contains crushed grain, sunflower cake, peas or beans, and bran. Table salt, chalk, and shells must be added to it. The grass is mowed daily in the morning, giving it to the geese right in the holding area. The amount of grass may not be limited.

With this feeding, by 70 days of keeping the geese reach a marketable weight corresponding to the breed and are subject to slaughter. It takes about 12 kg of mixed feed and 25 kg of grass-fed green feed to fatten one individual.

Maintenance of broodstock

To create a parent flock, families are formed consisting of one gander and three geese. The composition of the family often remains unchanged, so it is necessary to take into account the nature of the bird and their peaceful coexistence. Fights lead to deterioration in egg production, diseases and injuries, so it is better to transfer a bird that “doesn’t belong in the yard” to fatteners, no matter how promising it may seem.

In the poultry house, it is necessary to create all the conditions for maintaining the parent flock - sufficient area, thick dry litter, absence of drafts. In secluded places at some distance from each other, nests are placed - wooden boxes with hay.

The geese are provided with adequate nutrition, exercise and constant access to water. The diet of the broodstock is somewhat different from that of the finishing stock. During the unproductive period - in summer - pasture maintenance is recommended. High consumption of green feed is beneficial for two reasons:

• ganders and geese do not get fat and maintain reproduction;
• they are saturated with vitamins and minerals necessary for fertilization, laying and incubation of eggs.

Combined feed is fed to geese when there is a lack of pasture or poor grass cover, usually in the evenings - this ensures that the geese return from the pasture at the same time. If it is not possible to let the geese out to pasture, they are provided with a sufficient amount of green grass, and feeding is done twice a day: in the morning with wet mash, and in the evening with crushed grain feed.

Feeding geese in winter - photo

Closer to the beginning of the productive period, the diet of the ganders is changed. For high-quality fertilization, it is necessary to include sprouted oats in his diet - 100 grams per gander, and also increase the proportion of grain in the diet to 60-80%. It is also necessary to include up to 20% of plant-based feed in the diet.

Before laying begins, geese begin to occupy the prepared nests, become restless, and sometimes conflicts arise. They usually begin to lay eggs in January-February, when daylight begins to arrive. It is necessary to inspect the nests daily; geese lay eggs more often in the morning, once every two to three days.

Goose in the nest - photo

Eggs must be removed from the nest in a timely manner, especially at sub-zero temperatures. Eggs intended for hatching are marked with soft with a simple pencil, putting the goose number and date. It is not recommended to store eggs for hatching for more than 10 days, and if much more time remains before the planned laying, it is better to eat them.

Natural hatching of goslings

If there is a broodstock, eggs are usually hatched naturally, with the geese taking all care of the eggs themselves. Hatching in an incubator, along with incubation, is practiced for certain breeds that do not differ in parental instinct, as well as in cases where the goose does not sit on the nest.

Choosing good hens is simple: just put several eggs in her nest in advance, not intended for hatching, and watch her reaction. If she sits on a nest, and when a person appears, she does not leave, but begins to drive him away, flapping her wings and making threatening sounds, then she is ready to become a good hen.

After drying, the first hatched chicks are placed in a box under a lamp, the temperature there should be about 28ºC. As soon as all the goslings hatch, they are returned to the hen; at the same time, the chicks obtained by incubation can be added.

Maintaining the size of the parent flock

To ensure that the productivity of the herd does not decline over time, it is necessary to regularly update it. This is usually done once a year, culling unproductive geese and geese, as well as nervous, conflict-prone birds. They replenish their numbers at the expense of young animals, selecting them based on weight gain, character and genetic indicators.

Breeding geese from a hobby can develop into a home business, especially with a responsible approach to the choice of breed, maintenance and breeding work, as many poultry farmers have become convinced of this, starting with a small number taken for fattening, and over time expanding the poultry house to the limits of a mini-farm.

Video - Caring for geese at home

Video - Breeding geese

Agriculture, and, in particular, poultry farming, is a very labor-intensive business subject to many risks. Breeding geese as a business: profitable or not? Feedback from entrepreneurs and a business plan with economic calculations make it possible to assess the profitability, profitability and prospects of goose farming.

Features of goose farming

Geese are large domestic birds that are not too picky about their environment and are resistant to disease. For their breeding, pastures are needed where they can independently walk and feed throughout the warm season. In order for the goose business to bring tangible profits, you need to acquire a population of five thousand and create good conditions for life and reproduction.

