The goose is a fairly common bird that was bred in Russia. It is no coincidence that there are almost twice as many Russian goose breeds as European ones. In breeding, geese compare favorably with other types of poultry. They can be bred even on a garden plot, because little money is spent on geese. Geese tolerate well even winter conditions, as they have excellent protection from the cold - a thick downy cover. Vulnerable in them are only non-feathered parts of the body - paws and beak.
Instructions
Step 1
Keeping geese in winter is more troublesome than in summer. Be sure to make a poultry house. The wall boards should be tightly fitted, it is good if they are slightly insulated. The main thing is that there are no drafts in it. Another prerequisite is the absence of dampness. The front of the house for colder areas should face south.
Step 2
If the cushioning material, for example, log walls, is what the geese love to use for their needs, then they will pull it out. It can be tow or moss. To avoid this, it is necessary to cover the walls from the floor with slats to a height of 1 m throughout the room.
Step 3
The floor is best made of planks. To keep it ventilated, lay it on blocks approximately 20 cm high, which will provide less moisture. This is not the only way to reduce it. For geese, it is necessary to lay bedding, which must be dry and in large quantities. If it is damp, the goose feathers and down will be moistened, lose heat, and because of this, the birds will become chilly.
Step 4
Decide in advance how many birds you intend to keep. It depends on whether they have enough space. Geese can exist in crowded and crowded conditions, but then the quality of their content is much worse. If there is not enough space, the litter will become dirty much faster, the birds will get dirty, and the droppings will create poor conditions due to more concentrated gas emissions during its decomposition. Estimate the space or the number of birds so that there is at least 1 m per 1 goose? On the floor. If the winter period is short and not particularly cold, then this requirement can be reduced by 2 times, since the bird will spend most of the time outside the house.
Step 5
Organize feeding areas. There should be enough of them to keep the geese from pushing and waiting in line to access the feed. Make for them in a personal place. Hang or otherwise fix the feeders at a height of 20 cm. For feeding chopped green mass, a coarse wire basket can be used in addition to the feeders.
Step 6
In order for the geese to drink, containers of water are needed. For this, buckets, basins, troughs, and the like are suitable. Place them on trays or trays, otherwise water will spill onto the floor.
Step 7
In the daytime, let the geese go for a walk, except for the time of severe frosts. Make the walking space directly adjacent to the poultry house, and in area - approximately 2 times larger than it.
Step 8
Organize regular bird feeding. Prepare the forage mash. They must be crumbly and always moist. They can be made with whey, skim milk, or buttermilk. Geese are very picky animals to ensure that the food is fresh, not sour.
Step 9
Give more grain before the breeding period (1, 5 months). It's good if you sprout oats for poultry. Also add 8 g of feed yeast per bird to the geese. This will provide a good vitamin supplement.
Step 10
Monitor the weight of the geese by weighing them regularly to determine whether the feed is sufficient. Weight loss should not be tolerated, as in winter it can weaken the birds, which will have a detrimental effect on health. If the weight has decreased, then significantly increase the amount of feed until normal weight gain is restored.
Step 11
Prepare the mash from a large amount of hay, which must be chopped. Add compound feed or food waste - vegetable peelings. Feed whole root vegetables at least once weekly, chopped into small cubes for the birds to peck and swallow. Let's mix them with compound feed too.
Step 12
Provide access to gravel, sand, charcoal, and crushed shells. Place them separately in different sections of a container. Birds will swallow them from time to time. This is necessary for grinding food into the goiter.
Step 13
Keeping geese is much easier in the summer. Graze them in meadows near a river or pond. On pastures, geese feed on their own all day, but then be sure to organize access to water and a place where they can periodically shelter from the scorching sun. You can build a canopy and put drinking bowls with water. The canopy can be woven independently from straw, branches or reed stalks.
Step 14
If it is not possible to release geese for free grazing due to the lack of natural reservoirs, you can keep them in an aviary or enclosure. Then be sure to arrange a place for them to drink, swim and provide a large amount of green mass in the composition of the mash.
