The goose has always been a symbol of the well-being of the farmer - “Good goose!”, And for good reason. Breeding geese as a business is most profitable in well-standing individual farms. The goose is an unpretentious bird, but for successful breeding it requires the owner to have solid skills in prudent management.

Breeding geese in a country house or a small plot of land is unlikely to bring a lot of income. Geese require simple and easy, but constant supervision and well-equipped housing near the house. If you only visit the geese from time to time, do not expect a noticeable income. This, in turn, requires a significant initial investment in goose coop equipment.

The goose, so to speak, is a non-stall bird. In order for geese to breed well, they must spend most of the day - up to 90% of daylight hours - on fresh air and graze freely.

Although the goose was the first bird domesticated by man, it retained many features of its wild ancestor, the gray goose (Ancer cireneus), a tundra dweller. This is explained by the fact that domestic geese, unlike chickens, live close to the habitats of their ancestors.

Therefore, the owner-goose breeder must have a goose pasture at his disposal, either his own or rented, for stable offspring. For a profitable goose herd, about two hectares of meadow, wasteland or any inconvenience: ravines, slopes, etc. are needed.

What to expect from geese

The goose is primarily a meat bird. The egg production of geese is small, and goose eggs are not in special demand, especially since they are inferior in taste to chicken ones and no special properties or qualities have been noticed behind them. But the goose gives meat per hectare of pasture in an established economy up to and more than 2 tons per year, and the first product can be obtained 2 months after the start of grazing. The grazing season of the goose continues from the first grass to the hard frost.

Considering that a goose is not a bull, it is possible to “harvest” the goose herd gradually during the season, as demand is met. Therefore, there is no need for freezing equipment and waste from storage delays. The cost of goose in small-medium farms is lower than beef (albeit slightly higher than pork), and the selling price is higher; higher, respectively, and profitability.

A delicacy and healing product, goose liver, is in high demand. Goose liver pate (Strasbourg pate, foie gras) is an expensive delicacy. There are even special "liver" breeds of geese and the technology of fattening geese for fatty liver. Foie gras is canned and can be transported far from the place of production. This is the same “incorruptible Strasbourg pie” that Eugene Onegin enjoyed with champagne.

Also, the goose gives a valuable industrial product - goose down. For warming clothes, goose down is second only to eider down, but their prices are incomparable. Potential buyers of down should be considered at the planning stage of a goose farm.

Finally, the goose eats, though a lot, but almost any food and is very resistant to diseases. Therefore, financial insurance in case of a possible epizootic, as in rabbit breeding, is not needed.

What you need for a "good goose"

Question: “Is it profitable to breed geese?” Generally speaking, rhetorical. Goose is definitely beneficial " good goose"- the owner of at least a small but profitable farm in the countryside, confidently standing on his own feet, in order to, figuratively speaking, "spread his wings." Beginners in agricultural production are not recommended to engage in geese.

The first thing you need for the production of goose is a room of 150 sq. m per 1000 heads. The room needs a capital heated, not lower than 8 degrees in the coldest, with an insulated floor. Although the goose is a bird and northern, but sleep him for a good exit marketable products it needs to be warm, and its paws and beak can get frostbite.

It is also impossible to keep commercial geese in some shed because the goose is a large poultry, and for the regular sale of products, a permit for the production of agricultural products from the sanitary and epidemiological station, veterinary service and firefighters is required, and all of them must inspect the future goose house. Of course, you need to register as an individual entrepreneur in advance; such permits are not issued to individuals.

For geese, a reservoir is also needed, from 2 acres (200 sq. M.) For 1000 heads with grassy banks - a water goose. If there is no such pond on the site, it will have to be dug, filled and sown with lawn grass on the banks.

Rospotrebnadzor does not allow the use of natural reservoirs for goose farming in the immediate vicinity of housing (as well as organizing a goose farm in settlements) - the goose bird is noisy, strong and rather aggressive. A school of irritated geese can peck a child to death or maim an adult, and the cackling of a herd of geese creates a noise like in a forge and press shop. Therefore, the goose house must be located at a sufficient distance from their own housing, otherwise it will not pass through sanitation.