They are the source of a variety of products:

1. Meat – from one adult goose you can get up to 6 kg of goose meat.
2. Liver - the nutritional value goose liver is comparable to black caviar. A well-known dish is prepared from it - foie gras pate.
3. Fat – approximately 2.5 kg of goose fat is obtained from one bird.
4. Down and feathers - goose plumage is highly valued as clothing insulation and pillow filling.
5. Eggs are less valuable than chicken eggs, but there are always lovers.
6. Ducklings - goose offspring are bought by both entrepreneurs and just amateurs household.
7. The droppings are used for fertilizer.

Depending on which part of the goose carcass the main interest of the business is directed to, and where the farm is located, the breed of bird is chosen.

Meat breeds include:

• Edmen (8-10 kg);
• Italian white (9 kg);
• Gorky (8-10 kg);
• Kholmogory (8-10 kg);
• large gray (8-10 kg).

The following breeds have high egg production:

1. Kuban (up to 90 pieces) with a small weight of 5-6 kg.
2. Italian white (up to 50 pcs.).
3. Rhine white (45-50 pcs.), weight up to 6.5 kg, valued for high quality meat.
4. Gorkovskaya (up to 50 pcs.).
5. Chinese (up to 70 pcs.).

Toulouse, originally from France, has a large body weight and fat content (10-12 kg), and is valued for the high taste of the liver.

Arzamas with an average weight of 7 kg and tasty meat is immune to cold and disease.

The Danish leghart consumes five times less feed than other birds, and at the same time quickly gains weight, which makes it first on the list of aspiring businessmen.

The Gorky and Romensky breeds best gain weight and rush in the south, and for the Ural suitable conditions in a moderate humid climate. The Romny breed got its name from the city of Romny, Sumy region of Ukraine.

Experienced farmers cross all breeds with Chinese ones to increase their egg production.

The goose farm business plan can be downloaded from the link: .

Business plan

In addition to the stage of choosing a breed, it is also necessary to carry out:

• legal registration poultry farms and obtaining permits;
• construction of a poultry house;
• organization of feeding;
• organization of geese breeding;
• organization of sales of goose products;
• planning of financial indicators.

Business is usually developed in two directions:

1. Fattening ducklings and selling meat.
2. Breeding geese for sale.

More experienced farmers combine both approaches to increase profits.

Documentation

In addition to the standard design legal entity in the form of individual entrepreneurship or company with limited liability, entrepreneurship in this area is subject to certification. To work according to the rules, you need to obtain many permits and certificates (some are issued free of charge, some for money).

They begin to coordinate the opening of the enterprise with Rospotrebnadzor and the Ministry of Emergency Situations, and then the veterinary service:

• Gives a certificate for finished products(a separate document is issued for each type of product).
• A certificate stating that the farm complies with the standards.
• Approves the plan of veterinary procedures.

There are strict requirements for goose farming, so it is necessary to purchase goslings exclusively from certified suppliers. The raised livestock must also undergo a veterinary check. Product samples are sent to laboratories to receive a quality certificate.

A barn, barn, or any other wooden structure with a height of one and a half to two meters is suitable for a poultry house for geese. There should be about 1 square meter per bird. m. of space. The beak and paws are not protected by warm plumage and need constant attention.

The temperature in the poultry house should not fall below +8ºС. To maintain dryness, the floor is covered with a thick layer of straw, and holes in the walls are completely sealed. One goose will require approximately 1 kg of hay.

The straw bedding is changed periodically, and the droppings are sold as fertilizer. To neutralize ammonia emissions, superphosphates are used, which are used to pre-treat the hay. To keep the birds from getting sick and looking good, you need to maintain cleanliness.

Also provide compartments for birds of different ages, aggressive geese and hens. To hatch eggs, you need to arrange nests with thick bedding and down. The geese should be separated by partitions so that they do not see each other and do not fight.

Equipment you will need:

1. Feeders are separate for ducklings and adults.
2. There are plenty of drinking bowls.
3. Containers for mineral additives.
4. Incubator.
5. Ovoscope.
6. Heating.
7. Lighting.

A necessary condition for proper keeping of geese is a large pasture, fenced with a net, with a lake or other body of water. Birds that spend a lot of time on fresh air, have access to water, gain weight well and lay eggs.