It is best to start a goose business by buying or renting an abandoned poultry house or barn. It will be much cheaper and easier to make repairs and restore broken communications than to build from scratch, and there will be no need to prove that the place is suitable.

Where is a good goose

The success of the goose business largely depends on the correct choice of breed. There are many breeds of geese, for different purposes, climatic zones and specific local conditions, but if you decide to start new business- breeding geese, then you will first need to take care of a regular offspring.

Geese are unimportant mothers, it is impossible to incubate goose eggs in a homemade incubator, no more than 5-7 eggs can be placed under one hen, and branded incubators are expensive. By the way, if you still decide to buy one, don't be too tempted by digital foreign models: they work flawlessly, but their capacity is small. Domestic ones are no worse, but they contain hundreds of eggs.

Of the breeds of geese for a start, we can recommend, first of all, large gray ones, then the ubiquitous Kholmogory ones. Their geese incubate eggs well and hatch young, and the birds themselves are very hardy and resistant to diseases. Gorky and Romensky geese are suitable for the southern regions on the same grounds, and for a temperate zone with excessive humidity (for example, Western Siberia) - Ural (Shadrin).

How to open a goose farm

Breeding geese begins with paperwork. Goose meat and goose liver are included in the list of products of the Russian Federation subject to mandatory certification, so you will have to overcome a lot of instances to start:

• Tax: indicating the types of activities for - the sale of poultry meat, meat products, young animals, eggs, canned meat. Upon registration, you will receive a certificate in form 4 of PSRN - this is your main document for further.
• Rospotrebnadzor and firefighters, based on your Form 4, will give permission to open; these documents are paid. “That’s how they’ll give it right away! Ha!" - A fairly experienced entrepreneur will exclaim here, but this is a subject for a separate discussion.
• Now it's time to go to the vets. Goose is the subject of mandatory certification, goose carcass cannot be sold without a certificate, even individually on the market. Two documents must be obtained from the veterinary service: a certificate of veterinary well-being of the enterprise - buildings, equipment, surrounding land and a certificate for the products. Only with this package in hand and a plan of veterinary measures approved by the same veterinarians, you can start working.

From the described it follows that it does not make sense to rent only a room for a goose coop - who will give you a certificate for other people's grazing land? And you need to buy young stock only from certified suppliers, otherwise how will you get a certificate for something that doesn’t exist yet? Certified young animals solve the problem at the start, but then you will have to certify your own separately.

Youngsters deserve special attention. Most suppliers sell young animals prepared for fattening. Such birds are poor producers and it will be unprofitable to try to breed them. Given the difficulties with certification, at the start you can limit yourself to growing, and only after gaining experience, form your own breeding herd. With a serious approach to business, the breeding herd is necessary for independence from the suppliers of young animals.

There are few suppliers of breeding geese. Actually, pure breeds of geese in Russia are offered by three breeding plants: Pyatnitsky, Lindovsky and Priirtyshsky. If you buy for a tribe on the spot or within reach, then you first need to make sure that the young are certified and meet the breed standards.

Commercial prospects

indicative goose breeding business plan looks something like this:

• Premises with land, purchase or lease - 200-300 thousand rubles.
• Repair and equipment - 150-200 thousand rubles.
• Paperwork - 15,000-20,000 (?) rubles.
• Purchase of young animals 1000 heads, from 10 rubles. for a daily caterpillar up to 50 rubles. for ready for fattening - 10,000-50,000 rubles.
• Feed and operating costs for the year - 600-720 thousand rubles.

Total initial investment 975 - 1290 thousand rubles.

Now let's calculate the income for the year from a herd of 800 heads of geese and 200 heads of ganders. The starting point is that one goose breeds 6-8 goslings per year, which give meat for 500-1000 rubles. depending on local prices, liver for 500 rubles. (liver is bought by manufacturers of canned pate and the price is stable), down and feathers for 20 rubles.

The total annual income is 960-1760 thousand rubles. Excluding taxes, we get a payback period of 1-3 years, depending on the market situation and local conditions.

It should also be taken into account that all authorities will pester the goose farm with checks. This will require contingency costs to correct deficiencies and comply with regulations. But it is impossible to specify at least their approximate value in advance.

It should also be noted that a good income from a large herd of goose can be obtained independently only on grazing. "Stall" content is beneficial on an industrial scale for canned food or when fattening several dozen for holidays and celebrations. But this is no longer breeding, but another type of activity - fattening.

Grand total

In general, the following can be said about the goose business: if you are an experienced private farmer and you have in mind a dilapidated cowshed or a poultry house, or an abandoned estate with a couple of hectares unsuitable for arable land, a garden or vegetable garden with them and with access to water, goose can and will be profitable.

Otherwise, it is better to use your powers somewhere else.

The meat of young lean poultry is always in great demand. For this reason, many farms are engaged in raising chickens, geese and other birds, not only for themselves, but also for sale. From the point of view of economic benefits, the most profitable is the breeding of geese for meat. Why geese? Yes, because they are unpretentious, they prefer green fodder, which allows you to save a significant part of the money, besides, in addition to dietary meat, you can get the most valuable fluff from them, as well as liver - the main component of the famous Foie Gras.

The key to successfully raising geese at home is choosing the right breed. Like all birds, geese are divided into three main groups: light, medium and heavy (meat breeds or broilers). Since in this case the goal is to breed geese for meat, you should choose among heavy breeds with good meat performance. Such birds grow quickly, gain weight within 4–5 months, and their meat is distinguished by higher palatability.

The group of heavy (meat) crosses has more than two dozen, but the following breeds are the most popular:

1. Kholmogorskaya. One of the largest breeds, characterized by fast fattening and carcass weight gain. Already by the age of 60–65 days, the young growth grows up to 4 kg, therefore it is this breed that is most often bred for meat.
2. Large gray. Heavy cross, obtained from crossing the Toulouse and Romensky breeds. These geese are mobile, have a strong physique, a muscular broad sternum, and are also low in fat. For slaughter, goslings are recommended to grow up to 9-10 weeks - at this age, their weight is 4-4.5 kg.
3. Lindovskaya white. A breed very popular with domestic poultry farmers with high productive, including meat, indicators. Young animals reach their slaughter weight (4–4.5 kg) by the age of three months. Geese gain weight well, eat pasture, and are not demanding to care for.
4. Toulouse. French breed, characterized by rapid weight gain, not only meat, but also fat. Toulouse geese are inactive, do not eat plant foods well, so the young are slaughtered when they reach two months of age, otherwise the meat will become too fatty.
5. Broilers G 35. A highly productive cross bred by French experts through genetic selection. Ideal for breeding geese at home, as the birds are gaining weight intensively and have a high immunity to disease. The slaughter weight (4 kg) is reached by the age of 7 weeks, and already a three-month-old goose weighs about 7 kg.

How to contain

The technology of growing geese in a private household requires the creation of favorable conditions for keeping birds. While the goslings are small, a bright and heated room of such a size is suitable for them that for every 8-10 chicks there is at least 1 m² of area. In the far corner of the house, a resting area with bedding should be equipped, and drinkers and feeders should be installed on the opposite side.

For chicks under the age of 20 days, it is necessary to maintain a temperature regime of 26–28 ° C. When the temperature drops, infrared lamps can be used. light day for normal growth chicks should be approximately 17 hours.

IN farms rearing of young geese for meat occurs mainly in mesh or wooden cages. Typically, such pens have several partitions (sections), each of which contains 15–20 animals.

If cages are used to keep geese at home, then it is necessary to ensure that the number of goslings per 1 m² of area does not exceed 3-4 heads. With a denser placement, the livestock grows slowly and often gets sick, becoming infected from each other.

Mandatory conditions for cage keeping is the daily walking of birds for 1–2 hours. In normal home keeping, geese should always have access to water. It is desirable that the goslings grow near the reservoir, but if this is not possible, then large water containers should be installed in the yard for bathing and swimming birds.