There is an important limitation on the location of the goose farm: you need to choose a place away from housing, since the herd creates a lot of noise and can be very aggressive.

Feeding

Consider artificial feeding of young animals starting from the first days of life. At first, the interval between feedings is 2 hours, then they switch to six meals a day. The diet consists of:

• compound feed;
• grain mixtures with the addition of grass, eggs and cottage cheese;
• cake;
• beets, carrots, rutabaga, potatoes;
• crushed shells, chalk and gravel.

It is important that after hatching the chicks are fed and watered as quickly as possible and that the food is moist but not sticky. To provide goslings with all the necessary nutrients, fish oil, yeast, potassium permanganate, bone meal, and vitamins are added to the feed. To prevent disease, antibiotic therapy can be administered at the age of 1 week and 1 month.

By the age of one month, goslings can already eat from adult feeders. In 2.5 months they eat about 30 kg of greens, 12 kg of grain, 3 kg of other additives. Weight gain during this period is 6-7 kg.

In summer, ducks and geese spend up to 90% of their time on pasture and eat up to 2 kg of grass per day. In winter, the usual diet is replaced by a third with sifted husks, oat chaff, hay flour, potatoes, beets and carrots. For each goose there should be 50-70 grams. vitamins During the breeding season, birds need to be fed frequently and in large quantities to increase egg laying.

Breeding

Experts advise purchasing females and males from different producers to avoid family ties. Geese with a similar gene pool produce poor offspring.

The largest and most aggressive goose from the herd is selected for breeding. Signs of a good bird are:

1. Two small scissor-shaped feathers on the wings.
2. Ten flight feathers of the first and second order.
3. Ten upper and lower tail feathers.

Males can fertilize females for 8-10 years, with 3-5 geese per goose. To maintain the stock in excellent condition, it must be supplemented by about a third with new young birds.

The egg laying period is from late February to early March. To obtain a brood of the same age, the collected eggs are placed with the sharp end down in a dry room with a temperature of 7-13 degrees, where they can be stored for a month with constant turning.

After this, they are collected and placed in nests with hens. Until this moment, there is only one egg under the geese, which is removed when they are laid. The chicks hatch after a month, for which purpose they are sprinkled with water on the 28th day.

The quality must be controlled using an ovoscope device. Signs of a defective egg are:

• non-standard shape, color or size;
• double yolk;
• the yolk is offset from the center;
• protein with spots.

During the season, the female hatches 4-5 goslings; when eggs are laid in the incubator, this figure increases 2-3 times. If you have 20 geese, you can breed a flock of 100 heads in one year.

Sales

Competition in this niche is low, so finding buyers is not difficult.

Goose meat and liver are in demand in catering establishments, mainly in restaurants. Goose meat is also sold wholesale in retail network. Down and feathers are sent to workshops for the production of pillows and blankets. The fertilizer is sold to collective farms and dacha farms.

Profitability calculation

Main expense items:

You need to buy goslings of several breeds at a wholesale price. The cost of a three-day-old chick is from 20 rubles/piece, ready for fattening - five times more expensive.

Current costs include payment for heating and lighting of the poultry house, vaccinations, and administrative expenses. These costs are approximately 200,000 rubles per year.

The goose farm receives income from the sale of products and live birds. Goslings can be sold three days old, and a goose that is fattened and ready for slaughter gains the required weight by 3-4 months. Revenue per goose is:

The big advantage of goose farming is that you do not need to slaughter the poultry in advance and store the meat. This is done as needed. The annual income of a farm with a population of a thousand geese can be 1-2 million rubles. The profitability of the business is 75-80%, and the payback period is from one to three years.

Video: breeding geese - where to start?

Poultry farming is a familiar and interesting activity in our latitudes. And the goose is a traditional Russian bird. These birds have been kept since ancient times and continue to be kept today. Keeping geese is not a big hassle, but the benefits from such farming are obvious. What is it like to breed geese at home or at your own dacha - the topic of our review today!

Breeding geese by novice hobbyists has the following obvious benefits:

• an adult can provide you with 6 kg of tasty meat and 2.5 kg of fat;
• goose liver - extraordinary delicious product, considered a delicacy;
• are widely used in everyday life due to their water-repellent and thermal properties;
• Geese are fast-growing birds and in two months at your dacha you can raise a young bird weighing 4 kg.