What to feed

The diet of goslings depends on their age. During the first two weeks from birth, chicks should be fed with healthy and light foods: boiled eggs, low-fat homemade cottage cheese, chopped cereals. When the babies are 10 days old, bone meal, chopped greens should be added to the menu little by little: dandelions, nettles, ordinary grass, onion feathers. The first 4 weeks you need to feed the chicks often - up to 8 times a day.

When they are one month old, you need to put an additional feeder for solid grain feed. Geese are very fond of mash, made from vegetables (zucchini, carrots) and cereals. In such food, you can and should add good combined vitamin mixtures that promote growth and weight gain.

Water in drinking bowls should always be clean and in sufficient quantity. Sand, small shells should be poured next to the feeders - these components improve digestion. With the age of the chicks, the frequency of feeding decreases to 4-5 times, and the portion size, on the contrary, increases.

In the warm season, with good weather, it is better to let the geese outside for the whole day. Forbs, various insects and the sun will favorably affect the growing organism. The birds themselves will be able to choose which pasture suits them. In general, for the whole day, an adult bird can eat about 2 kg of greens, and it remains to feed it only 2 times - in the morning and in the evening, which is very economically profitable.

How long does it take to grow

How long do geese usually grow before slaughter? The answer to this question depends on the breed. The main criterion to be guided by is the achievement by the bird of a mass of 4 kg. For some breeds of geese, 60-75 days is enough for this, and for others 3-4 months. You can determine the period of readiness for slaughter by the state of the feathers - if you don’t feel stumps when you run your hand over them, this means that the bird is fully feathered and you can slaughter. Having mastered this knowledge, breeding birds at home for beginners and experienced poultry farmers will not be difficult.

Video “The basics of breeding ducks and geese”

From this video you will learn how to independently breed ducks and geese.

Along with chickens, which are bred not only by residents of the countryside, but also by ordinary summer residents, geese are also very popular as poultry. These birds easily adapt to various conditions of detention, are resistant to diseases and at the same time are very smart, and, most importantly, quite unpretentious. Even beginners can handle growing 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, but the goose is a useful bird. This is one of the first feathered creatures that man tamed. Since ancient times, geese have served people regularly. Legends, myths, interesting tales and exciting stories are associated with these birds. The most famous is about how the geese saved Rome by cackling in time and thereby warning the Roman soldiers about the enemy's invasion.

Geese are undemanding birds. If you provide them with a roof over their heads 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 a hundredfold. As a result you will get:

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

By the way, earlier a person used in everyday life and goose feathers They were used as a medium for writing. Now goose feathers can be used to create crafts and decorations.

What breed to choose

Thanks to the work of breeders of goose breeds, there are quite a lot of goose 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.

Goose breeds fall into three main categories:

• heavy in other words, meat breeds. Geese of such breeds give more meat than others, and it is advisable to grow them for food. Representatives of this category are large, rarely used in industrial poultry farming, since some breeds of birds are difficult to acquire, and besides, they are far from cheap. Heavy geese are characterized by low egg production compared to representatives of other categories, and, therefore, are difficult to breed.
• Medium-heavy breeds are mostly decorative and are intended to give personal plot a kind of rural charm. These birds are quite expensive.
• Lungs- small birds that carry eggs well, and therefore are easy to breed. Widespread in industrial poultry farming. They eat a lot, but the masses do not fill up.

The table below shows the main breeds of geese, which are most often grown at home.

Table 1. The main breeds of geese for growing at home

How to choose young

So, having studied all the information about the most common breeds of geese, you have made your choice in favor of the one you plan to purchase and settle in your summer cottage. Now it's time to buy the young, which you will grow. But everything is not so simple here: often dishonest sellers, trying to cash in, sell outbred goslings, and often even sick ones. Therefore, it is necessary to approach the purchase of young animals with special care.

It is best to go buying goslings in the company of a person who is familiar with this bird firsthand: he will help you choose high-quality and healthy babies, from which you will successfully raise a good bird. If there is no such person “at hand”, then be guided by the following recommendations:

1. Learn about the breed you want to get.
2. Exclude "bird markets" from the search for young animals: here you will not get any guarantee that the goslings are thoroughbred and healthy. If the kids die on your site due to the fault of the breeder's dishonesty, then no one will compensate you for material and moral damages. It is better to go to a poultry farm.
3. Choose those goslings that are already 5-7 days old. Too small birds are difficult to transport, and older ones can be shy and difficult to deal with.
4. Rate appearance birds: the fluff on the chicks should be yellow color, soft and fluffy, and, most importantly, dry, without pieces of the shell.
5. The umbilical cord should be overgrown, with no trace of crusts, and the down under the tail should be dry and clean, there should not be any traces of discharge on it.
6. Examine the tummy - it should not be sagging.
7. Look at the beak - there should be no discharge from the nostrils.
8. Choose the most active birds: inactive, sitting quietly in a corner with their eyes closed, goslings can be sick. Small healthy chicks actively react to unfamiliar sounds and objects.
9. Birds should stand firmly on their paws.
10. When buying goslings, check if they have all the necessary vaccinations by age.

Requirements for the conditions of keeping goslings

And here you are - the happy owner of three, five, and maybe ten little yellow goslings. They 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 to live in.

It is best to settle the kids in a specially built goose house. If this is not available, then a small shed will do. Before settling in young animals, the barn is cleaned, disinfected, it is desirable to whitewash the walls, and cover the floor with straw with a layer of 10-15 cm. By the way, goslings are kept in warm rooms until they reach the age of 15-20 days (warm weather should also be established outside by this time).

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

In the room for babies there should be drinking bowls and feeders. To avoid dampness, install drinkers on grates, under which there is a pan-type container to collect spilled water.

Small goslings cannot be kept in a crowd - they can overwhelm each other if there are too many of them: divide the room into separate compartments. For 1 square meter about 10 goslings under the age of 3 weeks can safely exist. At the same time, in hot weather, the number of goslings in the same area should be reduced by 1.5 times.

Video - growing geese at home

Goslings can be let out for some time from the first days of life, if the air temperature outside the window is high enough. Birds are taught to walk gradually. It is best to walk them in an aviary so that birds of prey do not reach them. As soon as the warm weather finally sets in, take the goslings to the pasture, where they can nibble grass. From 45 days with goslings, you can also visit reservoirs.

Feeding goslings

Very small goslings are fed millet or oatmeal with the addition of finely chopped boiled eggs or cottage cheese. After 3-4 days, chopped grass is added to food. At the age of 1 month, goslings include carrots in the diet - a source of carotene. It should be rubbed on a fine grater and given 5 times a day. A mixture of porridge, carrots, greens 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 buying goslings in the spring and summer, when nature dresses in its green attire: during this period, there are plenty of natural pastures around, where goslings can graze and eat fresh green plants. By the way, a monthly gosling eats almost a kilogram of grass a day. Most of all, kids like nettle, dandelion, sorrel, thistle.

• In addition to food and fresh water, goslings also need to put a bowl of gravel or coarse sand - they are necessary so that the stomach of the birds can grind food.
• Do not 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 the temperature of food, so make sure that the food for goslings is not hot or very cold.
• If you are raising goslings for meat, then it is advisable to feed them with highly concentrated feed mixtures, while about 50% of the total food volume should be fresh greens.

You can slaughter goslings for meat at the age of 70 days - by this time they are already gaining a fairly large mass. If you missed the time, and the goslings have outgrown this age, then you need to start slaughtering in 60-70 days, when the growth of new feathers ends.

Many people today have additional income raising poultry at home. Moreover, people began to breed geese more often than chickens. Below will be described how geese are bred at home for beginners, with a description of the most important and difficult points.

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

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

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

Choice of young

The key to successful raising goslings at home is the right choice of young. First you need to find out which species are suitable for breeding in a particular region. The young growth itself must be clean, healthy, and also without visible defects in the form of cones and various kinds damage. Goslings must have all the features characteristic of the selected breed.

In addition, the choice must take into account the purposes for which the bird will be bred. If for the sake of meat, then you should use meat breeds of geese, which quickly gain good weight. If for the sake of eggs, then breeds with high egg production should be preferred.