Breeding geese at home, say, in the country, requires, first of all, to raise a high-quality breeding flock that will be able to reproduce healthy offspring. Birds become sexually mature at approximately 8-10 months of age, which is quite late compared to other farm animals. But the eggs of a good goose are used for incubation for 3-4 years. The strongest and healthiest individuals are selected for the breeding herd. Gusaks are selected with a weight 10% greater than the average for the entire herd.

The weight of the goose should be at the average level; less is very undesirable. The exterior and hereditary qualities of individuals are taken into account. When forming a broodstock, keep in mind that the number of males should be 3 times less than geese. Experienced breeders form goose families by matching males with one or more geese. A herd consisting of several families can live in one pen.

If the ganders have a tough temperament and respect their territory too much, they are separated and each is given his own small pen. Then there are no quarrels in goose families, and high egg production and fertility are observed in the broodstock. In order to dot the i's and finally understand how to breed geese at home on your property or dacha, we also advise you to decide on the method of breeding them. You can use an incubator, or you can use the traditional method with a mother goose in leading role. We invite you to watch a video that shows how little goslings are born in an incubator.

Egg culling

With the right choice of eggs, babies will be born after 28-30 days of incubation. That is why, before laying eggs in an incubator or under a goose, it is necessary to reject substandard eggs. These could be:

• large eggs with two yolks or with one, but highly mobile yolk;
• eggs that have an irregular shape;
• eggs with cracked or otherwise damaged shells;
• eggs that have blood clots when candled;
• an incorrectly located or very large air chamber, which is also visible through X-ray examination.

Rules and content features

To keep geese at your dacha you don’t need any special knowledge or conditions. These birds are resistant to disease and are unpretentious, so raising geese at home is common practice in our summer cottages. The main requirement of cackling birds is the presence of good bedding made of hay, straw or peat. The fact is that these birds are very frost-resistant due to the presence of a subcutaneous fat layer. But their beak and paws are sensitive to frost, so the presence of bedding in the goose barn is mandatory.

When breeding several breeds of geese on your farm, it is better to keep them separately. Remember that these birds are able to spend most of their time walking. Therefore, it is not advisable to keep them indoors all the time, since they obtain a significant part of their diet on their own.

Premises requirements

The room in which you plan to place cackling birds should be clean, dry and bright. The area required to comfortably accommodate one goose is approximately 1 square meter. m. Raising birds in a damp and dark room is problematic - they can suffer from colds. Also take into account this feature: geese evaporate a lot a large number of water (from 10 heads about 2 liters of water), so do not forget about good ventilation in the coop. The floors in the room are made of wood or adobe, the main thing is that they are dry, since birds spend the night on the floor.

The optimal temperature for geese in winter is 0 C. If you insulate the walls and ceiling of your goose barn with mineral wool or other sealed material, then additional heating of the room will not be needed. The required temperature will be created due to the heat generated by the bird.

Feeding

Of course, raising geese in the country largely depends on quality feeding. If you raise geese on your own summer cottage, you can certainly provide them with enough space to roam. They are herbivorous poultry and one individual can eat at least 2 kg of grass per day. Especially loved by cackling birds are dandelion, clover, alfalfa, and wheatgrass, which grow in abundance in the country. Geese also eat cereal greens, but mainly before flowering.

In winter, part of the green diet is replaced with hay, grass meal or bran. But, naturally, grass alone cannot constitute a complete goose diet. Geese must be given grain; their favorite is oats, then wheat, barley, rye and corn. They also do not refuse root vegetables, such as potatoes, beets or carrots. Geese are birds that can cope with food rich in fiber, while for most poultry fiber is a difficult-to-digest product.

It is known that feed containing a high amount of fiber is cheaper than all others, so keeping geese is economically profitable. Their benefit is that they use the energy of the food they eat better than other types of poultry. The percentage of feed energy used in chickens is 65%, and in geese this figure is 70-80%. Thanks to this, the goslings grow so quickly and without problems. When feeding birds, also take into account the fact that they also feed at night, so always leave food in the feeders for night meals.

Summing up our review of keeping and caring for geese, as a bird that has lived next to humans since ancient times and brings him great benefit, we advise you to watch one more interesting video!

Breeding geese at home has always been considered a profitable activity in Rus'. Wild geese were tamed a long time ago, and since then it has become a tradition that geese in the countryside have become an integral part of the household.