Breeding options

In terms of breeding poultry, there will be no problems with cottages. You can also grow geese at home in a private house. When it was decided to breed poultry, it is necessary to decide how this process will be carried out. After all, you can grow in different ways: with the help of hens or in an incubator.

How exactly to grow this or that breed, each poultry breeder determines independently.

mother hen

Often geese in the country are grown using hens. This method among goose breeders is considered better than the incubator one. But not every breed has a well-developed maternal instinct.

It must be understood that one hen is capable of producing a maximum of 14 chicks. In this method, very great importance play maintenance and breeding.

Here it is very important to create optimal conditions for breeding. The temperature in the goose house should be at the level of + 14-15 degrees. Keep geese in the country should be clean, dry and in a well-ventilated area. The nest with the mother hen should be fenced off from other individuals. Broken eggs should be removed immediately. To prevent this situation, it is necessary that the nest is not overloaded with eggs.

After feeding, the geese should take their places. The water in the drinking bowl of the hens during the planting period should be changed every day. In breeds that have a pronounced maternal instinct, hens can raise their own chicks. To do this, they roll eggs for uniform heating and perform other actions that have a beneficial effect on offspring.

Such cultivation at home allows you to get the first goslings on the 28th day. It is worth noting that the reproduction and cultivation of this type is only suitable for those varieties that have a developed maternal instinct.

Incubator

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

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

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

These requirements are mandatory in goose breeding.

Broilers are often raised this way. Knowing how to properly place eggs in the incubator and monitor them, you can slightly increase the percentage of hatching.

Room and walking

Young animals should be released into the fresh air during the day in a special corral. At night they walk in the goose house. When the birds are 40 days old, their walking is carried out near the reservoir. Independent grazing is allowed when gaining 2 kg of live weight.

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

The room itself, which contains birds (chicks, young and adults), should be well ventilated.

Growing goslings from the first days

So that the chicks do not die after hatching, you need to know how to care for them. You also need to know how to contain them. After all, if certain rules are not followed, a case can begin.

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

Next, you need to know how to properly care for the brood. For the first few days they should be given yolk taken from boiled eggs. Also, greens should be present in the diet of goslings. The first two days they are fed 7-8 times during the day. Chicks should always have pure water. However, drinkers should be chosen such that they will not allow the goslings to choke.

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

The maintenance of geese is carried out in special buildings - goose houses or sheds. In this case, you need to know that geese of any breed in household must be in certain conditions (temperature, meeting, humidity). These parameters are selected based on the requirements of the breed being grown. It is especially important to create right conditions content for chicks and young.

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

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

Over time, it is necessary to gradually increase the light regime. It must be more than 14 hours. Therefore, artificial lighting is indispensable.

In the process of growth, it is imperative to organize proper care for geese at home. The room should always have clean bedding made of chaff or straw. Therefore, every few days the poultry house is cleaned. Birds need to spend a lot of time outdoors. It is best that their walking takes place near the reservoir. During the day, while on the run, geese are able to eat about 2 kg of grass. They are especially fond of clover, wheatgrass, dandelions, etc.

An important point in caring for this type of poultry is full feeding. In winter, the diet of geese should include grass flour (can be replaced with bran), grain (oats, barley, corn, etc.), root crops (carrots, beets, potatoes). You should know that geese are difficult to digest fiber. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor this fact when buying special feeds for this poultry.

Breeding geese is a great business option. The mini-farm will begin to pay off in six months, and in a couple of years it will reach a stable profit. To successfully sell meat, eggs, down and other goose products, owners will have to register entity, acquire the necessary certificates and correctly calculate financial investments.

How to breed geese at home? Read our new article with step by step instructions!

Choosing a direction of activity for a future farm, many entrepreneurs make a choice in favor of goose breeding. These birds have a lot of advantages.