Birds are unpretentious in their care, undemanding when it comes to feed, and love plant foods, so keeping them cannot be called a costly or very troublesome task. Geese feel comfortable in natural conditions, important point their maintenance is the presence of a walking area or free grazing. This strengthens their immunity and increases egg laying. Representatives of each breed produce tasty, juicy meat, dietary liver, goose fat, feathers, and down. Therefore, there are more and more people who want to start breeding geese every year.

Let's take a closer look at what poultry care should be like for its breeding to be a successful and profitable business.

Egg production of geese

Representatives of different breeds have differences in constitution, plumage color, size and productivity.

You can find out what breeds of geese exist in the video.

The egg production of geese of different breeds is slightly different; on average, a female lays about 40 eggs per season.

In early April, the females sit on the eggs. So that the goose can warm all the eggs, more than thirteen, it is not recommended to lay them. For the future mother, they will equip a nest away from the location of the main herd, in a quiet, secluded corner. The place where the goose will hatch its offspring should be warm and dry. After 28-30 days, the babies should be born. It will be better for babies if they can grow up with their mother. If this is not possible, you will need to take care of a warm and dry enclosure for them.

Information for beginner poultry keepers:

• If there is a body of water nearby, give the goose the opportunity to swim. If this is not possible, arrange for her to bathe in a basin or deep trough. Practice shows that wet plumage promotes good hatchability of chicks.
• If the maternal instinct in geese is poorly developed, the eggs are laid in an incubator.

Baby care

Keeping babies in the first weeks of life affects the health of the bird and its immunity. It is important that the chicks are kept in a warm, dry room without drafts. It is equally important to provide them with adequate nutrition. It is necessary to ensure that the chicks receive a balanced and varied diet at the same time, and that they always have clean water.

For the first two to three weeks, the goslings are fed wet mash of corn and barley grits, bran and grated boiled potatoes, adding chopped greens. For better growth and development, babies are given vitamins and mineral supplements (shells, charcoal, bone meal, and others). Goslings love to eat peas, but they must first be soaked in water for 10-12 hours and then chopped.

Kids happily nibble green grass in the meadow. Therefore, the enclosure for them is set up so that they can run and graze; you can install bathing containers in it.

Young animals can be cared for as shown in the video.

How to keep your bird comfortable

Breeding geese at home will be effective and profitable only if their care and maintenance are properly organized.

The bird adapts well to any conditions and is not afraid of the cold, but the house must be warm and dry at any time of the year. Geese are hardy birds, they love to walk in any weather, they are not afraid of rain or snow, since they are waterfowl. But babies exposed to cold rain can get wet and get sick, so warmth is the main condition for their good growth.

Premises requirements

The poultry house should be bright, it should be ventilated daily, but make sure that there are no drafts in it. There should be dry bedding on the floor. To do this, the floor is covered with a thick layer of hay, straw, sawdust or sand.

If the house has been previously used, or there were individuals of a different breed in it, it must be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected. This is done before breeding wild geese or birds of any breed.

You can learn how to organize the winter keeping of birds from the video.

Feel free to let the bird go for a walk on the pond, don’t be afraid, it will definitely find its way home and return in the evening. Geese love lush grass. If there is no possibility of walking, the grass needs to be mowed every day; the bird likes dandelions, nettles, sorrel, etc.

How to feed a bird

How to care for poultry, including geese of the Kholmogory breed, can be seen in the video.

Regardless of the breed, the bird quickly gains weight, even if it eats little. A peculiarity of the digestion of geese is that dry food swells, and the bird quickly becomes full.

Watch the video and you will learn about what maintenance and care the Tula breed geese need.

It is better to organize different rooms and pens for representatives of different breeds.

After cleaning the plot, summer residents like to release geese into the garden. They are happy to find there a lot of tasty and healthy things for themselves.

Feeders for geese should have high sides, otherwise the bird will spill dry food. It’s good if these are long boxes, then all the geese will have free access to them. Mineral feed is placed separately, and the grass is poured into a manger mounted on the wall, otherwise the grass will be trampled.

Drinkers can be made from large diameter pipes, but it is better if they are automatic drinkers. The water is changed once a day. To prevent the water from freezing in winter, hot water is added to the drinking bowls.

You can learn interesting information about breeding geese from the video.