Breeding geese as a business has the following advantages:

• fast growth. The gosling acquires the size and weight required for slaughter within 3-4 months after birth;
• good performance. Thoroughbred geese carry about 70 eggs per year.
• unpretentiousness and simplicity in content;
• resistance to diseases and infections;
• low costs for fattening and keeping poultry;
• wastelessness of production. You can sell not only goose and eggs, but also offal, feathers, fluff. Breeding young animals are also in demand, as well as goose droppings, which are used as fertilizer.

Goose farming as a business: where to start, how to succeed?

• You need to start work by choosing a place for a future farm. The easiest way is to rent a suburban area with free access to water. An ideal reservoir for goose breeding is a shallow river with backwaters or a small pond. An industrial pit with gentle slopes to the water is also suitable.

It is desirable that the leased land could be redeemed over time. Own areas significantly increase the profitability of the farm.

• The next step is the registration of a legal entity. The process of collecting papers can take from several days to a month, so it is worth starting it in advance.
• Deciding legal issue, organize the space. Geese need a house with fairly thick wooden walls and a solid roof. Any barn that can be additionally sheathed with boards will do. Nearby you need to organize a spacious paddock with access to water. It is recommended to equip the poultry house with an incubator, it will increase the number of eggs and the survival rate of newborn goslings.
• Purchase a breeding egg or young. Breeding geese at home for beginners is recommended to start with breeds that are quickly gaining weight, unpretentious and characterized by strong immunity. The choice should be made depending on which direction you plan to develop.

For example, geese of the Kholmogory, Gorky breeds, as well as the Danish legard, are suitable for meat production. Large gray geese are distinguished by good egg production and unpretentiousness. Representatives of the Toulouse breed will become the supplier of delicious meat and liver. It is worth considering that tender Toulouse are very demanding on care and do not tolerate cold.

Goose Breeding Business Plan: Costs and Income

For example, you can take a small farm of 500 heads:

• The purchase of breeding birds will take about 40,000 rubles, another 15,000 will be needed for the construction of a poultry house, organizing nests and walking.
• Registration of documentation for the farm and obtaining veterinary certificates will cost 30,000 rubles.
• About 15,000 rubles will be spent on the purchase of feed and monthly maintenance of the poultry house.
• The rent of land for a farm is added to the expenses - about 150,000 rubles.

The bird gains the weight necessary for slaughter by 3-4 months. When selling from 100 whole carcasses per month (weight from 5 to 10 kg), you can get up to 70,000 rubles. Thus, the farm will reach the level of profitability in a year, the payback of the business will be 75-80%.

How to properly breed laying hens at home and how to draw up a competent business plan with calculations, you can find out

Nuances of product sales

Goose breeding products can be sold at markets or industry fairs. Whole and gutted carcasses are subject to sale, offal can be sold separately: heart, liver, kidneys. High-quality goose down or sorted feather is also in demand.

A convenient and profitable option is the sale of meat by prior arrangement. For example, for the New Year holidays, you can specially fatten geese until the right sizes. Selling on demand simplifies implementation.

You can sell goose meat not only to individuals, but also to restaurateurs who rely on an environmentally friendly and healthy product. Restaurants can offer offal and cut fillets, which cost more than whole carcasses.

Delivery of goose meat to buyers is the most unprofitable option, since prices for this category of consumers are very low.

This option is only suitable for large farms that do not rely on high quality products, but on a fast turnaround. It is better for owners of mini-farms to master related industries.

For example, meat can be processed, making tasty and healthy canned food out of it. Goose stew is stored for a long time, and it can be sold at a much higher margin. Some farmers are also experimenting with the production of foie gras, an alternative to the famous foie gras. It is important to remember that the real "fatty liver" is given only by special meat breeds that are not cheap.

Down and feathers harvested from your own farm can be used to stuff pillows, which you can also sell yourself. The advantage of the goose is the non-waste production, this feature must be used with full dedication.

A promising option is the sale of breeding eggs and young animals. If you have purchased a high-quality bird, such a business can bring substantial profits. You can sell a breeding egg at fairs or specialized Internet portals.

Information about the farm and its products can be disseminated through trade magazines, both print and virtual.

How to breed geese at home? The answer is in the following video tutorial: